VOTED OUT

Hokitika Guardian, 3 December 1928, Page 7

VOTED OUT

THE VICTORIAN -MINISTRY.

UNSATISFACTORY POSITION

SYDNEY, November 21

The defeat by one vote on a no-con-fidence motion of the Victorian Labour Ministry headed by Mr Hogan, was not unexpected. In fact, it had to come sooner or later, as the Ministry never had a complete majority, and governed more or loss on sufferance, it should never have been in office as it had but 28 followers in a house of Go, and its deliberate policy of isolation prevented it from forming a stable alliance with any other group, for avowedly its hand is against every other Party. It retained office as the result of some immoral bargaining with the Country Progressive Pan,}. The no-confidence motion in its original form attacked the Government for its weak handling of the waterfront crisis, and was moved hy the leader or the Nationalist Party, Sir William -McPherson. This, however, was only one reason for the defeat. An amendment attacked the Labour Ministry on its proposed redistribution of seats, and as the proposal meant that some ol the country constituencies would cease to exist, anil the number of metropolitan seats increase, the Country Party representatives had no alternative but to vote with the Nationalists and end the Labour reign for the time being at least. Of course, there are many other charges made by its opponents against the Labour Ministry. These include the ninladministration of the railways, the police, and the forests business terrorism, and house-building programmes.

Foillowing its defeat the Hogan Ministry delayed announcement as to its intentions, and it was not until the House met a few days later that Mr Hogan revealed his decision. With a forlorn hope that lie might still retain the support of the Country Progressives, he moved a simple test motion: “That the House do now adjourn.” He was not left in doubt, for very long for the motion was rejected on a division by 34 votes to 28. This was decisive enough to cause him to resign. During the no-confidence debate, the Parties expressed a desire for an immediate election, Rut since the Federal General Election results became known they are not so eager. Particularly docs this refer to the Nationalists, and the result is the formation of a purely Nationalist Ministry commanding the support of memhens of the Country Party and the Country Progressive Party. Owing to the extreme antagonism of the Country Progressive Party towards the Country Party, a composite Ministry lietweon Country and Nationalist Parties was out of the question. Tt would seen that an election would have been the host way out of a difficult and unsatisfactory position. As things arc, the Nationalists will he subject to the control of the "Country Party as they are in the Federal Parliament, and it seems anomalous that so small a party numerically should wield such great influence in the affairs of Australia. Tt is one of the evils of the three-Party system. New Zealand will know more about those evils in the future,