FEDERAL ELECTIONS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 October 1929, Page 6

FEDERAL ELECTIONS

IGNORANCE OF MR SCULLIN. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) LONDON, October 15. Mr Janies H. Scullin, Leader of the Australian Parliamentary Labour Party, has caused some mystification in the London press, which describes him as a mystery man. The “Evening Standard” heads its report “ Australia House Does Not Know Its New Chief.” It says Mr Scullin is “a man without a past.” The “Standard” adds: “When inquiries were made at Australia House, an official said: ‘I am afraid that we are sadly ignorant of the biographical details of Mr Scullin. All that we can do is to turn up the reference books, which tell us that he was bora in Victoria, and that he is a journalist.” ARBITRATION ISSUE. REVERSAL OF BRUCE POLICY. SYDNEY, October 15. The Premier of New South Wales, Mr T. Bavin, has convened a conference of State Premiers to discuss the situation arising from the Federal election and the rejection of the arbitration issue. It is understood that the main purpose of this conference is to deal with a proposal that the States should now surrender their arbitration powers to the Commonwealth, in order to dispose of disabilities due to conflicting State and Federal awards.

BRITISH PRESS COMMENT. LONDON, October 14. The “Daily Telegraph’s” financial editor says: “While it would be untrue to say that the victory for the Labour Party in Australia is liked in the City, there is a feeling that it may not have any particularly disastrous results. Any declines in Australian Government stocks are limited to a quarter of one per cent in a half-dozen securities. Air Theodore and the other Labour leaders, it may be assumed, fiave learnt something about economic truths from the experience of Queensland.” The “Daily Telegraph” continues: “Apart from a check to the carrying out of loan programmes on the part of the Australian States, as under the arrangements made by the Federal Loan Council last August, a reduction in* Australian loan expenditure will affect those forms of activity and employment which loans have stimulated in the past. A more moderate growth of public debts, even at the expense of a deflation in the activity arising from the annual expenditure, is desirable in the interests of the Australian publicand with the restraining influence of the Senate, it may be hoped that the new Government will not lose sight of this.”

A STRIKING FACT. NEW YORK, October 15. The New York “ World,” in a leading article, says: A ifew months ago one of the oldest of the world’s democracies passed under a Labour Government. Now, one of the very youngest, Australia, follows it. The sweeping victory of the Labour Party in the distant island continent is a striking occurrence. There can be no doubt that sympathy with Mr MacDonald’s Labour Ministry in London played a part in the result. Mr Jas. Scullin, who will be the new Prime Minister, appealed to the voters to elect a Government which would co-operate with British Labour in developing the British Empire and in promoting world peace. LABOUR’S STAR. OTTAWA, October 15. Speaking at Toronto, Mr William Green, President of the American Federation of Labour, said to-day: “ 1 can say that all of the Federation officials and delegates who have been following the elections in Australia with keen interest, will be pleased and inspired by the results. It is of worldwide significance that the success df Labour in Australia should follow so closely on Labour’s victory in Britain.”

BRITISH MINISTER’S HOPES. LONDON, October l,p. Rt. Hon. A. Ponsonby (a member of the Cabinet), speaking at the National Travel Association’s luncheon urged that the overseas settlement problem should not be made one of party politics. There was, he said, a new Government in Australia, which he' welcomed, feeling certain that it would work in sympathy with the Home Government, and would not place, any obstacles in the way of British stock proceeding to Australia. A QUESTION OF TACTICS. NEW YOBIv, October 15. The New York “Times,” in a leading article, says: It is reasonable to conclude that the Labour victory in Australia may be due, in part, to the prestige of The Labour Government in Britain, and may have received additional impetus from the acclaim that met Mr MacDonald on his American adventure. Basically, however, the overturn must be attributed to a tactical error on the part of Mr Bruce and the Nationalist Government in advocating the virtual abolition of Federal arbitration.