ELECTION IN AUSTRALIA

Hokitika Guardian, 24 October 1929, Page 5

ELECTION IN AUSTRALIA

CUT IN WAGES FEARED. Remarking that the people of Australia regarded the recent political issue more as a referendum than as an election, Senator J. D. Millen commented briefly on recent Parliamentary happenings in Australia alter his arrival at Auckland by the Niagara. The senator lias represented Tasmania sin e 1919 and for six years he has been chairman of the Royal Commission on National Insurance. On this his first visit to New Zealand, he is associated with Mr Edmund Paul, cnairmah of the Australian Provincial * Assurance Company, of which he himself is the vice-chairman.^

, Senator Millen is specially interested in the boring operations at Omata, .tioar \jNew Plymouth, by Coal fO'il fiN.Z.) Ltd., ox which he is chairman of directors.

Discussing the recent elections, the senator said the Labour people succeeded in convincing a majority of they electors in Australia that the proposals of the Government with regard to the abol tion as a Commonwealth measure of toe Arbitration Act amounted to a definite move to cut •down wages. That was the clear-cuf issue. Asked to wliat extent the campaign of Mr IV. M. Hughes affected the election, Senator Millen, said he did not regard that as a weighty factor. What did influence the result was the propaganda of tlie moving-picture people, who objected to the announcement by the former Federal Treasurer, Dr Earl Page, to the effect that leg/sjation would be introduced to tax five per cent of gross takings at cinema entertainments. ). in'.m inclined to believe,” said, the senator, “that the swing to the Labour party is not a definite trend, but that it is more or less tempo vary.” The greatest surprise of the election, lie added, was the defeat of the former Prime Minister, Mr Stanley Bruce, by Mr E. J. Holloway, secretary of - the Trades and labour Council in Melbourne, for the Flinders seat, which the former had held for t.«n years. Senator MiTien considers that before many years have passed the Nationalists will return to power.