FEDERAL ELECTION

Hokitika Guardian, 15 December 1931, Page 3

FEDERAL ELECTION

LABOUR DEFEAT EXPECTED

December 4

So early in the swiftest election campaign, in the history of Australia it is difficult to form any authoritative opinion regarding the votes of the vast body of midd'le-section voters who sway every election. But the best-informed and oldest students of politics point out that never before has this unknown quantity seemed -so stirred by an election, and they forecast that the big swing wnl be to the United Australia party, which Mr Lyons leads. The general belief "is that he will be returned with an overwhelming majority.

Thus early, all the party leaders have delivered their hastily-prepared policy speeches' and a dispassionate study of them leaves one with the impression that Mr Lyons’ appeal is outstanding. His was no fervid utterance, no allpromising, ah-hopeful talkie. His advice is that- so far as determination to live within income is concerned, Australia

must follow England. Combining a promise of rational tariff reform and careful .'conservation of the gains made on the return to ( normal times, his seems the policy that will appeal to a country shaken by dangerous experiments. Dr Earle Page, who leads the Country party (allied to the United Australia Party) full of certainty of substantial wins from Labour in the country electorates, promises tariff reform to the Extent that it will remove those burdens placed on the primary producer by the Sculiin Government, and .decentralisation on a wide scale. The Country party is likely to win many new seats this election.

Mr Sculiin and Air Theodore' presented a negative policy. It followed the policy they have followed while they were in power, broke little new ground, and bore a disturbing likeness to Air. Beasley’s utterances on behalf of the Lang Plan Group, in that it stated that the 'Federal. Labour party insisted that the Commonwealth ißank should he an institution primarily concerned with the finance of the schemes evolved by the party in power, irrespective of whether those in control of the bank agreed that the policy was sound. (Air Bosley, whose little group ot five malcontents precipitated the downfall of the Sculiin ' Ministry,' presented a policy which revolved aiound this dictum ; “The first essential for ' the restoration of responsible government find the implementing of a policy for economic reconstruction from the standpoint of human well-being, must be preceded by complete national control of finance. The banking system should, belong to the people.” The similarity of this plan to •that ol the ‘Russian Soviet is striking, and this fact has not been lost upon the electors.

Alany ministers in the Sculiin Government will almost certainly lose theii seats, nn*d though Air Lyons, Dr Earle Page, and other leaders in the United Australia party will have- strong .opposition, their return is a certainty. The new Parliament should be one ol voting men, for the number of youthtul candidates selected is an outstanding feature of an election campaign thatpromises to be as bitter as it is swift.