LABOUR MORALE TALK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26618, 14 November 1947, Page 5

LABOUR MORALE TALK

VICTORIAN DEFEAT ANALYSED

MR CHIFLEY CALLS FOR VIGOROUS ACTION CANBERRA, Nov. 13. At a meeting of the Labour caucus ihe defeat of Labour in the Victorian elections was analysed, and Mr Chifley is reported to have given wavering members a morale talk. Afterwards there was discusison in the lobbies that the Government was being asked to speed up a pension scheme for the defeated members. Much criticism was directed at the conduct of the campaign by the Victorian executive of the Labour Party. Mr Chifley urged members to undertake a vigorous campaign in their own electorates to counter the effects of those opposed to the banking proposals. Speaking during the committee stages of the Banking Bill, the Leader of the Opposition. Mr R. G. Menzies, said that • the Labour majority of 127.000 votes in Victoria at the last Senate election was converted into a minority of 122.000. This, he said, was the most crushing reversal in Australia’s political history, and it supported the Opposition demand for a referendum on the Banking Bill. The Information Minister Mr A. A. Cal well. said, in reply, that a prominent bank official had declared that bank nationalisation would mean a revolution. , “ Imagine , plunging Australia into civil war over a few lousy pence.” he declared. "No matter how many millions the banks spend in this campaign, they cannot withstand the tide of progress. They are finished. Even if the Labour Partv is defeated at the next election it will come back and complete the task it is doing now.” A denial that the Commonwealth bank nationalisation would discriminate against certain firms was made by the Minister for Post-war Reconstruction. Mr J. J Dedman in the House *of Representatives to-day. He was replving to a suveestion bv th° Denutv Leader of the Oonosition. Mr E J. ftarrison. that discrimination would be enforced against Australian National Airways. ... Mr Redman said that the Bill specifically provided that all Customs and iisaees of banking must be continued bv the Commonwealth Bank '•This is more than has ever been forced on the private trading banka be concluded. “Tt is we” known that thev have practised discrimination part.inolarlv in favour of the firms in which thev are interested.”