QUEENSLAND ELECTIONS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9, 8 May 1912, Page 8

QUEENSL AND E L ECTIONS.

UN PRECE DENTED EXCT TEMEN V. Never before, it may bo safely silk', has there been such interest and ex - citement in Queensland over tne elections as is Lite case at the picsent time, says the Sidney ciorresponuci i of the Dunedin Star under date Apr.l 20th. The “general strike,” whit i is still clear in our memory, was ver/ closely allied with politics, and the ...trike is playing a very imperial.: part in the present election campaign. Tne Liberal party took the stril: • as a challenge to constitutional government, declaring it was a question whether government was to he carried on by the, King’s responsible advisers or by the strike leaders at il. Trades Hall. Both sides have mad the issue a clear-cut one of Socialism v. non-v Socialism. There are practical!, no side issues. Labour’s cry is member Baton Friday”; that of tiLiberals is “Peace in the Si rocPlenty at Home.” The citizens < Brisbane will not forget for a long thru that for nearly a week they were without fresh food, and bread could onl. be obtained with extreme difficult:' Are those who went through that o; perience going to lay the blame at th. door of the strikers, or of the Government? Mr Fisher (the Prime Min ister of the Commonwealth) has gonto Brisbane to help the Labour cause. It is around Mr Fisher’s action, or inaction, at the time of the stiixc . that the light really revolves. Me Fisher maintains that ho would no - have been justified in calling out th.military to quell the disturbances i Brisbane. He ridicules the idea t’mn the situation in Brisbane was as ser; ous as Mr Denham (the Premier) represented it to be; and .in a spoeca the other night in Brisbane ho said he thought that even those who warfffghtened at the time would admi: that they were suffering from undoexcitement, Mr Denham replies tlnr lie was on the spot, while Mi t is.nt. was a thousand miles away. Mr Don ham feels so confident of victory k the metropolitan district that he h<«. gone into the country to assist ha party. • There can bo little doub that in the metropolitan electorate! Labour will not fare so well as n would have done had'the genera, strike not occurred. Ther.e is one pertinent question being asked by elec tors on the answer to which will depend the measure of support tne Lab our party will receive next Satmday • “Would the Labour party, if returned to power, call out a suflic-ion iB strong body of police to quell such - state of disorder as occurred in Market Square?” Apart from the ctnlp: issue the Queensland elections arc especially interesting this time because of the fact that they are being held for the first time on the basis of one vote one value. In the past there -existed the anomally of one member of the Assembly representing about 400 electors, while another has represented 5000. Each candidate now returnee will represent practically a fixed aver age number of voters. Don ole decmiates have also been abolished.