ANOTHER MINISTER IN DANGER

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 794, 15 October 1929, Page 9

ANOTHER MINISTER IN DANGER

(United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) Received 10 a.m. SYDNEY, Today. THE Federal election position is unchanged. * At Flinders, the Prime Minister, Mr. Stanley Bruce, is now 138 votes behind his Labour opponent, Mr. E. J. Holloway. Mr. Bruce stated tha,t even if he is defeated he will closely identify himself with Australian politics. He will probably take a holiday shortly, and may visit New Zealand.

Earlier messages said that the Prime Minister’s seat was by no means safe, it being reported that his Liberal opponent, Mr. J. Birch, has requested the voters to give their second preferences to Mr. Holloway, If that is done in a substantial measure, it should enable Mr. Holloway to win. Mr. Bruce announced that his Ministry would resign on Monday. There is a similar development in the Henty electorate (Victoria). Mr. H. S. Gullet, Minister of Customs, is so closely pursued by the Labour candidate, Mr. W. J. Duggan, that he too may be defeated in the same manner. Yesterday’s check of the papers determined the fate of four doubtful seats. Each went. to. Labour, increasing the strength of that party to 42 in a House of 75. The indications are that at least four other doubtful seats will also go to Labour, which would bring the party’s total to 46 seats. At the most the former Ministerial coalition party can win only 22 seats. Four other seats have already been won by the unendorsed Independent Nationalists, namely, Messrs. \Y. M. Hughes, W. M. Marks, G. A. Maxwell and one Independent Country Party candidate, Mr. P. G. Stewart. Expressing satisfaction at the outcome of the election, Mr. C. Crofts, general secretary of the Australian Council of Trades Unions, describes it as a political earthquake. He added that it was the first time in the history of Australia that an election had been fought and won purely on an industrial question. Great jubilation is felt in Labour circles over the victory. Exactly what the new Government’s programme will be nobody knows, as the election was fought solely on the arbitration issue, which now is settled. However it is likely that immediate steps will be taken to relieve unemployment, present new Budget proposals and consider tariff matters. The Australian Workers’ Union claims that it will have a preponderance of the representation in the incoming Ministry. SCULLIN AND THEODORE WHICH IS THE FORCE BEHIND LABOUR PARTY? NEW PRIME MINISTER Mr. J. IT. Scullin, who will succeed Mr. Stanley Bruce as Prime Minister of Australia, is described as a keen political strategist, a fiery speaker and a brilliant debater. He followed Mr. Matthew Charlton as Leader of the Federal Labour Party in April, 1928. He is a Victorian, being born near Ballarat. Working by day and studying by night, he equipped himself with a good education. He soon became a fine debater. He first joined the Labour movement in 1903, when he became member of the first branch of the Australian Labour Party formed in Ballarat. In 1906 he unsuccessfully opposed the then Prime Minister, Mr. Deakin, for the Ballarat seat. He then became organiser for the Labour Party in Victoria. At the General Elections in 1910 he was elected for Corangamite, Victoria, but was defeated three years later by Mr. J. C. Manifold. Mr. Scullin was then appointed managing-editor of the “Ballarat Echo,” a Labour newspaper. In 1922 he was elected to the House of Representatives for Yarra at a by-election, and again at the General Election of the same year. Upon the resignation of Mr. Anstey from the deputy-leadership of the Parliamentary Labour Party in March, 1927, Mr. Scullin was elected to that position. Some writers say Mr. Scullin is overshadowed as leader by Mr. E. G. Theodore, his first lieutenant, who is a very able and astute politician. The Sydney “Sun” expressed this view editorially on September 25:—“Labour comes for its blessing, and the voice is Jacob’s voice; but the hands are the hands of Esau. Mr. Theodore is as surely the voice of Labour as Air. Scullin is the nominal head of the partv. A Rumanian by birth, he has much of the subtlety of that ancient race. ‘He moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform.’ Patient, determined and with an elastic political outlook, he is a man who will not always remain lieutenant. His was an influence which helped to edge Mr. Charlton, of honest and fruitless leadership, out of his place, and today he overshadows Mr. Scullin by his dramatic personality.”