AUSTRALIAN ELECTION

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1940, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN ELECTION

On Saturday the electors of Australia will choose their represen- \ tatives in the Federal Parliament I for the next three years. Even the fact that the Commonwealth is at war was not considered to warrant . the postponeinent of the election, , and as a record number of candi- . dates has been nominated public opinion would seem to favour the decision of the Government to appeal to the electors. For the 19 1 vacancies in the Senate there are 65 ; candidates and for the 75 seats in the House of Representatives there are 273 contestants. Of these candidates 135 are for the 28 seats in New South Wales, 32 of whom have been endorsed by the United Australia Party and 12 by the United Country Party. These two parties supported the retiring Coalition Ministry, but some of their official candidates are being opposed by Independents of whom there are 26 aspirants to election in New South Wales. Of the remaining contestants in that. State 28 have been endorsed by the official Labour Party, 18 by the Labour (non-Com-munist) Party and 19 by the New South Wales "breakaway" Labour Party. If it is true that the voting in New South Wales decides the Federal elections this division of candidates makes the prospects of the election difficult to assess. # # * * In Victoria there are 65 candidates for 20 seats in the House of Representatives and 10 for four places in the Senate. In Victoria and other States the Labour parties are showing a united front under the leadership of Mr. J. Curtin, but there is reportcd to be less cohesion among the United Australia and Country parties. In Victoria, for instance, it is prophesied that the Prime Minister, Mr. R. G. Menzies, will have to fight hard to retain his seat against a Labour opponent who will receive, it is alleged, considerable support from those who are not members of the Labour Pa^v, but who are dissatisfied with Mr. Menzies' leadership. On the other hand Mr. Curtin has been handicapped by the serious revolt against his authority manifested in the New South Wales Labour movement. # # # # The Government's appeal for a renewal of confidence is based chiefly upon the fact that Australia is at war, the claim that the present Ministry has brought war preparations to a high standard and that differences over domestic policy must be subordinated to the primary duty of winning the war. The deals mada with Great Britain for the purchase of Australia's primary produots are stated to be an aid to the Ministerial campaign, but Mr. Menzies and his colleague the leader of the Country Party have made it clear that winning the war is the one policy for which they seek authority. * # # * The Labour leader has been as forthright as the Prime Minister in promising all aid to Great Britain should his partj^succeed at the polls. Mr. Curtin in additien has outlined a programme df d'orriestic policy a Labour Ministry would undertake in addition to increasing Australia's war efforts. The programme includes shorter hours of work, more aid to primary producers, and a greater use of the "public credit of the Commonwealth" in arranging Australian finance. An extension of the operations of the Commonwealth Bank and closer control of its policy by the Ministry are other. matters envisaged in the Labour programme, and these will, it is reported, receive support by all sections of the Labour movement. * # # * As both the Government and the Labour Party are pledged to stimulate rather than diminish Australia's war efforts, and as both have stated that subject to the needs of the Commonwealth they are prepared to render all the assistance in their power to New Zealand's defence system, there is no reason for any concern in the Dominion regarding the result of Saturday's polling. It is for the Australian electors to say whether they consider it wise to change a Government in a time of war. They will gain or lose by the decision they make this week. The issue is not easy to forecast, but experienced obsrvers are inclined to agree with a statement made by Mr. Menzies in opening his election campaign. It was that however the polling goes it will be necessary for the safety of the Commonwealth that ' a national Ministry be formed — which would include representatives of the three main political parties. It was assumed from this utterance that the Prime Minister considers no party will attain a working majority1 in Parliament and that a coalition or national Ministry will be inevitable.