POLITICAL SURPRISE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3064, 8 December 1908, Page 5

P OLITICAL SURPRISE.

CABLE NEWS.

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph Copyright,

VICTORIAN PARLIAMENT DISSOLUTION.

CONTENDING PARTIES' CRITICISMS.

SIR THOMAS BENT NOT

"POLISHED."

"GO TO-YOU KNOW WHERE."

Received December 7, 9 a.m. MELBOURNE, December 7. The granting of a dissolution has created a surprise. Mr Murray dsclare.i that such a course was unprecedented, and should only have been taken when there was no chance of a stable Government being formed.

Mr PrendergaSt, Leader of the Labour Party, said it seemed an extraordinary procedure, thus giving Sir Thomas Bent twa chances.* Sir Thomas Bent, in a speech at Bendigo, said it was true he had been defeated by his friends. Intriguing was going on, and he was not going to take it lying down. Overtures had been made to him to go to the Labour Party to carry the Land Valuation Bill and to break up his own party, but he had replied: "Go to—you know where." He was not very polished on such occasions. The proper thing to do was to ask the people for a verdict.

It will be remembered that at the end of September, the Government dropped the Land Valuation Bill over which a political crisis was threatened, Sir Thomas Bent acting without consulting his colleagues.