POLITICAL UPSET

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 August 1939, Page 7

POLITICAL UPSET

CONFUSED POSITION IN N.S.W. RIVALRY FOR LEADERSHIP. COUNTRY PARTY FAVOURS MR MAIR. By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright. SYDNEY. August 4/ The United Australia parliamentary group met this afternoon to select a new leader, who ultimately will be the I leader in succession to Mr Stevens. There are three candidates for the post, Mr Spooner, the former Minister of Works, on whose motion the Stevens Government was yesterday defeated, Mr Mair, the Treasurer, and Mr Richardson. Ministry of Labour and Industry. The Country Party is prepared to support Mr Mair and no other. The meeting was uproarious, there being considerable recrimina-j tion. No decision was reached and meeting adjourned till tomorrow. The "Sydney Morning Herald" says that the hostility between the leader of the Country Party. Mr Bruxner. and Mr Spooner, militates against the latter’s chances of securing the leadership. and Mr Mair is considered ito have a reasonable chance of defeating

Mr Spooner. An ironical aspect of the State political situation, says the "Sun." is that after seven years "in the wilderness’’

the majority of the Labour members assert that the crisis has come a month too soon for them. The 12 Lang supporters and Mr Heffron’s team of seven would welcome a month’s grace to enable the proposed Labour unity conference on August 26 if possible to create a united election front.