POLITICAL DEADLOCK

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21248, 19 October 1940, Page 8

POLITICAL DEADLOCK

THE FEDERAL ELECTIONS LABOUR PARTIES’ DISPUTE REFUSAL OF SUPPORT | lUnited Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) | (Received Oct. 19. 11 a.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. 19 I The Federal political deadlock lias i taken a turn for the worse as a result ! of a dispute between the official Opposition Labour leader, Mr Cur- ' tin, and the non-Communist Labour leader. Mr Beasley. 1 The latter, on his return to Syd- ; ney, issued a statement saying that i his group had refused at the unity j talk.' at Canberra to give a promise i of unqualified support to the future 1 decisions of Mr Curtin’s party. | “We did claim that if we were to accept responsibility for a Labour Cabinet's decisions we must take part in them,” he said. “Our atti- : tude was not a bar to a Labour Government being formed, because Mr ; Curtin admitted that he could not command sufficient support from ; other parties to form a Government." j Mr Curtin, replying, declared that I Mr Beaslpy’s statement revealed the ; real nature of the Beasley group, ! whose total number in both Houses ' was six, compared with official Labour’s 46, elected by wbrkers all over Australia, not merely in NewSouth Wales. Mr Beasley was now insisting that the 46 should take | orders from his coterie of six, which was the very antithesis of representative government. Mr Curtin concluded: “Mr Beasley is living up to his political record. If he cannot boss he will destroy.”