FEDERAL POLL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 220, 16 September 1940, Page 6

FEDERAL POLL.

LIVELY CAMPAIGN. VOTING ON SATURDAY. MENZIES' SPIRITED FIGHT. (By Air). SYDNEY, Sept. 14. Even the most experienced political campaigners are hesitating in picking ■the result of the Federal election to be leld on Saturday next. A sign of the extraordinary interest which the election has aroused ie the record number of candidates —337, of whom 65 are Senate candidates and 272 candidates for the 75 seate in the House of Representatives. In New South* Wales there are 135 candidates for the State's 28 seats in the Federal Parliament. These candidates comprise 32 U.A.P., 28 official A.IVP., 26 Independents, 19 New South Wales Labour party, 13 non-Communist A.LJP., and 12 U.C.P.

Four of the candidates are women: Mrs. Adela Pankhurst Walsh is standing as an Independent Senate candidate; Mrs. Diana Maud Gould as an Independent for East Sydney; Mrs. Elizabeth Frewin as official A.L.P. for Warringah, and Malinda Angelina Ivey as an Independent for West Sydney.

In New South Wales, apart from the fact that three Labour partiee are contesting the election, as enumerated above, the outstanding feature about tho record field of candidates is the number of Independents, but it in considered doubtful if many of them will be able to beafc the party machines. To add to the confusion of Labour's three voices, there is the fact that owing to the adoption of multiple endorsement by both the U.A.P. and Country party, in several electorates keen fights are in progress between several endorsed candidates of these two parties. However, as the three Labour parties, on the one hand, the U.A.P. and Country party on the other, have agreed to exchange preferences, the multiplicity of candidates may not have such an important effect as the numbers would at first suggest. National Government a Possibility. The most general opinion at present is that the election for the House of Representatives will result more or less in a Government-Labour stalemate and that in that event a National Government would become a possibility. In any case, as the Prime Minister, Mr. Menzies, has inferentially admitted, Labour is almost certain to win four out of the 19 Senate seats. This, too, would result in a stalemate, as Labour could then bring the business of the Senate to a standstill.

Out of the welter of policy speeches, nearly all of which have now been delivered, the fact appears to emerge that non-Labour criticism of the Government consists mainly of criticism of its bungling of such matters as petrol rationing, supply matters, control of the Department of Information and such like. These non-Labour critics say that what is necessary to ' the efficient administration of Australia's war effort is new blood in Parliament and in the Government to dethrone red tape and- enforce business methods of administration.

Many candidates are urging a National Government, a small War Cabinet of three or five, and Ministries for Home Defence, Labour and Reconstruction. It is urged that the Minister for Labour ehould be a well-known and trusted Labour leader and that this would ensure the wholehearted support of the trade unions in the war effort.

A Ministry for Reconstruction is being urged to begin immediately to plan for . re-employ inent in civil life of the 600,000 people who the Federal Treasurer, Mr. Spender, In a speech this week said would be engaged in various forms of war work by next year. It is pointed out that if euch planning is not immediately taken in hand, peace would probably only bring an unprecedented slump. Hr. Menzies' Sydney Speech. On Tuesday night Mr. Menzies delivered the only address which he will give in this State during the election campaign. Three thousand people packed Sydney Town Hall and gave him a find reception, singing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" both when he appeared and when he had finished his speech. A huge calico sign suspended from the ceiling said: "Menzies stands with Churchill for Unity and Victory." This was rather an unfortunate note to strike as Mr. Menziee and the Federal Official A.L.P. leader, Mr. Curtin, have been exchanging rather acrid comments about the use by the U.A.P. of a photograph of Mr. Churchill along with ,Mr. Menzies' picture in election advertisements. Mr. Curtin wae able to score with a reference to not dragging t'he British Prime Minister into domestic politics.

Mr. Menziee also made a rather unfortunate reference in hia speech when he eaid: "There is no want of signs that in Sydney there ie some pretty eloppy thinking." Sydney people are still eore about an unjustified remark during a hurried 'visit here by the DirectorGeneral of Information, Sir Keith Murdoch, of Melbourne, who called this a defeatist city, whereai in reality this State both financially and in man power iae led the Commonwealth. In hia speech Mr. Menziee again attacked the Labour party for its many changes and war policy, and aleo for the promises it was holding out in- order to get votes. "This is not a national auction," he said. "It ie the greatest national emergeiuy in the history of Australia. Every bomb that drops on London to-night falls on our security. England in the next few weeks may be so crippled as to weaken her for a long time. If this should happen, it will lie only by an exertion so great that everything elee we Lave ev\ .• done fails beside it." Defence of Munich. Considerable publicity was given to another remark by Mr. Menziee in a later speech in his own electorate of Kooyong, Victoria. He had been praieing the British Prime Minister, Mr. Churchill, when ■. questioner at the back of the packed hall challenged him to «yr whether he had Mpported Mr.

Churchill's attitude or Mr. Chamberlain's at Munich "at the time of the eell-out." Mr. Menzies raised his voice and declared warmly: "I thoroughly agreed with what Chamberlain did at Munich, and I still agree with what he did. I did not agree with Churchill then. If Chamberlain had not gone to Munich and obtained this breathing space 'for fine British Tmpire, we might not be here to-night." Although the Official A.L.P., led by Mr. Curtin,- which at first opposed the sending of troops overseas is now cornmilled to it, the non-Communist A.L.P., led by Mr. Beaeley, advocates concentrating on the defence of Australia against aH" possible threats. It was probably with this in mind that Mr. Menzies, in a statement issued in Melbourne said that while the Government's first duty was to secure the safety of Australia, tlfis was beet guaranteed by the victory of Britain. There were at least two vital points outside Great Britain where Australia could help her, he said. One was the Middle Eaet—Egypt and Palestine—and the other was Singapore. "From an unselfish point of view," said Mr. Menzies, "we have accepted a joint responsibility with Britain for the defence of all that makes life worthwhile. lam confident that no true Australian would wish to avoid that responsibility. We are thus bound to play our full part either in Australia or abroad." ~ Curtin's Pledge to Labour. Addressing a crowded house at the Town Hall last night, Mr. Curtin-revealed that he had sent the following cable message to the British Labour Leader, Major Attlee: "The policy of a Labour Government in Australia will be full cooperation with the people of Britain to the uttermost limit. Australian La homelands solidly and unitedly for a more vigorous effort in conducting unflinchingly and irrevocably t this life and death struggle which is youre and ours. We will stand or fall together."

Apart from this announcement of his pledge to Britain, obviously designed to counter untrue allegations that the Official A.L.P. is not wholehearted about the war effort, there was really nothing new in Mr. Curtin'e speech. He said: "Labour will give its all in the war effort, but capitalism must give its all also." A statement, in an election speech by the former Premier, Mr. Stevens, U.A.P. candidate for the Lang seat, ie likely to arouse some controversy. Mr. Stevens said that Australia's western limit now was not Perth, but the border of Italian East Africa, and we must be prepared to defend it there.