IN DISORDERED CONDITION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 71, Issue 55, 14 December 1950, Page 5

IN DISORDERED CONDITION

FEDERAL POLITICAL AFFAIRS ELECTION MAY BE ONLY CURE (From C. E. Mentiplay, Special Correspondent of the N.Z.P.A.). (Rec. 8.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. When Parliament rose a year almost to the day after the Chifley Government wan defeated, it left Australia’s political affairs in disordered condition.

Observers cannot see any spirit of compromise among the parties, and now believe that only an election early in the New Year can cure the unsatisfactory parlia-

mentary position. For the Liberal-Country Party Government it has been a year of achievement and frustration, for no fewer than four major pieces of legislation have been thwarted or delayed by the hostile Labour majority in the Senate. Parliament has been in session for over half a year, and would have sat right up to the Christmas break had it not been for the last-minute compromise among the parties, which saw the mass of legislation, largely consequential to the Budget, pass through both Houses in record time last last week. On the debit side is the Opposition success in delaying or 6ide-trackiag the Communist Party Dissolution Bill, a Bill to alter the method of electing’ Senators, the Commonwealth Bank Bill and the National Service Bill.

Credits to the Government are: (1) The obtaining of a 100,000,000 dollar loan, the benefits of wh|ch will not become apparent for some years; (2) the sending of a force to Korea; (3) the obtaining of increase in social and service pensions; (4)) the removal of taxation anomalies, and (5) the recording of one attempt to reduce inflation by the withdrawal from circulation of 20 per cent of money received by woolgrowers as increased prices. Government Has Done Well

Most observers think that, considering its difficulties, the . Government has done well. They select for special mention Mr R. G. Menzies, for his ,polished and effective public utterances; Mr A. W. Fadden, for the prodigious amount of work he has accomplished as Treasurer; the External Affairs Minister, Mr P. C, Spender, for his intelligence and courage in foreign affairs; the Fuel and Transport Minister Mr McLeay, under whose administration coal-production has set a new record; the Postmaster-General, Mr Anthony, whose; administration of the Post Office may:prove to be .outstanding, and the immigration and Labour Minister, Mr Holt, for his imaginative approach to problems. w:The year may have ended .on a note of discord for: many Government supporters, however, because of the outbursts of Mr H. B. Gullett and Senator G. Rankin in the House of Representatives and the Senate respectively against the National Service Bill, which they described; as inadequate. Mr Gullett held the rqnk of Major and Mr Rankin of Major-General in the: last war.

Both spoke for the large , ex-service-men’s group on.the Government side, and both expressed feelings held for a long time by many members that the problem of defence was not being viewed with, 'sufficient urgency by either side. Neither is likely to be disciplined, as the views expressed are too popular. among Government members.

Observers suggest that the result will be a strengthening of Government defence plans such as already shown in the purchase of jet aircraft, and the increasing awareness of Labour to the urgency of the position.