FAILURE OF LABOUR.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 303, 21 December 1921, Page 7

FAILURE OF LABOUR.

IX AUSTRALIAN" POLITICS. „ (From Our Owl Correspondent.) SYDNEY, December 14. A good percentage of the million people in Sydney use the phrase "Failure of Labour" iii their political talk at the present moment. The resignation of the Government and the defeat of the Labour Council in Sydney is causing them to see that the period of milk and honey was short-lived. You can lind thousands of people who point to failures' on the part of the Government and municipal authorities, but they are not as successful in pointing to their successes. The crisis of the Speakerehip gave the people the opportunity to anticipate the present fall of the Government, and the Speakership has been '"hawked" about the political ring in a manner that makes one realise that the Dooley Government has lost the conlidenee of people within and without the House of Parliament. To a New Zealander. accustomed to a state of moderate efficiency in national and local government, New South Wales at the present time appears to be badly managed, out of date, and wanting a sound, inepired leader. One has only to go into the details of administration here to see what chaos exists. Works have been started and left unfinished, the Postal Department gives you a tenth of New Zealand's efficiency for three times the price. Not only do you pay an annual fee for your telephone, bat you also pay twopence every time you use it, even for city calls. In a. business house this is so great an expense that it is cheaper to avoid the telephone and uee messengers. The posting of letters is very costly. The ordinary three page letter which travels for twopence in New Zealand costs fourpence here. These details all point to the fact that maladministration is eating up State money at a time when every other country in the Empire has one slogan and that "Economy." The defeat of the Labour Council at the recent municipal elections is sufficient indication of the feeling of the people towards the party. The environment of the Labour Council can be judged from the present charges against an alderman who is accused of accepting a bribe. Whether true or not, they don't help the public to bow with absolute faith to the men they elected to oUiee at the previous election. Not satisfied with its hereditary criminal clasa. New South Wales almost aaks otlier countries to send their dross here. And then New Zealand is blamed for getting rid of her criminals at Australia's expense! Nothing else could be expected in a. country where Customs and police examination at the port are little n>ire than a farce. You land trunks of luggage without efficient Customs examination, and anybody, once they board the steamer in New Zealand, seems able to walk ashore here with whatever luggage they like to bring. The crime sheet of "one day in the Sydney Courts exceeds the crime sheet of the whole of New Zealand for a week. This condition shows that the Police Department, here, in spite of overwhelming strength, fails to keep any adequate check on arrivals. Both the Postal and Pohce Departments arc soundly criticised ac the moment, and cited as examples of the Government's failure. Political fireworks and talk don't conclusively prove whether a government has failed or not. But these are not the only evidences of the fall of J>aT>our here at "the present time. To deal with a Government department, even over such a trifle as the purchase of stamps or the use of telephones, proves how they have failed in detail. Allegedly the antithesis of conservatism, the present Government presents a maze of red tape that would horrify the average New Zealander. Labour enthusiasts are in the minority here at the present timt, and the average New Zealand impression that this State is almost revolutionary in its politic? and ideas of social reform is entirely wron o ". Xow, if not previously, the Labour leader is merely the noisiest player ir. the band. He i? still making his noise, but with a rather Nero environment, while hie glory is burning.