"LANG BLIGHT."

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 137, 11 June 1932, Page 9

"LANG BLIGHT."

LYONS EMPHATIC.

"No Hope for Australia Till Incubus Removed." PRIME MINISTER'S LAST WORD. (United P.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyright) i SYDNEY, June 10. In addressing a huge anti-Labour rally in the Sydney Town Hall, the Prime Minister, Mr. J. A. Lyons, said:— "If Mr. Lang is put back again we will tie him up as. wo tied him up before. I have said already on several occasions that while the Lang blight remains there is no hope for Australia, and thu incubus will have to be removed." IN QUEENSLAND. Labour Expected to Gain Many Seats from Government. BIG LEEWAY TO MAKE UP. BRISBANE, June 10. Impartial observers state that a close contest is inevitable in the Queensland general elections. The Labour Opposition has so much leeway to make up that a big swing will be necessary to give if the reins of office. In the last Parliament the state of parties was:— Country, Progressives and Nationalists 44 Labour 2(> Independents 2 The. Redistribution Act reduced the number of seats in the Legislative Assembly by 10, which left the state of the parties as follows: — Country, Progressives and Nationalist* 41 Labour J!) Independents 2 Consequently, Labour must gain 13 seats in order to secure a majority. It is expected that Labour will score heavily in the northern and central districts, also in the metropolitan area. The Government should hold its own in Darling Downs and the south coaet districts, but it is regarded as unlikely that it will gain seats anywhere. The general belief is that the Government's majority is likely to be reduced. Whether it will vanish altogether will be determined to-morrow.

In addition to having no sympathy with the Premiers' plan as at present drawn up, the Labour leader, Mr. Forgan Smith, promiees to raise "a revival loan" for the absorption of the unem-ployc-d. This money was supposed to be forthcoming from the Colonial Sugar Refining Company. The Premier, Mr. A. E. Moore, has ascertained that the company has not been approached upon 'such a matter.

Nine parties are contesting the election as follows: —(1) Government; (2) Country and Progressive Nationalist; (3) Ofiicial Lfibour; (4) Independents; (5) Queensland party; (6) Communists; (7).Lang Planners; (8) Douglas credits system advocates; (0) Independent Farmers' party.

In Queensland the number of candidates is 163. Five candidates, four being Labour supporters and one an Independent, have been returned unopposed. The battle for seats is complicated coneiderably by the fact that the two main parties—the Country and Progressive National group and the Labour Party— have to oppcee not only each other, but also 20 candidates from the Queensland party, six Communist*;, two Lang Plan supporters and 16 Independents. Apparently, however, the real choice lies between the present Government and Labour. The former hae candidates for 55 of the 57 contested sea'te, while Labour has a man in every field.