HOOTING MR HUGHES.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16881, 8 July 1920, Page 4

HOOTING MR HUGHES.

A PRIME MINISTEB AND HIS PEOPLE. S (FfiOM OUR OWN" CORRESPONDENT.} J SYDNEY, Juno 29. I In no country in the world do they - make such a business of politics as I they do here in Australia; and one of > the quaintest aspects of this condition J is that tboso who are in are as cynical ■ as those who arc out. The Man-in- " th ©-street, bemoaning the condition of [ tho country, curses the politicians, declares that politics is simply now a money-making profession, and hoots i very neartily when his political leaders pass, whoever they may bo. Tho Man-m-Parliainent, hearing the curses, merely grins, draws his salary, and goes comfortably on his way, confident that when tho next- election comes aloug "'the fool public" _ will send him back to Parliament again. Both arc I right. To some such attitude of mind one must ascribe the singularly unanimous hooting of "Billy" Hughes when he came with the Prince of Wales to Sydney tho other day. Ho had been hooted when he followed "the Princo in the procession in Melbourne, and in Sydney the people turned from the Prince, with smiles on their faces and cheers on their lips, and, suddenly discovering Mr Hughes following rignt behind, i broko forthwith into groans and hoots. It was most remarkable. But "Billy" did not seem to mind. He smfled and ho waved his hand, as punctiliously as did tho Prince. It was as if his , deafness pi-evented him hearing the . hooting—although it was loud enough, j Some said tho demonstration was an j expression of public disapproval of the j action of [Federal politicians in incrcas- j ing their salary bv £400 per annum. | Perhaps it was. But the people are ' I always very ready to hoot Mr _ Hughes —and just as ready to vote him back to power at next election. The little . man knows this —and tho frequent de- 1 monstrations against him affect him not j at all. He has deliberately studied j Australian psychology, and will talk J most interestingly a-bout the moods of j tho mob. He has extraordinary power over a mob, whether it be- angry whar- j lies in Sydney, or ookl and critical : aristocrats in -England. I Apparently, in his anxiety to do the right thing, Mr Hughes made himself rather ridiculous in' Sydney. "When ho met -foe Princo at the landing, he wore a belltopper: later, in the procession, he was noticed to have a felt liaton his head; and at the end _be haxl i still another kind of hat. uow it , happened, no ono knows —but tno less serious newspapers made the most of . it, and ; 'Billv and tbe Three Hats'' | lias had a deal of attention, all tend- j ing to throw ridicule on the Prime j Minister. |

Ia the HoTise of Commons, the | Speaker ruled out of order the Women's • Franchise Bill, which was down for s second reading, on the ground that the , "Labour Party's Franchise Bill was a j similar measure and at present l<eforo i a Committee of the House. Mr Brace j raised a point of order, and asked, supposing the Speaker's ruling -was wrong, ! what redress the promoters of the Bill had. The Speaker : Xone. ily answer is that tho-*Speakeiy like the Pope, is zofafliblex