QUEENSLAND.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 115, 7 February 1908, Page 7

QUEENSLAND.

LABOUR CLAIMS -A GREAT . VICTORY. MR. PHILP'S SEAT./ UY TEMiGttArH —rRE6S ASSOCIATION —COrYBIGirT. Brisbane, February 6. " Mr. Philp, tho Premier, has.'no chance of being returned for Townsvillo unless the postal vote is heavily cast in his favour. Mr. Bowman, leader' of the Labour Party, regards the result of the elections as a great victory for Labour. - . A THREE-PARTY CONTEST. On paper, 'the programmes put before the electors by the Philp party and the lvidston party look very much alike.. They both included reduction, of -the number of members ofj the Legislative Assembly, the taking of a referendum on religious instruction in schools, wages boards, old' ago pensions, ■ Legislative Council reform, university for Queensland, and development and expansion undertakings, such as irrigation, railways, steamship ■ services, etc. The differences occur in details, somo of them important details. While Mr. Philp supported wages boards, he declared that Mr., Kidston's intention to extend them to the farmer'would cripple the farming industry. Again Sir. Philp proposed to reform the Legislative Council, by making it elective, "to fill vacancies as they occur by olection on a liberal franchise, and for a specified period." This, he added, would render .impossible the swamping, of the Upper House by new members, as proposed by Mr. lvidston. ' It will be remembered that after failing to induce the Governor (Lord Chelmsford) to iufuso new blood into the Legislative Council, and after failing, to bind tho Labour party in a' definite Alliance to fight the Legislative Council as the destroyer of his-Bills,-Mr. 'lvidston resigned, office. Mr. Philp formed a Ministry, which was immediately defeated in the-. Assembly by. the combined votes of the .ICidstonites and tho' Labour party.:-- The Goverrtor;.then granted Mr. Philp a dissolution, ■th 6, Kidstonites'and the Labour men, loudly' protesting, and terming the Philp, administration the "Chelmsford". Ministry.' : ■•■Mr./Kidston, who claimed that in the last Parliament the three parties were of "almost equal strength," 'declared .in his' election speeches that the Governor had violated the Constitution, and that the "Philp-Leahy reactionaries" were "pirates of the ship of State." Ho denied that his desire was to "stuff" the. Legislative Council-; ho desired to draw its teeth—and ho would, too. With regard to efforts to alarm the fanners, he declared that as long as the finances could be mado to meet, thero would be no land tax. ;

:..So far the returns indicate the election of 20 Ministerialists, 25 ICidstonitda, 25 Labour, and two of doubtful classification.