The Dominion THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 1923. A COMING ELECTION STRUGGLE

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 169, 5 April 1923, Page 6

The Dominion THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 1923. A COMING ELECTION STRUGGLE

The Theodore Ministry is the last surviving Labour Administration in Australia, and the election plans it has lately formeci show that it is by no means easy about its future prospecta. In ordinary course the election would not have taken place until October, but Mr. Theodore has decided to go to the country next month. A number of reasons are assigned for this haste. Mr. Theodore is faced by the likelihood of such divisions in his own following as have lately riven the New South Wales Labour Party in endeavouring to avert division, Mr. Theodore has already been reduced to strange shifts. , , j . At the Federal conference of the Labour Party be opposed and condemned the "Red Objective.” More recently he has passively tolerated the action of the Queensland Labour Convention in endorsing the self-same objective. The condition of the State finances is bad and seems unlikely to improve. Unemployment, also, is expected to increase between now and October. It is perhaps most important of all that active efforts are at present being made to bring all the non-Labour parties in Queensland into a single political camp. Mr. Theodore apparently thinks it wise to force an election before, his Government becomes even more unpopular than it is now and, if possible, before his opponents have time to complete an effective organisation. ' If the opponents of the Government were solidly united its fate in the impending appeal to the people would hardly be in doubt. Its record under successive leaders during the past eight years has been in the main one of misgovernment and incompetent and plunging financial administration. Wide publicity has been given from time to time to some items in this record and to the scathing reports of, the State Auditor-Gen-eral. Some particulars published recently by the Melbourne Age may, however, be of interest. During the eight years in which Labour has had control (it observes) tho accumulated railway deficits haveamounted to no less than £8,407,292. The State cattle stations, which pay neither rent nor taxes, had made a loss up to Juno last of £440,070. , After detailing the losses incurred by other Queensland State undertakings, the Age goes on to remark that unemployment and poverty are regrettably common. "During the fourth'quarter of last year 12.4 per cent, of Queensland’s trade unionists were unemployed, whereas in Victoria the unemployed unionists were represented by only 5.2 per cent.” . It partly explains this state of affairs that taxation in Queensland is abnormally high. Last year it collected nearly as much in State taxation as Victoria, which has nearly twice its population. Mn. Theodore has been directed by the State Labour Convention to pursue the policy of establishing State enterprises. If he is given ah opportunity of obeying this mandate, the result no doubt will be, as. his critics declare, "another prolific crop of taxation, deficits, and political jobbery.” Dependent at present upon a Parliamentary majority of two, the Theodore Government with its discreditable record of misrule undoubtedly would go down before a strong and well-directed attack. Unfortunately its opponents are far from having achieved the unity that conditions obviously demand. Some of the non-Labour elements in Queensland politics have formed a United Party under Mr. Taylor, hitherto. Leader of the Nationalist Party There is still a division, however, between this United Party and tho Queensland Country Party, led by Mr. Vowles. . Although they have as yet failed to coalesce, the two sections are said to have reached an agreement under which they will avoid vote splitting in 70 of the 72 Parliamentary scats. ' I The division of moderate opinion raises an uncomfortable possibility that even now the discredited. Labour Ministry may escape its merite’d fate. If the election gives a majority against the Government it is expected that there will be no great difficulty in bringing about a conditional coalition similar to thijt formed by the Federal Nationalist and Country- Parties. An anti-Government majority migl/t be anticipated with greater confidence, however, if the moderate parties had shown a greater readiness to sink minor differences and concentrate mutually on essentials.