The Dominion FRIDAY, MAY 9, 1924. A MOVE INTO FEDERAL POLITICS

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 192, 9 May 1924, Page 6

The Dominion FRIDAY, MAY 9, 1924. A MOVE INTO FEDERAL POLITICS

• An announcement by the Queensland Premier (Mr. E. G. Theodore) that he intends to enter Federal politics is accompanied by an interesting admission. As he is reported in one of to-day cablegrams, Mr. Theodore explained that he had contemplated entering Federal politics before he left Australia, but had delayed tho announcement “because he felt morally obliged to settle the loan.” Further, “he determined . . . not to leave State politics -until Queensland’s credit was absolutely re-established in the London market.” Most people who are in to'tich with the facts will agree that Mr. Theodore was under a bounden obligation to do everything in his power to re-establish the credit of his State. Whether his efforts to this end give him any particular cause for self congratulation, much less a certificate of competency to enter Federal politics, is a matter on which opinions may differ. As critics in his own State are not slow to point out, Mr. Theodore has now only undone, or partly undone, the damage done to Queensland credit by legislation, passed in 1920, which had the effect of breaking contracts into which the State had entered with certain pastoral lessees. For this legislation Mr. Theodore was, as he himself puts it, “politically responsible.” In the year in which this repudiatory legislation was passed Queensland was refused a loan in London and had to raise money in the United States. Last month Me. Theodore was only permitted to raise a loan in London after entering into a compromise agreement with representatives of the pastoral lessees and financial institutions interested.

How the matter is regarded by people of moderate views in Queensland may be gathered from the following comments by one of the principal newspapers of that State, the Brisbane Courier: — A modus vivendi was reached, the compensation for the wrong being on. the basis that during the further currency of the leases affected, the rents shall not exceed the rents in operation at May 30, 1924. Thus we have it that an amende has been wrung from tho Socialist Government of Queensland and not necessarily because it acknowledged having done a wrong thing. It is obvious that justice was not graciously done, but that the people who had been made to suffer wrong were strong enough to hit back, and to compel justice. Who thinks that with adversaries weaker or with shorter memories, and unable to retaliate, the Government of Queensland would have rectified its misuse of power? Had the Socialist element been able to make financial arrangements elsewhere would it have made the amende now announced. Not at all; and therefore Mr. Theodore and his Cabinet have no claim to any generous treatment. . . . The quarrel is over, but the staiu of the legislation of 1920 remains. . . .

It is not only to its pastoral lessees that the Queensland Government has of late done tardy justice. Legislation of a confiscatory character affecting the Brisbane Tramway Co. has also been repealed. With his face now turned towards the Federal political arena, Mr. Theodore is perhaps entitled to claim that he is a righter of wrongs. Any pretensions he might base upon this title are rather watered down, however, when it is added that the most conspicuous wrong's he has righted are those for which he is himself “politically responsible.”

With his record, such as it ds, Mr. Theodore no doubt must be regarded as an aspirant for the position of Federal Labour Leader, now occupied by Mr. Charlton. The Queensland Premier is not unlikely to realise this ambition, for he appears to exercise a commanding influence over the Labour-Socialists of the Commonwealth.

Like other Labour politicians in Australia, he is no doubt keenly intent on profiting by the division of moderate forces which has already wrought havoc in State politics and threatens to develop dangerously in the Federal sphere. A town and country division of the moderate parties has lately enabled Labour to take office in Western Australia and in South Australia, and it is not impossible that history may presently repeat itself on these lines in Victoria, although in that State Labour at present is a minority party holding only about onethird of the seats in the Lower House.

The position in Federal politics is at besb/ insecure. On his return from the Imperial Conference the Commonwealth Prime Minister (Mr. Bruce) spoke confidently of the prospects of continued cooperation between his own party (the Nationalists) and the Country Party. More recently his speeches have indicated some loss of confidence on this point.

When he was entertained, a week or two ago, by the National Club in Sydney, Mr. Bruce made a speech which was not reported in the Press. It is said, however, that he declared that before an election came there must be a determination of the present uncertain relations between his own party and the Country Party. It is fairly obvious that Mr. Bruce is bidding for the continued support of the Country Party in his proposals to allocate portions of the surplus for the current year (ending on June 30) to such purposes as the development of new markets, the advertisement of Australian produce, and payment' of freight subsidies and export bounties, the improvement of refrigerated space and the acceleration of transport services. Whatever may be thought of these proposals, the two sections into which Australian people of moderate political views are dividing evidently would be wise to compose their differences in order that they may present a - - united front to the party to which they are mutually opposed. The recent turn of events in State politics makes it perfectly clear that if the Federal Nationalists and their Country Party allies fail to hold together, adventurous Labour-Socialist politicians like Mr. Theodore will find themselves' faced by enlarged opportunities.