WHEATFIELD STATE. PARLIAMENT OPENED.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 20, 23 July 1909, Page 7

WHEATFIELD STATE. PARLIAMENT OPENED.

NEW. MINISTRY'S PROGRAMME. : NO-CONEJIDENCE MOTION TO BB \ SUBMITTED. ByiTeleeraph.— Presß Association.— Copyright, (Received July 23, 10.45 a.m.) ADELAIDE, This Day. The South Australian Parliament has 'been opened. The Speech of the Governor (Admiral Sir Day Bccanquet) foreshadowed three new railways to open up agricultural areas, a progressive land tax, a Compulsory Purchase of Estates Bill, and a,, reference of the Murray Waters question" to- the law courts. The House has adjourned till Tues< day. The Labour Party has decided to sub-i mit a no-confidence motion. On.the death of Mr. Price, Mr. Peake was commisbioned to fomi a new Go-yej-nment. He made overtures for Labour support, but that party declined , two seats in the Cabinet unless one of them was the Premiership. Mr. Peake mused to consent, and formed a Ministry cufc of his own supporters, wloare understood to number only nine out of a House of forty-two members. The -Labour Party numbers about twenty, so the. Government would only get a bare majonty if all the other elements combined against Labour. Mr. J. Verran, leader of the Labour Party, interviewed recently, said :— "lt seems strange to me that a party of nine m a House of forty-two should form a Government. We fail to See lIOW Mr. .feake could consistently give his Excehency the assurance that he could carry on unless he anticipated some alliance with Mr. Butler. If, such a compact is arranged £ don't know how Liborals like Messrs. Miller and Pflaum will explain their position to the electors'. The Labour Party will go fearles%ly on with their platform and confidently await the decision of the electors whenever it may be given." The Melbourne Argus, commenting on the position, says :— "The outcome of the situation will probably be a dissolution ; and if the two moderate parties in the House were to arrange an alliance or fusion, in opposition to the sectional extremists, they would be following an excellent example set by the corresponding elements of the Federal Parliament. Mr. .Peake artd his followers definitely severed their connection with the Labour Caucus so soon as it began to show itself in its true colours again, and a more favourable opportunity could not be found for constituting Parliament on a two-party basis once more." , ' *