AUSTRALIAN POLITICS

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 123, 25 May 1920, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS

MANY SPLITS IN THE HANKS ■OF NATIONALISTS (FROM OUR OWN CO-RESPONDENT.) : SYDNEY, 18th May. There seems to be no doubt that the Australian Nationalist . Party which during the latter years of the war was by far the most powerful force ii> Australian politics in in course of disintegration. The latest development is reported, from 'Queensland, where the organised farmers are proceeding to form their own party. The party came into being late in 1916 as a result of,the bitter quarrel within the Labour ranks on the conscription issue. All the really big Labour men, without exception, "led by W. M. Hughes. W. A. Holman, and" J. C. Watson, left the official Labour Party and joined with the Liberal Party to form the Nationalist;:. There was s Federal organisation., and .". separate organisation in each State ; and although' the conditions of the fusion differed in each State, the net result was the. same. The National Party \v,ia accepted by a great majority of the people, and it carried out a vigorous pio r ßritish. "Win-ihe-Yviu 1" policy. In the Federal and New South Wales spheres, the Labour leaders became the leaders of the Nationalists, and when the war ended a big effort was made to use the now most powerful National organisation as the principal factor in solving the grave post-war problems: v ■ ' The Nationalists have not achieved that end. On the contrary, the pa-rty appears to 1 be falling to pieces—a development seen moat, clearly in the formation of Farmers' parties. The most solid and virile Nationalist Party now in existence is that led by .Mr. Hughes in the^ Federal Parliament—and it has a majority of only one or two over the Labour, Country, and Independent members, and the 'Government is obviously treading a.wary path. It is well known that there is no love lost between Mr. Hughes and the Farmers' Party, but the Farmers oislik. Labour only -. a little more than they dislike \lr. Hughes, and they are not expected to seek the de-struction-of the Hughes Government except on a very ivital issue.^^ A split occurred ,in &4B Australia as soon as death removed 1r strpn-g personality in the person of the Nationalist Leader, Mr. Peake. The Liberals and the pro-conscription Labourites broke apart, and there are practically three parties now in that Parliament—the Liberals, who rule, the .Moderate Labourites, and the official Labourites, and there is such bad feeling between the two Labour parties that the Moderates —for the time being at any rate—are grudgingly keeping the Liberals in power. „ Recent developments in New South Wales are well known. As a result of country representatives and other disaffected members breaking away from the Nationalist Party, a very strong Progressive Party (which is practically a Country Party) was returned; and the Nationalist Party was so weakened that the Labpur Party secured control of the Government, with a- majority over any other combination of one. So small a majority seems, to suggest* a short reign ;' but the fact of. the matter is that tho. Progressives are quite friendly disposed towards the new Labour team; and' so long as the latter displays the moderation that ha* so far characterised it; nfc is likely to secure '■ a certain amount of support from the Progressives. . The state of parties in West Australia is. always somewhat chaoticiand diiiicuit to understand; but it is 'lear that there again a- strong Country Party has been form«d at the expense of the Nationalist organisation. The farmers in Queensland have followed suit, and are seeking,-with good prospects of success, to form, a party which snail have an existence separate from thai of the halfmwibund Nationalist- Party of Queensland. Many-causes have contributed to this disintegration of the Nationalist body, and they cannot be.. summarised in a sentence. The principle one, probably, is the economic confusion of the present time. Up till the moment of victory, the war was the dominating subject, and tlie people followed the party with the vigorous wn,r policy. After the war, the cjist of living, and profiteering, engrossed people's thoughts. Suspicion fell upon the .National Party. It is believed that the Moderate Labour wing has been swallowed by the forces which .represent powerful vested interests, and the people ask themselves whether, in the circumstances, they can expect genuine efforts to give them relief from the operations of the trusts and monopolies that are said to be at work in this country. Yet the people, suspecting the Nationalists, will not turn to Labour, because of the evil reputation which still clings to that party by reason of its recent disloyal and anti-war activities and associations. Under these conditions, the advent of a clean young party in the farmers' organisation has been welcomed and given remarkable support. Yet it is difficult to believe that sufficient support will be forthcoming tG alley? t-liu farmers anywhere to govern; it- is equally hard to foresee n future rapprochement between (Nationalists and Farmers. The position of the National Party generally grows steadily weaker. The future of the anti-Labour forces is at present extremely uncertain.