WANTED A LEADER

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 40, 16 August 1921, Page 7

WANTED A LEADER

_—♦ - .■ (PROM OCR OWN COItSESPOWBNI.) SYDNEY, 9th August. By the sudden and untimely death of Mr, T. J. Ryan, the Federal Labour Party has suffered a very. serious loss, inasmuch as he was the only man in sight regarded tis competent to lead Labour in the event of the party again getting control of the Federal Government. This position became possible some four years ago_, %when, as a result of the conscription dispute, the Labour Party cut itself off from-the intellectual men who might have become its leaders. The | party was practically leaderless when it faced the 191i3 election, and it was for | 'that reason that the party approached Mr. Ryan and persuaded him to give up the Queensland Premiership and come into the Federal arena. The post of Prime' Minister was the inducement offered him, to be given when Labour won a general election. Now that Mr. Ryan is gone, Labour has taken stock its assets in leadership, and it tods itself practically. . bankrupt. The nominal leader is Mr. Frank Tudor. But Mr. Tudor is a very sick man —so sick that, like Mr. Storey (Premier of New South Wales), it is .only ,a question of a few weeks before he retires from'leadership. Mr. Tudor had vbeen on the point of dropping out- in favour of Mr. Ryan, and he is now .only hanging on until some other arrangement can be made. Within the Federal' Labour Party, at present, there is only one man with the qualities of leadership. But he is in the' Senate—Senator "Jupp" Gardiner, the "Labour Party's only representative in the Senate. To become leader,of Labour in the House he would have to resign from the Senate, contest a seat, and leave the State Government affected to nominate his successor in the Upper Chamber. If the by-election for West Sydney (Mr. Ryan's late seat) -does not produce a leader, the leadership in the House of Representatives vvilb probably devolve upon. Mr. Charlton, a man of high character and good personality, but mediocre ability. But Labour hopes that. Mr. Andrew Fisher, a former Prime, Minister, recently , back from the High > Commissionership, will secure the seat. He KvouJd then naturally become leader. This only shows Labour's poverty in leadership. Mr. Fisher while Prime Minister gained his slight reputation for statesmanship only because he had always beside him the dominating intellect of Mr/ Hughes. He has no outstanding qualities whatever^—everyone recognises that—and this was made dear in the office of High Commissioner. The .more probable winner of the West Sydney seat, is Alberman Lambert, at pre sent Lord Mayor of Sydney. This* young man is boomed by a section of the Labour Party executive as a coming Napoleon ; but his alleged qualifications repeatedly have failed to stand the acid teat, and he is not held in much respect by tho Federal Labour Party,