"STRONGEST MAN IN AUSTRALIA"

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 125, 28 May 1923, Page 8

"STRONGEST MAN IN AUSTRALIA"

PREMIER OF QUEENSLAND.

'. " The strongest ' man in Australian ' politics to-day " is how Alderman C. Jenkinson, Mayor of Hamilton, a suburb of Brisbane, and for fourteen years a Liberal'member of the Queensland State Government; -sums np his opinion of the Labour Prime Minister, Mr. E. G. Theodore. "A. man with a distinct personality," he remarked to a "Post" representative, " he has a very sauve, gentle.manner, which to a certain extent disarms criticism,..but.he has shown, hlin- 4 S.elf sufficiently strong, in keeping thn extreme element under control. During the recent' elections," although the Labour Conference had practically adopted a Red objective, he kept it entirely in the background. The result was that th» fears that had been generated vanished from the minds.of the electors,.for wher as he went out of office with a majority of one-,-he retnrned to power with »■• majority of sixteen.. On tU© Labour side ' at the elections we had a leader with a dominating personality, while opposed to him the Liberal forces were^split into two sections, each under a separate leader, each of whom was a weak man. An attempt was made prior to the election to consolidate the Liberal forces, and, although a basis for righting the elections was agreed. upon, it was not entirely successful, inasmuch as in several electorates the Country Party ran a candidate against the. National Democratic Party. Another contributing factor to Mr. Theodore's victory was the fact that | during the previous session the Govern- ; ment passed a comprehensive Bill deal- . ing wTEE agrarian, matters, which ap- . peals strongly to the farmer. - One of the Astute moves on the part of the Premier ; iwas his action in forwarding to every j farmer in the State a personally-signed . letter setting out the policy of the Go- : vernment in regard to land matters, and appealing for support. You can imagine h.ow that appealed to the ' cocky.' " | ' Mr. "Jenkinson ventured the opinion ; that Mr. Theodore will ultTmately 'be Prime Minister of Australia, an office which -would give him a much wider ■ field for displaying his abilities. When ; the call comes, he did not see how hei could resist it.