ADULT SUFFRAGE

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 50, 27 August 1925, Page 9

ADULT SUFFRAGE

PROPOSED FOR MUNICIPALITIES

(raou out ows coirisfondint.)

SYDNEY, 20th August.

The Governor's Speech at the opening of the New South Wales Parliament indicates that the amendment of the law to introduce adult suffrage into local government elections will be brought down this session. Either the change, if both Houses agree to it, will have to wait for three years, or the general municipal elections in December will have to be postponed for say fix months, for the councils havo nearly completed the preparations of the rolls on the old basis, thus leaving no time to prepare new rolls. The local authorities generally do not favour the proposed reform, but the Government has come back from the country with a full and unequivocal mandate, and at the reform was on its programme it proposes to put it on the Statute Book. But if comments count for anything it is likely to be something of a Frankenstein—a monster that is likely to do its creators harm. To quote one prominent local government authority: "II the change is introduced it may be that this State will follow the experience of Queensland, in which case there will be a surprising defection in the Labour ranks when the election! como round. The small farmer or suburban householder may, in many cases, vote Labour for the State elections, but when ha comes to appoint men whose Eowers of taxation will act directly upon is property he is inclined to choose what he considers 'safo'-men,' irrespective of their politics. This is the explanation why, in so many Labour centres in Queensland, the councils are not Labour."