N.S.W. POLITICS

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 35, 10 August 1927, Page 9

N.S.W. POLITICS

WARRING FACTIONS

CANDIDATE'S ALLEGATION

THREAT OF VIOLENCE

(United Press Association.—Copyright.) (Eeeeived 10th August, 12.45 p.m.) SYDNEY, This Day.

Mr. Murphy, a Labour member in the Lc~l;!ative Assembly, who is contesting the Eozelle seat at the forthcoining elections against the selected Scale Party candidate, says he has been threatened with physical violence if he dares to continue his campaign. Serious threats of sabotage against his persona] property were also made. Mr. Murphy says he will not seek police protection, but will take his own bodyguard of returned soldiers and others with him while he is conducting his election campaign.

(From "The Post's" Representative.)

SYDNEY, 4th August. Last week was a heetie one in Labour politics. Never previously in its history in New South Wales has the Labour Party been in the sorry mess it is to-day, although it will probably be found on polling day, despite the warring factions within its ranks to-day, that its supporters will rally to the ballot boxes as one man, in order to put a nail in the coffin of the common enemy. Whether they vote for the. accredited Labour candidate or one faction or the other will not be very material as long as the movement gets back to power. The famous Unity Conference suggests forcibly the spectacle of the lion lying down with the lamb—with the lamb inside. It witnessed, as was generaly anticipated, the overwhelming triumph of the supporters of the Premier (Mr. Lang), the vindication of his dictatorship, and the complete debacle of the group opposed to the Lang faction, and led by the ex-Minister for Education (Mr. Mutch), who is now regarded as standing a fair chance of being defeated in a stronghold which, ordinarily, was his political gift for life.

The group which is now victorious will, no doubt, leave no stone unturned to east into political oblivion those who dramatically broke away from Mr. Lang. They, or some of them, have promised loyally to abide by the decision of tho Unity Conference, but, as the lambs lying down with the lions, they will be politically swallowed, if the opening occurs. Those in the Mutch group recognise that they will be slaughtered" at the selection ballots, and that they will either have to retire trom politics or contest the coming election as Independents. The position -to-day means practically the defeat of the moderate element in the Labour movement in New South "Wales. The Nationalists vainly hope that the outcome of the Unity Conference will be a clear-cut fight at the election between all the moderate elements in the community on one hand, and the uncompromising extremists on the other, but it is hardly likely that even moderate Labour will, at the polls, throw m its weight with the Nationalists. If Labour wins at the election it will inevitably do the bidding of the Trades Hall industrialists.

The political squabble is not confined by any means to the Labour Party. The Nationalists are fighting over the selection ballots, because of the ruthless rejection as accredited candidates at the coming election of sitting members. JNot a few of the Nationalists who have been rejected by the machine propose in open definance of it, to contest the election, and to leave the issue to the arbitrament of the electors themselves. Un the Labour side there will be the clash between those who have stood behind Mr. Lang and those who have deserted him, and, in the Nationalist camps, there will be the fight between those who have been selected by the machine and those who have been reacted by it. The Nationalists as a body are weak, but they will probably r»» fl °l the ""attached voter! ranged behind, them, as a result of the happenings m tho Labour movement.