MR. W. M. HUGHES

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 73, 30 March 1929, Page 6

MR. W. M. HUGHES

NOT A SPENT FORCE

VIGOROUS SPEECHES

(From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY, 21st llarch.

Those who came to regard Australia's war Prime Minister, Mr. W. M. Hughes, as a spent force are now busily adjusting their views, and are •willing to admit that he is still an butstanding iig--ure in Federal politics, even though he is somewhat of an enigma. His position is similar to that of Mr. T. M. Wili'ord, of the New Zealand Parliament, who in the heyday of his political career kept his foot on what he was pleased to call the "soft pcdul," insofar as his intentions and ambitions arc unrevealed. But actually there is no "soft pedal" about Mr. Hughes; in fact, he seems to delight in making as much noise as possible. Ho is feared by his own party, the Nationalists, whose Ministry he trounces in frequent vigorous speeches. The. Labour Party would do anything rather than rouse him, because pf his cutting responses. The Country Party regard him as its arch enemy, which he certainly is.

Nationalists have spoken seriously of the necessity of disciplining this Mr. Hughes, but the same Mr. Hughes has held all such threats up to ridicule —a ridicule that hurts, as it is supposed to do. What right has he, says the party, to the Nationalist nomination for North Sydney when he never loses an opportunity to condemn the Nationalist Ministry'? And Mr. Bruce responds, in a remarkably confident air, "Put me out if you can." He cares for no one seemingly. He is a party all to himself. He attends the Nationalist meetings when it suits him, or when he desires to launch another of his many attacks on the Bruce-Page Coalition. He never misses a joint meeting of the Nationalist and Country Parties; for the simple reason-that ho hates to lose a single opportunity of attacking the Leader of the Country Party and the Federal Treasurer (Dr. Page). When the need for a coalition arose it was Dr. Page who said that the Country Party would never join a Ministry if Mr. Hughes was included in it. So Mr. Hughes retired, but he has not,'allowed Dr. Page much peace since. Probably ho will not be satisfied until Dr. Page is relegated to the background.

The other day Mr. Hughes flayed the Country Party. What sort of a party was it, he asked, when it had not forced its policy on the Ministry when it was in a position of being able to do so? It could make the Ministry impotent to-morrow, if it chose, but it would not. It was so much humbug. It boasted a policy of reduced tariffs, and supported every increase suggested. He had been hoping in vain that something would be done for that vast diminishing race, the man on the land. He had been thinking that the Country Party,, wanted a new leader. Very well, he offered his services.

Amidst roars of laughter someone called out: "We would all be under the land, instead of on it, if you were our leader."

. "Then there is the new States proposal that somo of the Country members have urged," continued Mr. Hughes, in a typical speech. "If I had been in. power for six years as they have been I would have scattered new States about like potatoes in a paddock. Had I been in that.party, and the Ministry had not clone it, I would have disembowelled the Ministry. All this I say to commend myself to the Country Party's favour when it turns my offer over in its more sober moments."

In another vigorous speech Mr, Hughes attacked the Ministry. It came in, ho said, with a. promise to preserve industrial peace, but instead of industrial peace there was turmoil, and in all his long experience he had never seen so many unemployed men, nor had he ever seen the industrial heaven grow darker. Thcro was not a glimmer of light, not a promise or hope of the peace of which they had heard so much. Nobody had done anything to promote a better understanding between Capital and Labour, yet surely it would be possible to build a bridge over which both might travel. Organised Labour wanted something more than work. If it were to take the advice of the Ministry it must have some assurance of human sympathy. No such indication had been given by the Ministry of the Day. With the Ministry it seemed that tho men were always in the wrong. The men could not always be in the wrong. Thus the Ministry had failed to bring about industrial peace, it had failed in land settlement, it had failed in its migration policy, it had failed to reduce duties. Instead of the prosperity which Australia had been assured would follow from stable Government, thero was only unrest and a lack of confidoncc. The Ministry had trimmed its sails to catch every passing breeze. It had stretched out its tentacle of commissions in every direction. It had inquired into everything. It had done nothing.

The Labour Party naturally enjoys the spectacle of Mr. Hughes sowing the seeds of discord among tho members of the Nationalist and Country Parties.