PARTIES UNITE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 97, 21 October 1931, Page 9

PARTIES UNITE

TO FIGHT EXTREMISTS

N.S.W. AGREEMENT

(From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY, loth October.

After months of delicate negotiation, an agreement on policy' has been reached by the representatives of the two oldest political organisations in Australia, tho Nationalists and the Country Party, on the one hand and the two new organisations, the All-for-Australia League and the United Country movement, on the other. Up to this week all efforts to bring together the All-for-Australia League and the Nationalists had failed, mainly owing to tho fact that tho league insisted upon the abolition of preselection ballots, so dear to the Nationalists. The league also objected to the domination of certain interests, particularly big business, in the National Party. While all the points in dispute have not yet been swept away, it is certain that a united body will face the electors in the battle against extremism. Tho question of tho political leadership of tho new organisation has not been decided. Among a certain section of tho league there has been undisguised opposition to the present leader of the National Party (Mr. Bavin), but this has not been shar'«d by all. The Nationalists have been unwilling to sacrifice Mr.. Bavin, who has served thorn so well during a particularly strenuous period both as Premier and as Leader of the Opposition. It would be an exaggeration to say that Mr. Bavin was a brilliant politician. He is of the plodding type and. in rh any instances, his tactics have been found wanting and he has been cleverly out-manoeuvred by the astute Mr. Lang. It seems likely that the j political leadership will bs left to the decision of those representatives of the combined party who are elected to Parliament.

The main thing is that an agreement has been reached in regard to a constructive policy of rehabilitation— a policy, incidentally, to which primary and secondary interests unanimously agreed. It is unlikely that there will be a complete amalgamation, but, instead, a working agreement to be directed by a central organisation with all these parties retaining their individual identity. The United Country Party now definitely embraces the old Country Party which Dr. Earle Page has been so proud to lead, and has been responsible for an intensive reorganisation of the country districts. The country electors are now banded together more strongly than ever before, and it is well for them that this is so. Realising tho danger, no doubt, the Lang Labour Government has already found ways and means of post-, poning' a redistribution of seats so that Labour's domination, due to the large city electorates, will not bo interfered with.

It •will bo ono of the functions of the new central body to eliminate the competition and antagonism that have from time to time manifested themselves in the relationships of tho Opposition parties in tho State House. It is hoped that there will bo a citizens? committee in which purely party considerations would bo subordinated to the broader issues of rehabilitation of industry and tho restoration of public confidence. But the main idea will be to show the Labour extremists a united front. The dream of unity, it would seem, is at last to bo realised.