POLITICAL HISTORY

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 82, 7 April 1938, Page 10

POLITICAL HISTORY

MADE

LABOUR RECRIMINATIONS

(From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY, April 1.

What little tumult and shouting there was at the New South Wales elections have died down, and the coalition Government of Mr. Stevens and Mr. Bruxner is ensconced for another three years of administration., Its pre-elec-tion majority of 30 remains unimpaired. By being returned for a third term the Government established a record in the State's political history.

It is known that the Government parties were prepared for the loss of as many as five "borderline" seats. .That Labour gained only one seat was sufficiently strong indication both of the satisfaction .of electors with the Government and of their determination not to trust a Lang Administration.

The seat gained by Labour was Granv'ille, adjoining Mr. Lang's electorate, Auburn. It was won by Mr. W. H. Lamb, a warm personal friend oi Mr. Lang, from Dr. C. Fleck, a United Australia Party member, who has been inconspicuous during his six years in the Legislative Assembly. The U.A.P. recompensed itself for this loss by the victory of Mr. Vernon Treatt in Woollahra, which was won by an Independent after the death of Sir Daniel Levy last year. The U.A.P. strength in the" Assembly will thus remain at 37. The United Country Party is also unchanged with 22. The one Independent in the House is a supporter of the Government. Against this total of 60, the Labour Party has 30 members, and two of these, Messrs. Heffron and Lazzarini, are the Parliamentary representatives of the party's industrial wing, which is in revolt against the Lang "dictatorial" leadership. Other industrial Labour candidates failed, but Messrs. Heffron and Lazzarini withstood strong challenges from official candidates. So, barring circumstances which at present cannot possibly *be foreseen, New South Wales is assured of a continuance for at least three years of the sound, yet progressive, administration which it'Ha? enjoyed for the last six years and which- lifted it from the verge of depression bankruptcy to its present high level of financial and economic prosperity. MR. LANG'S VIEW. That word "prosperity" seems to offend Mr. Lang. In reviewing the reasons for Labour's defeat, he said that the deciding factor was the continuous propaganda in the anti-Labour newspapers that prosperity was the special prerogative of the Stevens Government. The Industrialists, on the other hand, blamed Mr. Lang, saying that the people had clearly indicated once again that they would not tolerate Mr. Lang or his party dictatorship. The trade unions, they said, realised that until Mr. Lang was deposed from leadership, the Labour Party would remain in the political wilderness. Mr. Stevens expressed the "pride and gratitude" of himself and colleagues at being returned for the third time. He said that the fact that the Government had been returned with only a slightly reduced majority since it was first elected in Jurie, 1932, with a record number of supporters, indicated a political stability formerly unknown in the State. This was certain to have a beneficial reaction ori the internal position of the State, and of Australia as a whole, and would add to New South Wales's reputation abroad for soundness and stability. GOOD OF THE STATE. "These are not days for boastful rejoicings or uncomfortable postmortems," Mr. Stevens added. "The only purpose we should seek to serve is the good of the State. For six years we have striven as a Government to unite city and country, to eliminate friction as between class and class, and to lead the community in a spirit of cooperative effort. Having regard to the present outlook, it is imperative that the spirit of co-operation must be the spirit for the future. Parliament itself can exert a salutary influence in that direction, and I hope that the members of the Opposition will be able to work with the Government along the lines of constructive criticism and useful help. The Opposition has its rightful place, and its functions are best discharged free from all those personal recriminations that so often have despoiled our work."