OBVIOUS SOLUTION

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 80, 1 October 1940, Page 8

OBVIOUS SOLUTION

FEELING IN COUNTRY

LABOUR PARTY'S PRICE

(By Trans-Tasman Air Mail, from "The Post's" Representative.)

SYDNEY, September 28. A new effort to create a National Government in Australia is expected as a result of the small majority which the Menzies Govern? arnt will have in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Prime Minister offered in July to give five or six seats in the Cabinet to Labour, as an alternative to the election that was falling due. Labour rejected the offer, principally because it thought it could win an election. Now that it has failed to do so—but only by a matter of two or three seats —it may agree, probably on its own terms, to co-operate in a national Government. Mr. Menzies expressed fears during '. the election campaign that the Government might be returned with so small a majority that it would have to depend in a crisis on the votes of several Independents. The election results ' indicate that two, and possibly three, Independents will be elected. One of these will support the Government. Another, judging by his actions in the last Parliament, will vote more often ■ with Labour than with the Government. The third, if he is elected, will be at best an uncertain voting quan- ; tity.

In these circumstances, a National Government is regarded by the bulk of Australians as the obvious and only satisfactory solution to what, sooner or later, will become a political deadlock. It is taken for granted that Mr. Menzies will renew his offer to Labour, such action having been promised by him during the election } campaign. He would find some Labour i members receptive, but others, and probably the majority, opposed to th'? idea. MAY WANT THE CHIEF SAY. The price of Labour participation in a National Government may be the Prime Ministership This is the view of the section of the party which reIgards the election result as a challenge |to Mr. Menzies's leadership. What these members are saying privately I was publicly expressed a few days ago by Dr. H. V. Evatt. He suggested 'that the Governor-General should ask Labour; as the largest single party in the House of Representatives, whether it could form a Government.

These Labour members say that prospects of the final line-up of parties being even, with the Independents holding the balance of power, are still real. Their view is that the Independents can no more be regarded as Government supporters than they can be regarded as Labour supporters.

Before the Parliamentary Labour Party could agree to join a National Government it would have to obtain the approval of a conference of delegates from the six State Labour executives, but this, it is believed, would not be difficult. There is nothing in the constitution of the Labour Party to prevent it joining a National Government. It would require at least half the portfolios in the Cabinet.