POLITICAL DEADLOCK

Evening Star, Issue 19198, 15 March 1926, Page 5

POLITICAL DEADLOCK

NEW SOUTH WALES CONTROVERSY Press Association—By Telegraph—CepyrigV Australian and N.Z. Press Association. SYDNEY, March 15. (Received March 15, at 10.30 a.m.) In consequence of_ the pronounced hostility shown by Ministerialists, it is probable that the Premier and his colleagues will not now proceed with the proposal to recall the Governor. It is learnt from an authoritative source that the Attorney-General has boon advised by Mr Lang to coniine his mission to the refusal of Sir Dudley Do Chair to make additional appointments to the Legislative Council. Tiro imperial authorities will he invited to make a definite pronouncement upon the question of whether or not a State Governor can refuse to accept the advice oi his Ministers when additional appointments to a Legislative Council are desired by a Ministry. During the week-end Mr Lang issued a statement in which bo announced that ho did not propose to take a referendum of tiie people on the abolition of the Upper House, and he was also opposed to making a direct appeal to the electors by way of a General Election. Ho asserts that he already has a mandate, for the reason that the Labor Party received a majority over all other parties at the last elections,and that the first plank in the Aim tralian Labor Party’s platform included the abolition of the Council. . LONDON, March 14. (Received March 15, at 10.30 a.m.)' P,rcss messages from Australia would make it appear that there has been some misreading of the message of March 8 referring to Mr Amery’s December despatch pointing out that the New South Wales Legislative Council question was purely a. constitutional matter between the Governor and his Ministers. Tin's reference was followed by an unofficial but authoritative opinion that, failing an-agreement between the Governor and his Ministers, it was obvious that the - ultimate tribunal must fco the electors. This unofficial opinion appears to have been mistakenly read in Australia as part of a despatch instead of merely an authoritative comment upon a despatch. The same authority to-day gave an assurance that if the Governor would not give way, and the Government would not appeal to the electors, there was another alternative for which there were many precedents—namely, to accept the existing situation until a change of Governor or a change of Government, dr both, cleared the way to mutual agreement,—A. and N.Z. ("able.