THE AUSTRALIAN ELECTIONS.

Evening Star, Issue 20312, 22 October 1929, Page 3

THE AUSTRALIAN ELECTIONS.

I'O THE EDITOR. Sir, —A week ago ouo of the leading diguitai'ies in our churches lectured the people on the undignified language of our modern members of Parliament. Since then the passing of Mr Bruce has been used as a theme on which to hang eulogistic references. “ Q.V.,” foi instance, in his ‘By .the Way’ column in Saturday’s ‘ Star,’ in generously paying a tribute to a fallen loader of the' people, says; . . . Mr Bruce’s trouble was that ho was too polite, too averse to taking any stand that might hurt the feelings of others. Such m'on may possibly bo loved, but they arc not respected. ... So Mr Bruce i.s deposed, and.Mr Sculliu will reign ui his stead.” Noticing in the ‘ Daily Standard ’ a report of a speech delivered by Mr .Bruce in the Exhibition Hall, Brisbane, on September 20, I naturally expected something above the ordinary. Permit me to quote the following extract from that speech : “ Mr Bruco devoted a considerable portion of his speech to a defence of the entertainment tax, against which ho said a great propaganda was being earned on all over the country. When his Government imposed the petrol tax similar propaganda was worked up, but they bad told the petrol people then what they told the other people now. We told them to go to blazes. They can use every means they know, but wo won’t shift an inch.” (Cheers.) Such language, apart from being undignified and, in New Zealand, anyhow, unparliamentary from a Prime Minister, suggests not only blatant egotism, but lack of consideration for the interests involved, and does not place Mr Bruce on the high pedestal of parliamentary etiquette bis admirers represent him as standing on, and indicates one of the reasons for his downfall. The Australian elections, serve a useful purpose. They teach ‘us first and foremost that when members of Parliament, no matter how exalted their position or profound their learning, forget that they should bo the servants of the people, the people have it in their own hands to put them out and place someone in their place who is prepared to give expression to the pople’s will. In New Zealand last election quite a number of members of Parliament, including Ministers of the Crown, though not using such undignified language', went out because they wore not prepared to listen to or consider the requests of sections of tbo people whose interests were adversely affected by the legislation passed. Secondly, the elections will bring home to tbo peoi,io the iact that ,it was the Labour Party’s inllueuce and support that were responsible for the Arbitration Act in Australia. That party, coming in with the cry of new protection first, built up Australian industries on a basis that allowed the workers to share in the benefit through decent wages and conditions, and withdrew protection from industries whore these were nob granted. Australian interests and industries were placed before outside in forests. Just as Philip Snowden was a big enough Englishman to place ins country before foreign countries, so will the Labour Party in Australia place Australian interests before even British interests. “Australia first” is its motto. When the party split over the Conscription issue and Mr Hughes and a number of other Labourites fused with the other parties the name of Nationalists, they at all times stood for the arbitration principle initiated in the days when Labour bold the balance of power. A desertion _by Mr Bruce of such n. Labour principle, for which Mr Hughes and his followers stood, without a mandate from the people,, was too much for Mr Hughes, whose amendment to Mr Bruce’s abolition of the arbitration law brought about the election. The results, show that Australia still stands lor peace m industry. Jt will also prove that the Labour reprsontatives v.'ili. as iboy have always done, administer the law in such a way that Paffcrty’s rules of a fight to a. finish will be relegated to the oblivion Air Bruce failed to rescue them from.—l am, etc., J. E. MacMaxvs. October 21.