AUSTRALIAN POLITICS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21756, 4 July 1945, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS

For, several reasons, including thenpersonal sympathy with-.a man who has never, spared himself conscientious ..effort on behalf ..of .his country, the people of Australia niust be distressed over the continued illness of the Prime Minister, Mr. Curtin. The

Sydney Daily Telegraph was probabb correct in its belief that Mr. Curtin's breakdown, caused bv his willingness :o ruin his health for.the nation, will almost certainly, compel him to abandon politics and return to private life. If the Prime Minister follows the medical advice which has no doubt been given him, he will make this decision before it-is..too late, tor it is logical to assume that, once he had definitely .freed himself from all suggestion of responsibility for affairs of State and reconciled himself to a life of mental ease, his health would improve. During his absence from active service at Canberra lilts party, except for the good showing of Dr. Evatt and Mr. Fordo at San Francisco, has not been a popular success. The ol't-told story of Labour regimentation and a policy of extreme socialisation on the home front i s , having an oppressive

efi'ec! on the people, and the strong anti-Labour forces massing on the/ pniade ground of declared Liberalism are deriving great encouragement from the thought that they will go to Ih'' poll next year in a more united spirit Ilian ever before. It is too soon to attempt to assess the effect on: Liberal campaigning of the rise.oi l (he new ,Services Party whose beginnings arc reported to-day. The Liberals’ biggest problem may continue to be ttie lack of outstanding and at the same time popular leadership. In the opinion of many Australian 1- , including the servicemen and then hosts of admirers, a bad mark against Labour policy has been the Government's desertion.,or the principle, of pi elercncc lor ex-servicemen in employment both now and alter the war. As it now stands, flic- Re-establish-1 merit and Employment Bill, which has whittled away The .soldier preference system fought for by Mr, Curtin, ha: roused a furore of protest. It. is only one of the unfortunate measures on which the Prime Minister's Cabincf colleagues have been engaged during his illness;