A SET BACK,

Grey River Argus, 25 February 1926, Page 5

A SET BACK,

TO N.S.W. GOVERNMENT. Upper House Vote. MAJORITY OF Six AGAINST ABOLIIION. SYDNin. February 21. When tlie N.S.W’. Legislative Council last evening met after the tea adjournment, the leaner ol the House, i j Hon. Mr. Willis, tormallv moved his

■ motion for ih e abolition of th c Legisi lativc Council. A division was taken * duuiediatcly, a nd in e Government was defeated by 17 tu H. SAME LABOURITES AGAINST ABOLITION. In the division ther c were a num ber of Labour defections from the Go ’ vernment side. Ten members did noi take part in the division. Of these ; ; two are absent from Australia, twe , , are ill, and one has sufiered a family bereavement. Of the twenty-five mem , hers recently appointed, four did mn vote. One other Labour member, appointed by the- Storey Government, was not present. TWO -RATS.” Hon. Messrs Bryant, the former Government Whip, and Percival. ■ e.* ss-ed the floor irom the Labour benches and voted againsf abolition. IS WILLIS A BAD iACTKjAN? W lieu the result of (he division wasi announced, a Labour member shouted: “They ought to be shot,'’ meaning the Labour absentees. Mr. Willis immediately moved that tlie Chamber adjourn, and the Labour members moved angrily out of the Chamber. Many heated arguments occurred in fhe Lobbies between those Labour members in favour of ihe abolition and those against it. It is not inipro bable that most of the absentee La bounties will explain {heir absence, or jake shelter behind the excuse that I they did not expect the vote to bt / taken to-night, as Air. \\ illis stated | a vote on the measure would not be I taken before Wednesday. Mr. Willis, however, was outwitted to-niglit, as he anticipated that the Nationalists would allow the formal stages lo pass without a- division, and had told his supporters thev nc -J not expect a final vote until Wednesday. EXCUSES FOR “RATTING.” SYDNEY. February 21. Hon. Mr. Bryant, who voted against abolition, says that he was guided only by a simple sense of public duty. He says that the treatment received dining the pasj month, alter lorty years’ adherence lo the 1 aboUr movement, is only what would be meted out to a galley slave. He does not intend to tolerate it any longer, and will resign from the Australian Labour Party. Mr. Eryanf was pa red with Mr. Boyce last session, during the latter’s visit to New Zealand, and he says that undue influence was brought to bear on him to' make him break his word, which he had always kept in business and elsewhere. It was tit's that caused him to take up the altitude he did on th« division. THE “MISSING” M.L.C. TURNS IT TO TITS DOWN HJ> PART* SYDNEY, February 21. Mr. Percival, who was the misting legislator has resigned from the LaIjour Party. He has issued a statement in which he says that for twenty I years lie supported the Labour Party consistently and obeved the Party Whip's crack, but under the bullying tactics of Mr. Lang, the load became too heavy to bear. He blames Mr. Lang personally for the whole of the odium which has keen cast upon the Labour movement during the past few months. Hc says: “His Mussolini tactics are not Australian and not labour. The Labour members of the Council were never consulted about the legislations to he brought djwn. They were telephoned to or telegraphed and told to be in thc House at a certain time, and to vote as told.” Ihe requests became so discotu teous, states Mr. Percival, tlnif not only himself, but other Labour mem bers, started to protest for fair treatment. Ihe crisis arrived when '.he Councillors were instructed T dishonour their word and Break up in pars Thus Mr. Lang tore political honour to shreds. “Those who did not jump to attention under the Umtator's whip v ere attacked for several day s. 7he whole police and detective fore? wa’ put on m< tracks to sliadov nc. a~ tfougli I vtie a criminal,' stn* .s Mr. j'crcival. lORY PRESS A7TACKS ’’REMH P SYDNEY. February 21. The “Herald" in a leader, says — “The Council's defeat in. connection with th e Abolition Bill places Mr. Lang face to face with a serious ciisis. It cannot bo denied that pubic opinion has again been toreibly ex- > pressed. Lt has been strongly against j this effort to get rid of the Upper House.” The Government feared, and still fears, to trust the public. If played a confidence trick on (lie publie and havin.r achieved office by a. subterfuge, it seeks unlimited power, careless ol the means by which tliis is to be done, and of the wishes of the people. The “Telegraph" says: “The defeat of tlie Bill suggests that many of th<- loudest-voiced Abolitionists were like the tramp ostentatiously looking lor work and secretly praying not to find it.’’ The paper adds: -It is n<-t j (hc prolonjin+ion of Die- Council s li e 'that makes Mr. Lang’s defeat a mat ter of congratulation. lt> isi the failure

of Lis Government to perpetuate- o discreditable fraud on the electors. Turned back Irom the wrong course, he is now given a chance of starting again on the right course. Instead ot again attempting t o swamp the Council with partv puppets, he can if he is game, remit the question of abcßlitioii to the people.” The Next Step. MORE M.L.C. APP(*NTMENTS. Oil A DISSOLUTION, SYDNEY, February 24. It i s hardly possible that another attempt to bring a similar Bill before the House will be made this session. Although defeated in the attempt to abolish the Upper House, the Governmentment will make an effort to pass some of its legislation remaining on tiie business paper before the House is prorogued, and towards the end of the year an effort will be made to float t.ie Abolition Bill through on a flooded House. Alter the application for a number of new appointments to the Legislative Council! niauc the Governor, thc Labour (Government is now facing a crisis which may lead to a dissolution. Ihe Labour Daily newspaper, in a leader, says: ••The defeat of the Government, though disappointing, may be regarded as but a temporary reprieve tor the Upper House. Th c position is the same as before the Government, took steps to abolish it, but the obstacle must sooner or later be removed, otherwise uie Government would cease to be a Government, inasmuch a s if would be unable to carryout it programme, ihe present position is intolerable to* the Government and an affront to me people, who placed it in power. Fuitaer measures ar e necessan, and will be taken.” Mr. Lang refused to make any statement regarding the Legislative Council position.