The Hawera Star. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1925. THE AUSTRALIAN ELECTIONS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 20 November 1925, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1925. THE AUSTRALIAN ELECTIONS.

Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley, Mokoia, Whakamara, Ohangai, Meremere, Fraser Road, aDd Ararata.

Although there are some eighty thousand votes still to be counted, it is now apparent that the Government parties have secured a two-to-one majority over Labour in the Australian Senate, ns well as in the House of Representatives. The people of the Commonwealth, like the people of New Zealand, have guaranteed for themselves a period) of settled government, and of the prosperity such begets, "by establishing one party-group securely in power. And again Labour has slipped back. The one fault that cannot be charged l against the Australian public is undue conservatism, so that the severe rebuff suffered by the Radical party Labour becomes the more noteworthy. It seems that recent industrial happenings, which we mentioned! as likely to influence the poll against Labour, did have that effect. The weakness as well as the strength of political Labour isl to be found in the trades unions, and the more militant trades unionists of the Australian waterfront may thank themselves ’for the failure of Mr Charlton and his followers at the Federal polls. The

public may have a short memory-r-' possibly it is just as well that should be so—but its action's are very liable to be influenced by events in the near past. Had) a. year elapsed between Mr Tom Walsh’s “butting-in” on the British seamen’s affairs and the election, the voting might have been different. As things have turned out, Labour will have another three years clear of the burdens of office —a spell which might well be devoted' either to showing Mr Walsh and’ his type how suicidal is fhe use of the general strike weapon, or to disowning the extreme section of industrial) Labour. Learning her lesson from some of the present. State Administrations, Australia had said emphatically that she does not wish her national policy dictated from the fo V’sle and the Trades Hall.

One possible Labour reverse will be lamented' on personal grounds. Mr E. G. Theodore, ex-Premier of Queensland, would have been an acquisition to the Federal House, but latest reports indicate that his return for Herbert is by no means assured. It is impossible to agree with all Mr Theodore’s polities; but he is an able man; and a statesman, and, for the sake of Australia, his presence among the leaders of the Federal Labour Party is to be desired. For his part, Mr Brflce has received the confidence of the people to an extent possibly exceeding his most sanguine expectations, and he will be able to go forward- with- his policy of putting Australia first always’—not one class or division, but- Australia. And with Australia goes the Empire.