N.S.W. ELECTIONS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 24 March 1922, Page 2

N.S.W. ELECTIONS.

MANY CANDIDATES

The New South Wales elections will be held on Saturday. I'ne U eiiiiigton Post's Sydney correspondent, writing on March \), says:

Many brands of politics are represented by the 258 candidates nominated for the 20 seats at the New South Wales elections, which are to be held on March 25. It is unlikely that anti-Labour votes will be wasted on the innumerable "democratic" and "independent" candidates, and the Coalition Party will present a solid front against Labour in the nhie metropolitan constituencies, each of which returns five members. To this extent, therefore, the vote will test the strength of the forces supporting the Dooley-McGirr combination. The position in the country is not so favourable for the anti-Labour forces. Each of the 15 country electorates returns three candidates, and because of differences in the anti-Labour ranks, Coalition candidates will be opposed in every instance by Progressive as well as by Labour nominees.

There is not much doubt that the block vote or party ticket will predominate. The proportional representation | system demands the numbering of the candidates by the electors in order of j preference. Advocates of the system ! declared that the failure at its first j trial of 50 per cent, of the electors to I vote was caused by their being required to number every candidate ojn the ballot paper. The Act was amended, so that now electors may vote for their party candidates only. Proportional voting is disliked by all, but Labour will stick to it because of the fact that it gives its candidates the advantage of being required to win only a proportion of the total, and not a majority. The principal trouble is likely to arise among the squads sent into battl© by the different parses. Each candidate wants No. 1 opposite his name on the ballot paper. Gaining that lead, the transfers that follow are all his gain. Endless wrangling, as at the last election, is expected, and much political throat-cutting, is likely in the struggle for the prize of £875 a year. The campaigning has been distinguished so far by the remarkable efforts being made by the Government to gain points. The Opposition tells the people that they are on the road to ruin and bankruptcy | under Labour, quoting what appears to the ordinary man as almost unanswerable figures; but the Labour Treasurer replies that they are on the^high road to prosperity. The Premier (Mr. Dooley) has been described as being in q condition of political delirium, because of the .prodigality of his promises. If he wins it will mean a hard time ahead in com- I promising with his supporters, to whom I he is promising so much. The same paper's correspondent, writing on March 16, said: A tangle' of parties is greatly in favour of 'the Government in the campaign now being waged in connection with the State elections on March 25. The electors are confused with Nationalists, NationalCoalitionists, Progressive, Labour, In-dependent-Labour. Industrial-Labour, and Democrats (Roman Catholic Party), and a considerable number with banners all their own, and no particular brand of alliance with anybody or anything. In some of the metropolitan divisions, which have to return five candidates, there are half-a-dozen /to twenty-five names, some of the parties running more than the five

The liquor prohibitionists are also endeavouring to make themselves felt with a demand for a referendum, and the Protestant Federation is active.

I Owing to the ominous reports from , the great industries, such as the Lithgow ironworks, the Newcastle steel I works, and others, about closing down, on account of the high costs, the question of wages is a prominent one in the ! election campaign. Labour candidates are making the most of the Government's proposal to keep the minimum wage up to £4 5s a week by Act of Parliament, though they have difficulty over the unemployment aspect of high wages. Dealing with the latter, a lead was given by the Premier in his charge of "a conspiracy to lower wages." The Opposition Leader, Sir George Fuller, states that the Coalition stands for maintaining the standard of living, and that it will never be a party to reducing wages so that greater profits may be made. The election froth that is being given out bears evidence of confusion and insincerity. The men out of work are quite aware that employment could be obtained at pay lower than the. basic minimum, and altogether .there is a possibility of the workers' vote causing something of a surprise on March 25. Preference to returned soldiers having been refused, _ the Government can expect no help in that direction.

An astonishing variety of occupations is shown in the descriptions of the 300 odd candidates—they range from news vendors to manufacturers, from shop assistants to property owners. About fifty farmers and graziers are standing, about' twenty aspirants are described as labourers, and all the former members of the Assembly, except four, are again after the prize of £875 per annum. There are two women candidates, one being described as "secretary" and the other "home duties."

Both are contesting metropolitan seats, one as Nationalist, the other unspecified.

Labour, knowing that its supporters will vote solid to a man, is particularly confident of securing a working majority (the present position of the House is 45 Labour and 45 anti-Labour). The Coalition is equally confident of taking at least three seats from Labour.