LABOUR IN POWER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIV, Issue 16430, 23 December 1913, Page 6

LABOUR IN POWER.

The final ballots in New South Wales have left the Labour Party with a clear majority in the Assembly, arid the Government will now be relieved from the difficulties and anxieties that hampered it in tho last Parliament. In tho normal course of evonts the State elections of New South Wales follow the general Federal elections at an interval of a few months, and tho Australian newspapers have been tempted to regard the polling in tho Mother Stnto as being in the nature of a correction of the Federal verdict.. Of course this view is illogical and unsound, although on broad grounds the doings of the Federal Parliament may bo expected to have a certain influence on public opinion in tbo States. Hie results of tho State elections three years ago were disappointing from the Labour point of view, becauso tbo Federal polling in tbo preceding April had given the workers’ party a very substantial victory. This year the Federal elections left parties very evenly divided, and the great newspapers, which are notoriously anti-Labour in their sympathies, were disposed to argue that the Labour cause in New

South Wales would again suffer a setback. JBut if tho effect of giving Labour a majority in the Federal Parliament was to alarm the State electors three years ago. tho effect of this year’s indecisive Federal verdict has been to harden up the progressive forces in the State. We do not believe that arguments of this sort are really warranted, but they have a certain interest ar.d perhaps a modest value. An inference that we are certainly entitled to draw from the New South Wales returns is that the people of tho State are in a progressive mood,. Labour has promised extensive social and political reforms and the electors are ready to give the party an opportunity to carry out its promises. Reading the reports of speeches delivered during the campaign, t-00, we are tempted to infer that the electors are desirous of seeing Parliament get on with the business of the State, and that they have no particular fondness for what may be called the frills of government.