Manawatu Evening Standard. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1919. THE AUSTRALIAN OUTLOOK.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1705, 20 December 1919, Page 4

Manawatu Evening Standard. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1919. THE AUSTRALIAN OUTLOOK.

Australia is bravely weathering the political crisis caused by the appearance of Mr J. T. Ryan, ex-Premier ol Queensland, in the Federal arena. There was an obvious danger that, with so much vote-splitting at the General Election, the moderates, comprising the Nationalists, Farmers, and constitutional Labourites, would have had to give place to the extremists, in the administration of the public affairs ol the Commonwealth. Such a change in the Government of the country would have inevitably had a disrupting influence, so far as the Empire is concerned, for the revolutionary Socialists, dominating the policy of the Official Labour Party in Australia, are out for •‘cutting the painter” with the Mothei*Jand, and forming Australia into an independent Republic. The bulk of the electors, however, are averse to such a drastic change in the relationships between Australia, the Mother Country artd the sister Dominions, and it is well that it is so, for the safety of the British race in the future lies in Imperial unity. Australia herself cannot afford to remain outside the Imperial circle, for she needs the protection of ‘‘Britain’s Sure Shield” —the navy just as much as New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, or the minor territories over which the British Government holds sway. To New Zealanders, the possible secession of Australia from the Empire would be a matter oi very grave concern, as, in the event of an enemy raiding the Pacific, we should bo left without that measure of protection and sympathetic co-operation, which might reasonably bo expected at such a time from our Australian kinsmen, assuming that they remained neutral m 'a conflict in which Britain and the dominions were again, pngagod- It is, therefore, to us, as it is to Mr Hughes, S,’r Joseph Cook, Mr Matt, and the loyalists of Australia, matter for sincere' congratulation that the position of parties in the new Federal Parliament is assuming such proportions that Australia*, in common with Now Zealand, is assured of sane and prudential governnient during the next three years.' on luies making for the safety of the country and the gonftl'ai welfare of the peopldC So far as wo have been able to gather from the results, apart from the defeat of the Hon. P. McMahon Glynn, Minister for Home Affairs, the tendency in the elections has-been towards the elimination from political life of the Labourites who remained loyal to Air Hughes, and joined the Nationalist Party ,when the conscription issue was first raised. opposition to these men did not proceed from the Libera! section of the Nationalist camp, although the rank and file of the Liberal Party had been called upon to make sacrifices at the call for unity, m order to assure safe seats for them. It proceeded from the Labour extremists, who '■‘i

pursued them with bitter hostility and a deadly venom that aimed at political extinction, in order that men of the Ryan stamp, might hold undisputed swo y in. Labour cii'das.

MR HuGHUS’ POSITION,

The Liberals in the National camp appear to have fared better than their colleagues of the Labour section, and, but for tho splitting of the votes with other candidates against the solid, block vote of the Official Labour Party, they would presumably have done,even better, iho returns thus far dealt with, show that 34 Nationalists and 8.:.-Farmers have been definitely elected,- wjith. 24 Official Labourites, ■■ 9 ; seats •remaining in tho balance." The -new system of voting on the preferential basis, - together with the large nutnWr of nlifcefitee votes, is responsible for the delay in' announcing the complete totals, but it may be taken for granted that, of the 9 doubtful seats, at least half will go to either tho Nationalists’ or- the . Farmers’ candidates, and that the Nationalists, with the help of the latter (and possibly without it), will have a good working majority in the new ‘House, while in tho Senate Labour, will have but a very poor representation. The Senators are elected for six years, half .of .their number retiring at eacli triennial General Flection. Of the eighteen Senators who went up for .re-election on this occasion, only seven were members of-the Official Labour Party. Tho other eleven were Nationalists. The eighteen who retained their seats wore also supporters of that Party. The indications point to much the same position, obtaining in the new Senate, ,as probably threefourths 1 of its members will, prove to bo supporters of the Government- Echoing the Sydney Morning Herald’s comment upon the Now Zealand elections, and applying it to Australia, we may well say that, in Australia;-,“tho voter has shown ho is not prepared to commit his destinies to the, extremists.” , A more bitter contest has never been fought out than that between Mr Hughes and Mr Ryan, nor have the electors ever been wooed with more extravagant promises or more profuse professions on the part of any party than were made by the Labourites. The-average voter, by exorcising sound common sense, and, possibly, having in mind also the object lesson‘afforded by Queensland, has helped to steer the country iree from the entanglements of frenzied finance, and the exhaustion that is following the lavish expenditure of public moneys in the State from which JVtr Ryan ran away. The result is infinitely to Australia’s credit.-, Its popple have acted wisely in confirming Mr Hughes in ms position as the chief citizen in tho Federation. Whatever his failings may be, bo has*at least shown himself to be a worthy son- of Empire,, a staunch upholder of Australian interests, and a "rent lender of men,' the brilliant audacity witli'which he advances to the attack upon his adversaries inspiiing confidence in the hearts of the most timid of his supporters, while his breezy outlook upon affairs generally conies as an exhilarating tonic to those who were almost despairing of the political future of the-nation.