Manawatu Evening Standard MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 1927. NEW SOUTH WALES POLITICS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVII, Issue 220, 15 August 1927, Page 6

Manawatu Evening Standard MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 1927. NEW SOUTH WALES POLITICS.

The New South Wales. Premier, whatever may be said against him in other directions, is probably the most astute politician that has ever held the cliiet citizenship of his State. He has lived in a continual state of political turmoil and unrest during- the last twelve months; his leadership challenged again and again, and has suffered more than one defeat in the New. South Wales Assembly. His legislation has been successfully challenged in the Supreme Court on an important taxation matter, and he has had practically the whole of his cabinet in revolt against him. His colleagues demanded the dismissal of his friend Mr A. C. Willis, President of the Legislative Council, from the Ministry, but, in November last he told the “red” conference that he was not there to tell them what he would like to do but to hear what they wished him to do. As the conference favoured the retention of Mr Willis, Mr Lang simply flouted the wishes of his cabinet colleagues and, later on, jettisoned them, forming a new cabinet which he was allowed to do by the Governor on his distinct promise that he would go to the country at the earliest possible moment. The position thus is that, for the last three or four months, the people of New South Wales have had a ministry in office which has never submitted itself to Parliament and has no intention of doing so, and the elections which should have taken place this month are not likely to eventuate before October \Mr Lang’s political existence has trembled in the balance again and again; but, to-day, he is seemingly more firmly entrenched in office than he has ever been, for the “reds” who are his chief supporters and backers have gained the ascendancy in the counsels of the Australian Labour Party and have defeated in the pre-selection ballots the moderate labourites, like Mr Mutch and Mr Lang’s other dismissed colleagues, so that the latter,'with their supporters, are ruled out of the coming electoral contest, so far as Labour is concerned. The whole trend of Mr Lang’s policy has been in the direction of placating the “red,” or Communistic section of Labour, rather than the moderate labourites. Messrs Willis, Garden, and Yoiget have been the New South Wales Premier’s chief backers in this matter and they were successful, at the 1926 Easter conference, of the A.L.P., in securing control of that body, Mr W. H. Seale being appointed president, while a special committee was set up to draft what are now known as the“red” rules. When the draft of those rules was published, strong objection was taken to them by the Labour parliamentarians, and the Australian Workers’

Union section, of the members, on the ground that they opened the doors to thq admission of Communists to the Labour movement. So strong was the opposition that a split in the Labour Party became inevitable, and Messrs Willis and Garden, whose sympathies with the Communists were well-known, called a special Trade Union Conference to consider the matter of the leadership, and the new rules, Mr Lang’s position as Premier being challenged by Mr P. Loughlin, M.L.A. , That conference, held in November, con--ferred undisputed powers of leadership on Mr Lang, as the result of which the position of the Government was challenged in the Assembly where it met with its first defeat, Messrs Loughlin, Gillies and Goodin, members of the Labour Party representing country constituencies, voting against the Government. Messrs Gillies and Goodin subsequently made submission to Mr Lang and, by offering an independent member of the Assembly a Government position worth £ISOO a year, which he accepted, Mr Lang was able to appoint a Labourite to succeed him in the representation of a North Sydney electorate and thus make his majority again secure. The Easter conference brought about a split in the executive of the Labour Party as the result of which two A.L.P. executives were functioning, one (the “red” executive) under the presidency of Mr Seale, and the other under the presidency of Mr E. Conroy. The latter appealed to the Federal Conference of the Australian Labour Party, sitting at Canberra last May, which recognised the Conroy executive and denied admission to the Seale executive, the Federal Conference also confirming the expulsion of Mr Seale as decided on by the other executive. Both executives continuing to function, a Unity Conference was set up under the direction of the federal executive, the result of which has been that the moderates were again-routed, the “red” rules being confirmed and the power of Messrs Lang, Willis and company solidified. The Conroy moderate executive was annihilated at the Unity Conference and the members of the Lang cabinet who dared to rebel against the decisions of Mr Lang' received for the time being at least their quietus. The split in the Labour Party might, under other circumstances, be regarded as playing into the hands of the New South Wales Opposition, but, unfortunately for the latter, there are splits in the Opposition camps which are more likely to bring about the defeat of their candidates than the overthrow of the Labour Government. Mr Bavin, the Nationalist leader, is by no means a strong man and his appeal to the electors lacks the force which seems likely to ensure success at the polls. No surprise need be felt, therefore, if, when the elections are held, Mr Lang is again returned with a majority at his back.