Manawatu Evening Standard. TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 1935. VICTORIAN ELECTIONS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 82, 5 March 1935, Page 6

Manawatu Evening Standard. TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 1935. VICTORIAN ELECTIONS.

Foe. the service it lias rendered the electorate the State Government has been accorded the gratitude of the people of Victoria. In the election on Saturday Sir Stanley Argyle’s composite Ministry received a striking' endorsement of its plans for continuing the rehabilitation of rural industries, and generally for the sound government of the State. It was generally expected that the Socialists could not succeed to office. In the last Parliament they held only 16 seats against the Government’s 46 in a House of 65, and their leadership in the contest was neither inspired nor decisive enough to win votes. Furthermore, the Lang Labour Party has been anxious to secure converts to its banner, and this could only be done at the expense of the State Labour Party. But though Mr Lang is not favoured by electors in Victoria, some undermining of the recognised Socialistic organisation took place and did not help its cause. It was able to win back only one of the twelve seats lost to the United Australia Party at the previous election. The result shows that though a Government may have to pass laws in an economic emergency which do not escape criticism, sometimes of a harsh nature, there exists an established body of opinion recognising that the disease when requiring serious remedy must be treated accordingly, and it is prepared to give a Ministry in power the opportunity to continue its work. There has in fact been a change for the better in Victoria in the past three years since the Coalition Government displaced the minority Hogan Ministry, and the country has plainly shown that it is in no mood for the strictly class legislation the Socialists promise. The United Australia Party had also to face, in some constituencies, the opposition of Country Party candidates, and it has lost at least two seats to its ally. The outside organisation of the Country Party is bitterly opposed to friendly cooperation between the two, and in this election it pursued the well-known tactics of past years in nominating candidates to oppose sitting United Australia Party candidates. The Country Ministers in the Cabinet have been far from happy by reason of this conflict within their own organisation, and it is still incompletely healed. The rehabilitation of rural industries was one of the major issues in the election, and the State Government is working in co-operation with the Federal Ministry towards this end. Over a series of years the Commonwealth is to make £12,000,000 available to the States free of interest for the relief of farmers’ debts. Each State is already administering its legislation in this regard and their resources will be supplemented by Federal funds, of which £1,500,000 is to be allocated before June 30. Sir Stanley Argyle proposes a special board to review farmers’ debts under the joint scheme, and during his main election address he w:Ts supported on the platform by the Prime .Minister (Mr Lyons). As a Sydney journal comments, the linking rip of Federal and State policy in this important field of action goes far to render ineffectual the advocacy by the Langists of legalised repudiation of private debts and socialisation of marketing as means by which the farmer shall hoist himself out of his distress by his bootstrings. In his election campaign the Labour Leader, Mr Tunnecliffe, followed the Socialistic instinct to offer

everything to win success. But the electorate frankly knew that to place Mr Tunnecliffe and his party on the Treasury Benches meant, if his programme were to be carried out, a tremendous borrowing policy and consequent increase m taxation, and then in unemployment, throwing the State back ito the plight from which it is so successfully emerging. In choosing the sound policy of the National Government Victoria has shown- the way to New South "Wales and also to New Zealand.