Expected To Have Vital Effect On Australian Polling

Northern Advocate, 1 December 1949, Page 6

Expected To Have Vital Effect On Australian Polling

SYDNEY, Thu. (noon). —The New Zealand election result is expected by the Opposition to have a vital effect on Australian polling on December 10.

When the news reached Liberal Party meetings late last night crowds clapped and cheered. At Randwiek the Liberal member of the New” South Wales Legislative Assembly (Mr K. Ellis) said: “This news seals the doom of the Chifley Government in Australia.

'The New Zealand Labour Government has gone the way of all Socialist imposters.”

Mr E. Darby, member of the Legislative Assembly, said the result surprised him as he thought Labour was more solid in New Zealand than in Australia.

of the Labour Party in the New Zeaalnd elections is a blow to Socialism throughout the British Empire. “Empire countries populated by predominantly British stock have shown a tendency to think along similar political lines.

“This is the writing on the wali for Chifley,” he added. Commenting on the result in Melbourne, Mr R. G. Menzies, Liberal leader, described it as a “happy omen” and said the Socialists were brought into power in New Zealand, Australia and Great Britain in that order.

“New Zealand elected the first Labour Government in 1935.

“Two years later the Australian elections revealed a drift towards Labour and a Labour government took office in 1941. SWING BACK HAS BEGUN

“This dramatic result seems an omen that they will go out in the same order,” he said. A large audience in Tamworth cheered when the Country Party leader (Mr Fadden) told them that the Nationals had won the New Zealand elections. “It is the death knell of the Socialist Government in Australia,” said Mr Fadden.

“In 1945 there was a landslide to Labour at the British elections.

“Now the swing back to Conservatism has begun in New Zealand. “New Zealanders, who for the past 1* years have seen Labour steadily socialising their country and creating a state of mediocrity, have decided that they will have no more of it." The Sydney Morning Herald says: “The significance for Australia of the result is all the greatei because of the remarkably close parallel between the campaigns in the two countries. “Like Mr Crifley, Mr F r aser stood on his record and relied on raising fears of unemployment anc depression to secure return o power.

“It is a collapse of the first leg of the Socialist tripod—New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia.” Mr Chifley was addressing a meetof 2000 people at Adelaide when the news came through, but no reference was made to the New Zealand elec-, tions at the meeting. LABOUR VIEW The only Labour view available is that of Mr McGirr, Premier of New South Wales, who said: “No doubt vested interests with the power that money can exercise induced a section of the community to transfer their allegiance from the Government that has served them well.” In a front page editorial, the Sydney Daily Telegraph says: “The defeat

“Mr Holland countered with a constructive programme based on free enterprise.

“fit least it can be said for Mr Fraser that he had less temerity in relying on his record than has Mr Chifley, for Labour in New Zealand had not been guilty of so flagrant an act as the Commonwealth Government's attempts to nationalise banking without reference to the people.”