AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17650, 10 December 1920, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

SYDNEY'S LORD MAYOR.

SELECTED BY LABOUR CAUCUS.

Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. • -? (Reed. 1.30 a.m.) SYDNEY. Dec. 9. Unwonted interest was taken in \he election of the Lord Mayor to-day owing to the fact that for the first'time the , of the city- the selection was dominated by an outside body namely the Australian Labour Party. A* Labour holds the balance of power m the council, the Labour Party issued a mandate that the selection must be left in its hands. Six of the 13 Lab aldermen objected to the party s '.interference, but strong measures were taken to crush the revolt. After a heated meeting the aldermen, by seven to six, voted in favour of the over lordship of the party. An hour before the council met to choose the Lord Mayor the executive of the Australian Labour Party met and selected as its candidate Alderman Lambert. The malcontents fell into line, and -when the council took a vote Alderman Lambert was chosen Lord Mayor by 14 votes to 12. Alderman Meagher supported the Labour candidate; otherwise it was purely a. party vote. HIGHER PARLIAMENTARY SALARIES SYDNEY. Dec. 9. In the New South Wales Legislative Assembly the Eili to increase the salaries of Ministers and members was read a third time by 41 votes to 24. MELBOURNE. Dec. 3. In the Victorian Legislative Assembly a Bill to increase members* salaries from £500 to £450 will be introduced next Tuesday. COMPULSORY VOTING. SYDNEY, Dec. 9. The Chief Secretary, Mr. J. Dooley, moving the second reading of a Bill to abolish proportional representation and to substitute single-member electorates, said it was the intention of the .Government to make enrolment and voting compulsory.