NEW SOUTH WALES CRISIS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19490, 20 November 1926, Page 13

NEW SOUTH WALES CRISIS.

HOW IT WAS HASTENED. NEW ELECTORAL SYSTEM. LANG'S ARBITRARY POWERS. By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright. (Received 10.5 p.m.) A. and N.Z. SYDNEY, Nov. 19 It is understood that the political crisis in New South Wales was to some extent hastened by the unexpected issue of a proclamation which brought into operation tho bill which was recently passed providing for single Parliamentary seats instead of the former proportional repre sentation system. This step was taken after a meeting of tho Executive Council without consulting the Labour caucus The members of the latter had anticipated that they would be given an opportunity of expressing hi opinion on the subject. Many members on both sides of the House are opposed to the redistribution scheme. Furthermore the arbitarv assumption oy the Premier. Mr. J. T. Lang, of the powers conferred upon him at the recent conference of the Australian Labour Party was strongly resented by some members of his party, including Mr. P. F. Loughlin, who yesterday resigned his post as Minister of Lands. NEWSPAPER TAXATION. MR. LANG'S PROPOSAL. , ADVERSE ENGLISH COMMENT. A. and N.Z. LONDON. Nov. 18. The Evening Standard saiys it is impossible to believe that the half-penny tax on periodicals: which the Premier of New South Wales, Mr. J. T. Lang, proposes to impose, will be passed in any English- . speaking country. Then- never was a more convinced or determined agitation than that against the tax on knowledge which resulted in the abolition of the newspaper tax in 1855, says the paper Presumably Mr. Lang's proposal includes books. That should make the outcry all tho greater in a country with a new and struggling literary ; class.