POLITICS IN AUSTRALIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20241, 29 April 1929, Page 12

POLITICS IN AUSTRALIA.

THE NATIONALIST PARTY. COMPLAINTS BY SUPPORTERS. [from our own correspondent.] SYDNEY, April 18. The fact that the Nationalist Party has unquestionably lost ground since the last election at least in New South Wales, if not in the other States, invests with interest the annual convention of the party, or association, in Sydney.

The bugbear of Nationalism, judging from the views of those who wish it well and have the courage to say what they think, is the system of rigid party selection, or pre-election, of candidates. Of the bitter feeling which it has given rise to there was a striking illustration in a by-election in ono of the Federal metropolitan scats of Sydney not long ago, when a number of good Nationalists in ono of the parly's strongholds preferred to render their votes informal rather than submit to what they termed coercion. Tho feeling among many Nationalists is that the party is being cabined and confined, and losing force as a great political entity, because of tho need for tho reform of its machinery.

The point is emphasised that, with tho preferential system, there is no necessity for the present rigid party selection under which one candidate, and one alone, is selected as the party's standard-bearer by tho votes of practically a few dozc/n people. The Labour Party in New South Wales lias never viewed tho outlook moro brightly than at present, taking both tho State and Federal arenas, and not without good cause, if one can gauge the pulso of public feeling. The State Government has certainly done little to improve the Nationalists' stock in New South Wales.