POLITICAL STORM

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22518, 8 September 1936, Page 6

POLITICAL STORM

RETURN TO THE DOLE NEW SOUTH WALES PLAN TEMPORARY STEP RESENTED LFROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT] SYDNEY, August 27 The Now South Wales Government faces a serious problem and a revolt in its own a result of it# decision to cancel relief work and-put men back on the dole until a new scheme of public works construction has begun. There have been rumblings in the United Australia Party since the Premier, Mr. Stevens, left 011 his oversea tour several months ago. A small group of members have for long resented measures apparently dictated to the Coalition Government by its Country Partv section, but M r< Stevens was always able to keep these incipient insurgents in check, or at least to circumvent them. During his absence the "cave" hag grown bolder and, more resentful of the lordship over them of the acting. Premier, Mr. Bruxner, leader of the Country Party. The general feeling among these members, practically all fcom the metropolis, is that Mr. Bruxner and his Country Party Ministers have been taking advantage of Mr. Stevens' absence to strengthen their own political position at the expense of the United Australia Party. •' Several Minor Revolts The resentment was expressed in several forceful, though minor, revolts while Parliament was sitting. Several times Mr. Bruxner found himself frustrated, or forced to do things he did not want to do, by "insurgents" crossing the floor of the House to vote with the Opposition. It was significant that Mr. Bruxner waited until the Parliamentary recess before the Cabinet announced its proposal to cancel relief work. Members of the United Australia Party caucus gave a virtual direction to the Government to hold up the policy of cancelling relief work. With five Cabinet Ministers sitting in the party room as silent witnesses, the meeting carried a motion unanimously directing the chairman, Mr. Spooner, to convey to the Cabinet the party's opinion that the Government should revert immediately to the relief work conditions that operated before August 1.

Mr. Spooner, who, in Mr. Stevens' absence, is acting-leader of the United Australia Party, opposed the motion and spoke many times in an effort to prevent its adoption. The five Ministers present did not vote. The other 18 members in the caucus room voted unanimously for the motion, after the meeting had overwhelmingly rejected a motion that no resolution should be put. Two Considerations Mr. Spooner told the meeting that -the Government's change of policy had been prompted by two considerations —lack of finance to carry both relief and full-time and the to leave the relief work system behind and to replace it with a full-time scheme. When Mr. Spooner said that within six months or so he expected the majority of men displaced would he absorbed, he was loudly challenged by several members of the party. He concluded by saying that the aggregate spending by the Government, statutory bodies and the councils would be approximately the same as'before. It was revealed at the meeting that there was no certainty when the promised public works " Would begin. Some public works would start in October, some in November, some in December, isome as late as March. One member told the party that his estimate was that there would be between 30,000 amd 40,000 extra unemployed ns , a result of the Government's proposal. Compromise Expected

It is expected that when the Cabinet reviews the situation at its next meeting :it will devise a compromise acceptable to the party, and thus round a dangerous political corner. In other words, the "dole plan" has beeu handed back for repairs. What the protesting United Australia Party members and a large section of their voters believe is that the Government has blundered into the present position without knowing what it is doing. They fear that unless the Cabinet retracts the Government* will face the electors with a record of callous indifference, which will wipe out the good work done in the past.