A Ealcrar Victory

NZ Truth, Issue 913, 26 May 1923, Page 1

A Ealcrar Victory

In. the last Queensland. Parliament the ; Labor Patty had a majority of one., It was, a.,, precarious margin.. Premier Theodore, an able' man, credited with grfeat , political ambitions, realised iU Although he; was able ro retain office : he; sprang- avsurprise on his opponents,' and on the country by deciding! upon another election m May earlier than anticipated. The result justified. his .decision.. His rivals ( —the so-called United Party and . the ' .Country Party — lacked-unity. Attempts •'to linlr them together failed, although both were m agreement m their antiLabor attitude. Labor, however, has soundly trounced them both. and will have 44 members m the new: Parliaranant. The United Party has' l6; the O6untry Party 12. Labor thus possesses a majority of 16. Most of the Reform journals m New Zealand have confined then* comments on the election to the Increase m the majority of Labor from one to sixteen. They overlook thefact that m 1918 Labor secured the return of 45 members out of ■ 72i There'is no doubt that the electors Vof Queensland m this month's cam- ' . palgn were greatly impressed by the , 'platform put forward by Labor. It. consisted of 27 points, neither extreme, •nor revolutionary. The. programme! -was such '.that it drew from an anti--Labor Australian press critic the com•ment that "there is^t much of the tiger" about Mr. Theodore. Among other; things, the Labor Paflrty promised - not only no increase m taxation but a' deduction where tho ta^ was found to be burdensome. Assistance to - primary and secondary industries wa# assured; also the observance of the principle of the maintenance of a high, standard of living. It is of Interest to notice, too, that the party supports the retention 6t- and an ex- ; tension of the usafojnesg of tho Indus- i trial Arbitration 'Act. '"Iff. was an' attractive programme that vfas presented/ by the only Party possessing any real' Eolidarity. ' ■ ■ ,