AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3755, 2 March 1926, Page 35

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

TICE UPPER CHAMBER. BLOW TO LABOUR UNITY. SYDNEY, February 24. When the Legislative Council met after ■the tea adjournment last night, Mr Willie formally moved the motion for abolition. Tlie division was taken immediately, and the Government was defeated by 47 votes to 41, there being a number of Labour defections. When the result of the division was announced a Labour member shouted: “They ought to be shot,” meaning the Labour absentees. Mr Willis immediately moved—“ That the Chamber adjourn,” and the Labour members moved angrily out of the Chamber. Many heated arguments occurred in the lobbies between those Labour members who were in favour of abolition and those against it. It is not improbable that most of the absentee Labourites will explain their absence or take shelter in the excuse that they did not expect the vote to be taken last night, as Mr Willis had stated that the vote on the measure would not be taken before Wednesday. Mr Willis, however, was outwitted to-night, as it was anticipated that the Nationalists would allow the formal stages to pass without a division, and he had told his supporters that they need not expect the final vote until Wednesday. It is hardly possible that another attempt to bring a similar Bill before the House will be made this session. Although defeatod in the attempt to abolish the Upper House, the Government will make an effort to pass some of its legislation remaining on the business paper before the House is prorogued, and towards the end of the year an effort . will be made to float an Abolition Bill through on a flooded House after application for a number of new appointments to the Legislative Council has been made to the Governor. Mr Lang is now facing a crisis which may lead to a dissolution. He refused to make any statement regarding the position. Only 10 members of the Council did not take part in tho division list last night. Of these, two are absent from Australia, and two are ill. One suffered a family bereavement. Of the 25 members recently appointed, four did not vote. One other Labour member, appointed by the Storey Government, was not present. Mr Bryant, a former Government Whip and Mr Percival crossed the floor from the Labour benches and voted against abolition. Mr Bryant says he was guided only by a simple sense of public duty. He says that the treatment that he received during the past month, after 40 years’ adherence to tho Labour movement, is only what would be meted out to a galley slave. He does not intend to tolernto it any longer, and will resign from the Australian Labour PaTtv. Mr Bryant was paired with Mr Boyce last session during the latter’s visit to New Zealand, and he says that undue influence was brought to hear on him to make him break his word, which he had always kept in business and elsewhere. It was this that caused him to take up the attitude he did on the division. Mr W. J. Percival, who was the missing legislator, yesterday resigned from the Labour Party. He issued a statement in which he says that for 20 years he supported the Labour Party consistently and obeyed the party Whip’s crack, but under the bullying tactics of Mr Lang the load became too heavy to bear. He blames Mr Lang personally for the whole of the odium which has been cast upon the Labour movement during the past few months. He says: “His Mussolini tactics are not Australian, and not Labour. The Labour members of the Council were never consulted about the legislation to be brought down. They were telephoned to, telegraphed to, and told to be in the House at a certain time, and to vote as they were told.” Tlie requests became so discourteous, states Mr Percival, that not only lie himself, but other Labour members started a protest and demanded fair treatment. The crisis arrived when the Councillors were instructed to dishonour their word and to break their pairs. Thus Mr Lang tore political honour to shreds. “Those who did not jump to were attacked for several days,” lie states. “The whole, police and detective force was put on my tracks to shadow me, as though I were a criminal.” MR LANG’S DETERMINATION. SYDNEY 7 , February 25. Mr Lang stated, in reply to a deputation which presented the resolution protesting against the action of the Government, in endeavouring to abolish the Upper House carried at the recent citizens’ meeting in the Town Hall, that he intended to ask the Governor for the appointment of sufficient members to the Legislative Council to ensure the abolition of that Chamber, and failing success in that quarter to demand the appointments from the Imperial authorities as the right of a self-govern-ing State. He added that if it was going to he a question of tlie Government of New South Wales bv the elected representatives of the people or by Downing street he did not think there would be any doubt as to tho issue, year. SHARP ATTACK ON MR LANG. SYDNEY, February 25. In the Assembly, when Mr E. A. M‘Hernan (Attorney-General) moved the adjournment of the House until Wednesday next, Mr T. 11. Bavin (Leader of the Opposition) seized the opportunity and moved his motion of censure which has been on the business paper for some time. Tie vigorously attacked the Government on tho Upper House issue, and said that after tho defeat of Mr Lang’a Bill in the Upper

House the Premier was placed in such a humiliating and degrading position as a Premier of the State had never before been in, and he cut the sorriest figure a Premier of the State had ever cut. The speech waa marked by uproar, in which Mr Bavin was heard to state that the Premier did not even pay the country the courtesy of telling it what he proposed to do. fie showed a lack of courtesy to everyone in the country, and there was only one course to take, and that waa to appeal to the people. Mr Bavin’s motion was defeated and the adjournment wag carried.