"RESTORING CONFIDENCE”

Taranaki Daily News, 22 December 1931, Page 5

"RESTORING CONFIDENCE”

OPINIONS UPON ELECTION ‘WEAKEST GOVERNMENT’ OUT HOUSE TO MEET FEBRUARY FUTURE OF MR. THEODORE By Telegraph—Press Assn. —CopyrightSydney, Deo. 21. It is expected that the new Parliament will meet before the end of February and, owing to the urgent business, it may meet as early as February 3. Mr. J. H. Scullin is likely to interview the Governor-General this week.

The Beasley (Lang Plan) candidates polled fairly heavily in Sydney metropolitan electorates where Mr. Lang’s influence is strong, but in other States they were not treated seriously.

Mr, “Jock” Garden, the chief exponent of the Lang Plan after Mr. Beasley, contested the Cook seat against the veteran Labourite Mr. E. C. Riley, who is a Scullin supporter, and an extremely close struggle ensued. The result is likely to remain doubtful for some days. Similar contests are going on in Barton, South Sydney, and at Werrawa, where there ie a battle royal between ofiicial Federal Labour and the Beasley Labour factions. The community is looting on with the greatest interest. The Minister of Defence, Mr. J. B. Ghifley, in Macquarrie, if beaten, will owe his defeat to the intrusion of a Lang candidate. There was an interesting outcome in the Parramatta electorate, where Mr. 18. H. Stewart, at the first time of asking, triumphed by a tremendous majority over three opponents, including the two brands of Labour. Mr. Stewart, who is an antiLabourite, is Mr. "Wizard” Smith’s backer in ■ his land speed record attempt in New Zealand. MR. THEODORE RECONCILED. Mr. E. G. Theodore is thoroughly reconciled to his crushing defeat in Dailey. He states that he is forsaking politics for something more congenial, but does not state the nature of his future activities.

Among the new members elected are the former Prime Minister, Mr. S. M. Bruce, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sir Littleton Groom, an exMinister of Home Affairs, Mr. C. Abbott, an ex-Premier of New South Wales, Mr. W. A. Holman, and a former State Minister of Agriculture, Mr. H. Thorby. When the Senate count ceased the grand aggregate of the United Australia Party was 460,772 and of the Federal and Beasley Labour groups 425,757. It is anticipated that the United Australia Party candidates will sweep the polls, except in Queensland. When the new Senators take their places in July next the United Australia Party should have 26 in a House of 36.

Mr. Thomas Buckland, chairman of directors of the Bank of New South Wales, said: "Under this new Government confidence will be restored and the rehabilitation of the country will be seriously undertaken. This should mean a return eventually to better times. I expect that the stock and share market will show an upward tendency immediately.” The Herald editorially says that the elections have established beyond all question Australia’s refusal to have anything to do with inflation of the currency. The Scullin Government revealed itself as the weakest in the face of its responsibilities that Australia has ever seen. Inequalities in the electoral distribution magnify the Langite success.

The Brisbane Courier comments: "The victory of the Australian National and Country Parties is an indication of the complete swing from Scullinism, Langism and Communism, the most dangerous elements in Australia’s make-up. The real recovery of the Commonwealth will begin with the inauguration of the new Government. In every State where Labour was regarded as invincible it has been condemned. Except in Queensland the victory of a broadminded sane nationalism has been unqualified.” "WILL RESTORE CONFIDENCE" ENGLAND WELCOMES THE RESULT. Rec. 7.30 p.m. London, Dec. 21. "The Australian elections were fought on much the same issues as the British and yielded a remarkably similar result,” cays the News-Chronicle. "The electors were so terrified by the spectre of financial chaos that they returned virtually a national Government whose advent will restore public confidence.” The Times in an editorial says the election was a great triumph for Messrs. Lyons and Latham, a disastrous defeat for Mr. Scullin and the repudiation of his evil genius, Mr. Theodore. “There can be no doubt about the cause,” adds the paper. "In anxious times Australia felt It needed a Government it could trust. Mr. Scullin’s reinstatement of Mr. Theodore, in the Federal Treasureship completely alienated public confidence, and the country is thoroughly alarmed at Mr. Lang’s excesses.” All the morning papers feature the Australian election results and comment on the rout of the Socialists and the victory of sound finance. The Daily Telegraph comments: "The Commonwealth will be represented at Ottawa by delegates determined to do their utmost to make the conference a success. The new Government will enjoy a freer hand to make reciprocal arrangements than any Labour Government could pretend to possess.” MR. E. G. THEODORE’S CAREER. PROGRESS TO TREASURESHIP. Mr. Theodore is a South Australian, having been born at Port .Adelaide. He has Rumanian blood in his veins, and it has been said that he has the physiognomy of the old Roman conquerors from whom the Rumanians claim descent. He was educated at the Le Fevre’s Peninsula Public School, but found himself faced with the necessity of earning a living. We see him as a sturdy young miner prospecting for gold at Tarcoola, m the ‘barren region throng which the trans-Australian railway now runs from Port Augusta;, we see him foliowins the golden lure m West Australia and Broken Hilt Then he went mining in Queensland. 1 It was sugar, however, and not gold, that formed his etepping stones to higher things. He left the mines to assist in the industrial organisation of the

workers on the fields. The organiser of to-day is the member of Parliament of to-morrow, and Mr., Theodore went through the usual gate to political power. He may be regarded as a pillar of the Australian Workers Unionf It did much for him, but he has for his part done well for it, strengthening and developing its organisation. For several years he was president of the Queensland branch. It was in 1909 that he. was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Wootha Kata, and three years later he stood successfully for the Chillagoe seat, which he held till he resigned it to meet defeat at Herbert. His caie.er in the Queensland Legislature was brilliant. He was soon marked out for office, and was an able lieutenant of the late Mr. T. J. Ryan, the Queensland Premier, who came into the Federal arena through the opened door of the West Sydney electorate. As Premier of Queensland, Mr. Theodore made a deeper impression than Mi. T. J. Ryan. He raised more enemies than his old leader. On the one side the graziers bitterly resented his lestriction of their leasehold rights; on the other his firm resistance against the encroachments of the Red element in the Labour Party angered the extremists. Official Labour maintains that the ex-Premier was defeated in Heibcrt, not by the Nationalists but by the Oommunifltfl. He an anti-conscription-•ist. At the time when he decided, to resign the Premiership he was riding the storm, and his period of comparative peace since the Herbert adventure must have been a very happy experience. . , , '. , Mr. Theodore’s Queensland official career was fairly rapid. It was in 1913 that he was appointed deputy-leader, of the Labour Party. The general election of 1915 gave Labour a strong hold on the Government, and Mr. Theodore was given the Treasureship as well as the portfolio of Public Works. He administered these offices with a broad mind and a firm hand till 1919, when he succeeded Mr. T. J. Ryan as Premier A year later he visited England and America on matters of finance, and caused something of a sensation by securing a loan from the United States on very favourable terms after London had tightened its purse-strings on account of his treatment of the Queensland leaseholders, which was charged against him as repudiation. In the Federal sphere Mr. Theodore was appointed Treasurer in Mr. Scullin’s Government. He came into prominence in connection with the Mungana leases scandal in conjunction with several others, and with them was the subject of a strongly-worded finding by a Royal Commission. Mr. Theodore resigned from the Treasureship, but upon Mr. Scullin’s return from the Imperial Conference he was re-appointed. The Queensland Government subsequently claimed £30,000 from Mr. Theodore and bis associates in connection with the Mungana affair, and the Court’s finding was in favour of Mr. Theodore.