The Taranaki Herald. DAILY EVENING WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1919. THE FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16613, 10 December 1919, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. DAILY EVENING WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1919. THE FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

A Federal election will take place on Saturday, in which' the outstanding issue appears to he whether Mr. W. M. Hughes shall continue in power or whether Mr. T. J. Ryan, the cx-Premier of Queensland, shall take his place. The late Parliament was composed thus: Senate, 25 Nationalists and 11 Labourites ; House of Representatives, 49 Nationalists, 3 1 armers, and 23 Labourites. So far as the Senate, is concerned there is no reason to fear a Labour victory. Only half of the seats are vacant and it happens that the whole of the Labourites had to retire, so that however the election goes the Nationalists will have at least half the representation. Labour must therefore win every seat on Saturday in order to be able to hold its own in the Senate. In the House, of Representatives, which has 75 members, Labour must bold 38 seats to have, an absolute majority. That is to say it must hold all the seats it had in the last House and win 15 others on Saturday. Mr. Ryan professes confidence that it will do so. He predicts the defeat of Mr. Hughes and at least live other Ministers at the polls. Perhaps he is a little optimistic, though it is complained that there is extraordinary apathy among the people and this may allow Labour with its organisation to win a number of seats. Still it is unthinkable that Australians will place the destinies of their country in the hands of those men who two years ago wanted to draw out of the war and negotiate with Germany for peace. Mr. Ryan is generally credited with responsibility for the Labour Party’s election manifesto. Four and a half years ago Air. Ryan became Premier of Queensland and in the intervening period be

has brought that State to the verge of bankruptcy, and now has left it to someone else to undo all the harm he has done. And this is the man who aspires to the position of Federal Prime Minister through the agency of the Labour Party, of whose machinery he has gained control. A pable received yesterday gave a definition by Mr. Watt, the Federal Treasurer, of the issues which tlie electors have to decide on Saturday. They are worth repeating on account of thei bearing they have on the Dominion general election next week. Here they are:—(l) Whether we should smash up the States and have \uiification; (2) whether we should authorise the experiment of universal socialism; (3) whether the country is to be ruled by law or direct action; (4) whether we are to have a career of financial debauchery and insolvency; (5) whether we should overthrow compulsory military training, declare Australia defenceless, and open ourselves to any predatory nation; (6) whether our Parliamentary institutions are to stand or whether they arc to be superseded by those c unseen forces which are driving the official Labour party to its doom; (T) whether Bolshevism should stalk this continent; (8) whether we should weaken or destroy our Empire partnership. The Labour Party of course denies that these things would come about if it held the reins of government, but both facts and arguments are against them. Now all this has a hearing on the Dominion general elections because we have in New Zealand a party whose aims are almost identical with those of the Ryan party in' Australia. Messrs. Holland, Semple, and Fraser, the leaders of the New Zealand Labour extremists, aim at securing the balance of power in the next Parliament. They will join Sir Joseph Ward in an effort to defeat Mr. Massey and then if Sir Joseph Ward will not bring forward the legislation they desire they will endeavour to defeat him also. The Liberal leader has declared that he will not hold office dependent upon the support of the extremists. Ho has not, however, declared that he will not attain office with their assistance. It is therefore to be assumed that he will accept that assistance in an effort to defeat Mr. Massey, and in that case we may bo sure that he will try to find some means of meeting their aspirations sufficiently to retain their support. The dividing line between Messrs. Holland, Semple, and Fraser and some other cxmembers and present candidates is not clearly marked. Messrs. M ‘Combs and Walker voted with the more extreme members of the party in the last Parliament and there are several men now seeking election who are professed followers of Messrs. Holland and Co. We cannot think that they will he elected, but such an unhappy contingency should ho provided against by other constituencies returning members who are pledged with Mr. Massey to “have no truck” whatever with Mr. Holland and his party. Four and a half years ago Mr. Evan secured the control of Queensland; now he is trying to secure the control of the Commonwealth. Messrs. Holland and Co. hold sov-

oral seats in the last Dominion Parliament and now they are trying to secure .sufficient to give them tlie, Balance of power, and they may succeed if the electors arc not careful in their selection on Wednesday next.