HOTBED OF INTRIGUE.

Thames Star, Volume LIX, Issue 16736, 12 March 1926, Page 5

HOTBED OF INTRIGUE.

NEW SOUTH WALES POLITICS.

CONDITIONS GETTING WORSE,

WORTHY OF TAMMANY HALL,

A very interesting article on New South Wales politics is published by, a Southern paper, from the. pen. of Mr tj. R. J. Lavery, of Christchurch. He says no part of the British Empire provides a better example of what politics should not be than New South Wales. To New Zealanders,’ who, no matter what their party, are very jealous of their constitutional forms, the politics of the oldest State, in the Commonwealth appear more like a series of dog-fights than the earnest effort of men of common sense to benefit the community.

Instead of becoming better, conditions seem to get worse year by year. The statesmen who piloted New South Wales through its infancy have been succeeded for the most part by men who find a profitable business. Aren of all parties who have integrity and brains either forsake polities altogether or move into the Federal field, where the air is sweeter. The political intriguing carried out in Sydney to-day is worthy of Tammany Hall at its best. It begins in the lowest ranks and goes right to the top. Few men can trust each other for any length of time, because victory goes to the best intriguer. The rot is everywhere, and only a seer can predict the political moves accurately from week to week.

The attempt tp abolish the Legislative Council is an example of the mer*curial nature of politics there. Messrs Lang and Willis, who, by the way, are not the close political allies one might think, added Labour members to the Council that they should commit harakiri, arid Mr Willis added that all would , be well “if there was no treachery." FrorrChis point of view there, has been tr ench.and, to he- #.• gin' 1 all over again. Messrs Lam| and Willis probably realise as well as'anybody,. that the New South Wales poll- > = tician idealistic enough to .vote himself out of a job is indeed rare. In the course of a’year doing Town Hall rounds for a Sydney paper, T came, as did all the pressmen, to look always for “the joker,” no matter how trivial the matter before the City Council. Accusations of graft made across the Council table are not unusual, and it appears to be the prei’Ogative of most Sydney aldermen to imitate the chameleon. Measures of vital importance are adjourned from month to month, and the vote varies at every meeting. Sydney meanwhile cynically shrugs its shoulders.

The municipal employees of Sydney 1 are a powerful political body, and provide a much-sougAt-after vote. Ev,en the block boys, who sweep the streets, make themselves felt. It is announced that the Labour aldermen desire that municipal employment shall be upon aldermanic nomination. '

Everyone knows the conditions upon which employment bureaux find jobs.

Considering that aldermen are unpaid, the time and enthusiasm put into the affairs of the city is very praiseworthy indeed. Both the Civic Reforpi and Labour Parties have powerful organisations in each ward, and candidates must be pre-selected by these before thdy can stand at the civic elections. Labour, nominees must be active officers in the movement. I recall one alderman who got his nomination because he was secretary of the Hackney Coach Drivers’ Union, but the -most diligent search failed to disclose anything resembling a hackney coach - in the city. >

The Labour Party, and, to a lessee degree, the Nationalist Party, is split up into a number of warring camps, and the politician allies himself to the camp which seems to offer the best chance of advancement. These camps centre, not around differences in political thought, but around individuals strong enough to gather henchmen. That is one of the factors which Premier Lang has to contend with in abolishing the Legislative Council. He is not popular with a large section of the Labour movement, such as the Australian Workers’ Union, the most powerful in Australia, though popularity in any degree in the party in New South Wales is a very fickle thing. There are many Guy , Fawkeses under Parliament House awaiting the chance to light the train. " The Nationalist Opposition in New South Wales also suffers from inter-' nal faction strife. It has no outstanding men in its ranks in Parliament, and .is not likely to get them with politics in their present state. Men of ability will not become involved in the mess, and the destiny of the party is in the hands of professional politicians. The result of the present state of politics is detrimental, to the interests of the State, which just drifts % along and looks after itself. The State Public pebt now stands at about £200,000,000, and is increasing yearly. Loans raised for public works in the years gone by at 31 and 4 per cent, are met by further loans floated at 6 and 6£. per cent. Parliaments change so often that/ nobody has any time to set matters right. Once a party gets into power it has to expend all its energy in staying' there. We read every now and then of graft and scandals in political life. In New Zealand the mere suspicion of anything of the sort would close the career of a politician. Not so in the State which introduced ballot-boxes! with sliding panels as an innovation. There it is bad luck to be found out. and. means that the unfortunate has to keep quiet for a time.

. New South Wales accepts all this as a matter of course. A particularly bare-faced ict may bring forth the protest that “things are getting a bit hot,” but it is all forgotten in a discussion of the Cup prospects. The announcement of an extra race meeting would stop a revolution in Sydney. 1