The Star. MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 1894.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4861, 29 January 1894, Page 2

The Star. MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 1894.

The New South Wales Labour Party, (From the Lyttelion Times.) The Labour Party in New South Wales has lately held a conference of its leaders ; and, in view of the near approach of the general election in that colony, the utterances of this gathering must be listened to with some interest. The more enthusiastic members of the Labour Party in the mother colony are sanguine of being able to well nigh double their present very considerable strength at the forthcoming elections. Of course, if they manage to do this no coalition of their opponents, however strong, will be able very long to keep them out of office and power. We observe " that their conference has pronounced against party government as at present carried on and against the second chamber as known in Australia.'' We arenot surprised at either of these expressions of discontent. The second chamber in the continental colonies is an elective body, and chosen under a very Conservative franchise. The result is that it is invariably found to be more intensely prejudiced against reform and change than even the Legislative Council in New Zealand. Then no Australian elective second Chamber can be diluted with democratic nominees as in New Zealand. We can well understand, therefore*, that the New South Wales Labour Party, despairing of the reform of the Upper Chamber, has decided to agitate for its abolition. Equally well can we understand its dissatisfaction with party government as practised in New South' Wales. For many years there has been very little division of principle between the opponents in the rival Sydney political camps except on the subject of Freetrade and Protection. Their fights have been little more than battles of the kites aod crows, or quarrels of plunderers over the division of the spoil. It was thought that the election of a strong phalanx of Labcui* members, pledged to important and popular changes, would have led to a better Btate of things; but, owing to various reasons, it has not. The chief of these reasons has been the deplorable mistake of the Labour members themselves in adopting the tactics which were, we believe, suggested to them three years ago by Sir George Grey. These were to choose no leader for themselves, and nob to attach themselves to any political party, but to stand aloof and endeavour to hold the balance of power. The first result or this suicidal policy was the fall of the Parkes Government and the eomiog into power of Sir George Bibbs, who was emphatically the statesman least likely to head a genuine forward democratic movement. The next result was a, split in the Labour Party over the question of Protection, and the final outcome of two years and a half of work and fighting in the New South Wales Parliament has been that hardly a single useful or effectual Labour measure has been passed. We are not surprised that the New South Wales Labour members are utterly dissatisfied with the system under which their efforts have led to no better result. At the same time, they have themselves to blame. Had they chosen to coalesce with some other section they were powerful enough to have directed it gradually into their own channels. They can now hope for nothing until the result, of the next electoral battle is known. If their expectations of greatly increased strength should be fulfilled we shall probably hear less of their dissatisfaction with party government. They themselves will then be the dominate party in the State, and they will feel the necessity for party discipline. At the same time, if they could suggest any improvement of party government as usually carried t out, they will certainly earn the gratitude, not only of their own friends, but also of Liberals in other countries. We have never professed to consider government by party a perfect institution. All we have contended is that when a party honestly applies itself to carry out the behests of the people, it can, if its members will sink individual selfishness, do much good and lasting work. History proves this beyond dispute.