LIVELY POLITICS

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160739, 27 August 1920, Page 12

LIVELY POLITICS

N.S.W. LABOUR- GOVERNMENT., SYDNEY., June 11. The political sensation of the week—there is a political sensation in this country every week is the appointment of Mr Beeby to the Arbitraton Court Bench. There- is -nothing remarkable in the appointment itself—Mr Beeby is eminently well qualified for the position —but it is the political consequences of the appointment that have driven the Nationalists to fury, and set the Labourites chuckling. When the recent New South Wales election were all over it was found that exactly half the seats were held by Labour. The remainder were held by the Nationalists and Progressives,, two distinct parties, the Progressives being a breakaway from the Nationalists. Everyone said the Labour Party could not carry on; they had to elect a Speaker, and then they would be in a minority of one. The Labour men countered cleverly by persuading the old Nationalist Speaker, Mr Levy, to carry on. The Nationalists foamed at the mouth, but Mr Levy said, frankly enough, that he did not see why he should assist in making the Speakership the playthings of parties. Then the Progressives said they would not vote against Labour so long as Labour’s policy was moderate and reasonable. So the three-day’s session came to an end, with the honours of war with Labour. The Nationalists have spent the interval in sharpening their weapons, and they prophesied a short and merry life for the Labour Government when the main session opened this week. But just before Parliament opened it was announced that Mr Beeby, deputyleader of the Progressives, had been appointed a judge. Result: the Government has now a majority of two over any possible anti-Labour combination. The Nationalists have lost Mr Levy (Speaker), and the Progressives Mr Beeby (Judge). The vacancy cannot be filled until the Government provides machinery for a by-election. There does not seem to be anything of the kind under the proportional representation (three and five member electorates) system. Anyhow, the Government is committed to the destruction of this system —so a new electoral law, providing the old first-past-the-post system, will probably be rushed through in time for this by-election. Labour will make a great effort to win this by-election. It would then have a majority of three. Meanwhile the Nationalists are lashing themselves into a fury over the sins of the Labour Government, and the Progressives are looking tolerantly on. They have not shown their hand yet. There is an extraordinary amount of sympathy with this Labour Government which is frankly moderate and loyal in tone; while the shrieking, querulous note of the Nationalist organisation appears to be alienating Nationalist supporters. It is noteworthy, for instance, that the Daily Telegraph, a Conservative morning paper, has adopted practically a non-committal friendship for Mr Storey and annoyance with the Nationalist tactics in its news columns.