The Queensland State election campaign is now in full swing. Nominations closed last week and for the 72 electorates there are 150 candidates. The efforts to unite the factions of the Opposition have not been entirely successful, for the simple reason that some of the Country party are really more friendly towards the Labour government than towards any other section in' Parliament, except their own. The more conservative of the Country party have joined the Nationalists, and the combination calls itself the United party. There will be a straight-out fight between these and Labour in 55 constituencies. There will be a triangular duel in 12, and in the Premier's electorate there are no fewer than four candidates offering. The three leaders—Mr. Theo-dare, the Labour Premier: Mr. Taylor, leader of the United party; and Mr. Vowles, of the Country party-—have all made their opening speeches, and the State is in a general condition of turmoil. Provably the most important of the issues is the proposal of the United party to re-establish the Legislative Council, with provision foi members to be elected and not nominated. If this were done, the present parlous position of Queensland would be greatly modified. The financial position is only a temporary embarrassment, and possibly a very useful embarrassment too, but the fact that there is only one Chamber, and that the Government can hold the provinces of absent members (which often; means members who do not wish to be present) and that absolutely nothing—not even the Privy Council—- stands between a Labour goverament pledged to the socialization of production, distribution, industry and exchange, and such measures as the abolition of the State Governor, the repudiation of contracts and the confiscation of resources, make the restoration of what Washington called the saucer in which is cooled the legislative tea a matter of prime importance. Whether the Labour government will win balk for yet another term it has already been eight years in office—seems to be an open question.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.