The main sufferer of the wholesale defeat of the Labour forces is that determined and resourceful leader of the Labour forces, Mr. Theodore. Mr. Theodore resigned the Premiership of Queensland, which State he had governed for several years, to contest on behalf party what appeared to be of Herbert. Herbert, is an electorate in northern Queensland comprising thres State electorates held by Labour and one electorate held by the secretary of the Country Party, in the State parliament, Mr. E. B. Swayne. The seat had previously been held by Mr, Bamford, the Father of the Federal House, and one of the founders of the Labour movement in Queensland. Mr. Bamford won the seat for Labour at the first Federal elections in 1901 and only turned to the Nationalist cause in 1917, when with many other Labour men' he followed his tried leader Mr. W. M. Hughes. Nationalists winning the seat was recognized as 8 possibility only, and the defeat of Mr. Theodore unexpected the early returns showed him have a commanding lead. Th country votes which took over a week to come to hand pulled his majority down by over 1,000 in ona night. "From that moment he failed to. regain an ascendency in the hi count. Each new batch of figures put him further behind until the Mirani votes, the centre of Mr. Swayne's electorate, put the Na: tionalist, Dr. Nott, 200 in the lead. Dr. Nott has remained there and the most moderate and most practical of all the Labour leaders in Australia has been compelled to lower his colours to an unknown' man. This electorate was. the central war zone of the British seamen and Australian primary reducers' campaign, and the soures from which was drawn Wilson's army. There is no doubt that other seats could have been obtained for Mr, Theodore but the Labour party would not hear of defeat in. the Herbert electorate; and Mr. Theo-dare himself, during his campaign actually estimated his return by' some 5,000 votes. Offers to resign have Been made by followers. of Mr. Theodore in the State Parliament so that he could return to the smaller sphere he has so honourably upheld in the past. All offers he has refused, and even the prospects. of being appointed the new Governo: of Queensland has, so it is rumoured, met with little encouragement from him. That his return to the House of "Representatives would have created a new atmosphere, similar the Labour Opposition, occasioned fo the increased fighting ability of
by the entrance of the late Mr. J. Ryan, also a Premier of the northern State, was realized by all students of political warfare. Mr._ Theodore had been freely spoken of as the new leader of the Federal Labour party, and upon his shoulders the great majority of the Queens-Jand electoral campaign fell. Mr. difficulty in Queensland, where Chariton was too busy following in nomination to the Upper House! the footsteps of the Prime Minister, simply nominating Mr. Bruce, to concentrate for more. to ensure the abolition of that House, the Legisative Council, altogether. The Premier of New South Wales, Mr. Long, finds himself without a than a few days in the North. The defeat of this giant of the Labour yanks is the true indication of the lack of sympathy by Australian electors in Communist. propaganda.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.