Bruce's Swan Song

Five weeks ago Stanley Melbourne Bruce, youngest Prime Minister of a British dominion, was forced by canny, wrinkle-eyed ex-Premier William Morris ("Billy") Hughes to issue a call for a general election on the issue of abolishing Federal arbitration of trades union disputes (TIME, Sept. 23). The duty of the state to apply compulsory arbitration is one of the cornerstones of Australia's labor policy. Opposition members rose in Parliament, gleefully shouted "This is your swan song, Bruce."

As the returns came in on election night last week, opposition members gravely I-told-you-soed, for Premier Bruce not only went down to defeat, but carried the entire Nationalist party with him. Late returns gave the Nationalists only 15 seats in the new Parliament to 46 for Labor. Chosen to succeed Stanley Bruce as Prime Minister of Australia was a sober middle-aged journalist and laborite, James Henry Scullin. As news of a Labor victory was broad cast, newsgatherers collected at the home of Australia's previous Labor Premier, Edward Theodore, likely candidate for the post of National Treasurer in the new Cabinet.

"The result of the election," said he, smiling, "is positive proof that the people will not tolerate a government which threatened to tamper with wage standards or the arbitration system."

"Billy" Hughes, safely elected to Parliament, was less polite to the swan sung Bruce. Said he:

"The death knell of the Nationalist machine has been sounded."