Landslide Down Under

At a meeting in Victoria, campaigning Prime Minister Sir Robert Gordon Menzies was interrupted by a woman who asked what he proposed to do for young married people. "Madam," Menzies shot back, "I gather you are neither young nor married."

Though 68 and rumored in poor health, Menzies on the stump was brimming with energy, showing himself by turns genial, scornful and witty. Since 1961 his government had balanced on the razor edge of a slender majority of two in Australia's House of Representatives. By calling national elections a year earlier than legally required, he hoped that Australia's current prosperity would carry him to victory. Unemployment is down to a negligible 2%, exports are up, car registrations have increased 100,000 over the first half of this year.

But the opposition Labor Party under Arthur Calwell, 67, charged that 14 years in power have left the Liberals stale and tired, attacked Menzies for failure to spur economic growth. Hard-pressed by his party's left wing, Calwell, who is personally a strong antiCommunist, nevertheless sought to embarrass Menzies by demanding 1) joint control, rather than exclusive U.S. control, of the huge U.S. Navy Communications Center now abuilding on the barren west coast of Australia, 2) a nuclear-free zone in the Southern Hemisphere and 3) recognition of Red China. That, countered Menzies, "would give Peking a smashing victory." Calwell also asked for a treaty with Malaysia, enabling Australian troops to remain in the Malay peninsula. Such a treaty is impossible, Menzies replied, because Malaysia, already accused of "neocolonialism" by Indonesia's Sukarno, must appear neutral.

At week's end the nation's 5,800,000 compulsory voters (failure to vote brings a fine of $4.50) handed Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies a landslide victory. With only three seats still to be decided, Menzies' coalition captured 70 seats, as against 49 for the Labor Party.

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