From Down Under

As Australian as a wallaby is old (83) Labor Leader King O'Malley. Major Richard Gardiner Casey is not quite so homegrown. Last year Mr. O'Malley challenged Major Casey to a by-election fight on Major Casey's policies as Federal Treasurer of the Commonwealth. Said O'Malley, "I'm just jazzing about to save funeral expenses, but if Mr. Casey stood again for the Corio seat in the Federal Parliament, I'd have a go against him."

No go did Octogenarian O'Malley get, because Major Casey resigned from the Cabinet, left Corio for what most Aussies agreed was the biggest post, next to Prime Minister, in the Government: Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the U. S. Last week Major Casey (whose hobby is flying) deplaned in Washington, with a walloping blessing from his old rival, O'Malley: "Casey has a great opportunity in America, if he leaves his Homburger hat and English side at home. He might even bring Australia within the scope of the Monroe Doctrine. If we enjoyed the privileges Canada has . . . we would not have to worry about Germany and Japan."

As 49-year-old Major Casey stepped from the plane, looking like an Australian Anthony Eden, handsome, superbly dressed, a World War I hero, graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge (where he turned in his Australian accent for a cultured English one), he might have left his "side" at home, but the hat he doffed was "Homburger."

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