AUSTRALIAN SUMMARY.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 62, 10 September 1904, Page 9

AUSTRALIAN SUMMARY.

(For the week ending Saturday last.) THE NEW ORDER. Almost every week brings fresh signs that the old days in Australian politics of Liberal versus Conservative are drawing to their end. In all the Parliaments — with the exception of that of Tasmania — the Labour Party now predominates on either one side of the Chamber or the other, and its opponents now realise that if it is to be effectually combated they must forget thoir old party differences and unite- to show the enemy a. 6olid front. Mr. Roid, in a number of speeches during tho week, has been busily dinning this into the ears of his audiences, and the Conservative press has also been emphasising the need for meeting Labour organisation by a single united counter-organi-sation. In Victoria a new Anti-Socialist League, the Farmers', Property -owners', and Producers' Association, has come into prominence, ' and is being' extended throughout the State. The New South Wales press calls for similar organisation from Sydney, where the Employers' Association is the only effective anti-Labour body. A conference is shortly to be held in bydney, # when delegates are expected to attend from all over the country, with a view to starting 'a national an ti -Socialist Association. It is believed that there will be difficulty in drawing up a platform both sufficiently conservative and sufficiently attractive to tho general public to make it politically effective. ANOTHER. LABOUR TRIUMPH. The two most striking developments during tho week are the Queensland elections and the threatened split in the West Australian Labour > Party. The remarkablo success of Labour t at tTie polls in Queensland was scarcely anticipated by ev,en the most sanguine supporters of tho party: Prior to tJio dissolution, Mr! Morgan's Labour-Liberal coalition had a majority of one with the Speaker in the chair, nnd a minority of two with tho Chairman of Committees in the chair. Now Mr. Morgan has a majority of 40 or41, and tliis, too, on the old franchise that kept Mr. Philp's "continuous Ministry" in office for so many years. Mr. Philp's old party, too, is a mere wreck, but even from this he and Sir Arthur Rutledge, its defeated leader, aro able to draw cold comfort in predicting that Mr. Morgan's huge majority will soon prove an embarrassment to him. Tho coalition Government is pledged jto. the abolition ot the plural vote, but Mr. Morgan, who was given a free hand in his policy by Labour, is also pledged to reduce the Assembly from 72 to 62 members,. Labour is notoriously averse to any reduction of members, and it is on this question tna.t political forecasters look to, a aplit. The cau-" cus party has 35 members in a House of 72, while 37 others are free to enter into a combination against it, as the Morgan alliance may be ended at any time. The situation is thus fraught with many possibilities. MR. DAGLISH'S DIFFICULTIES. The old question of "half a, loaf or no brend," which has caused so many hot differences among Socialists on the Continent, now threatens to wreck the new Labour Government in West Australia. Tho party has conio into power by the support of some eight or nine outside members, and Mr. DaglLsh, "tho Premier, has naturally not been able to promise the thorough-going policy that he might have done had ho a solid following at his back. Foe one thing, as there was no Labour man in tho legislative Council, ho included an outsider in tho Cabinet in order that it might bo represented in -the Upper Uouse. Then he has not declared that ho will immediately slop all alienation of Crown lands, and insbead of bringing in a measure to at once abolish the' Legislative Council, is allowing the matter to stand over for a referendum at the next elections threo years hence. In other respects, too, tho Premier is charged with departing from the Labour- platform, and it is declared that if he found that he could not immediately carry out its planks ho should have returned his commission to tho Governor. Two leading Labour organisations have already passed motions condemning tho Government policy, and individual Labour members are declaring that they cannot support it and be truo to their constituents. Tho Miners' Associations on tho goldfields appear, however to bo deprecating attacks on tho Government, which they assert is doing its best for the party under great difficulties. The Ministry has not a bright prospect before THE NEW SOUTH WALES CABINET. Mr. Carruthers's new Cabinet was sworn in on Monday, and generally is regarded as a strong and representative team. It is noticeable that no members of tho outgoing Ministerialist party are included, though in view of Mr. Carruthcrs's talk, of an alliance with Mr. Waddell it is believed that portfolios wero offered to some of his jxirty and refused. Mr. Carruthers a comparatively young man— he is Forty-seven —has had considerable experience as an administrator under Sir Henry Parkea and Mr. Reid when he represented at different" times the Treasury, Lands, and Education Departments. Mr. Ashton, the Minister for Lands, next to Mr. Carruthers is best known in the State. Ho has bad lengthy political experience, and is a determined opponent of Socialism, which he regards as the sure pathway to ruiu. It is possible that a re-arrange-ment of portfolios- may bo made shortly co' as to meet tho oircumstuncea of the State under federation.' The work of the Miuistry, the Sydney Telegraph says, is that of encouraging the development of the country's resources, giving freer access to the land, and educatiVely assisting productiveness in various depaitments of activity. It hopes that something in the nature of specialist atteution will bo given to the Departments of Lands, Mines, and Agriculture. THE FEDERAL SITUATION. The rumoured coalition between the Federal Labour Party and Mr. IsaacsV Protectionist remnant appears to bo about to take place. Tho terms of the proposed agreement, not yet however finally adopted, have been published. It seems that there will be no fusion of the two parties, but they will act in concert on most .points. A rough platform containing most of the Labour planks has bectv ornfted,i and it is agreed that on the Arbitration Bill members are to have a free hand should the States' servants' question bo revived. It is stated that a proposal for amending the tariff in certain directions has been agreed, but it is prescribed that the Labour Party shall not mnko the fiscal issue a solidarity one, bnt shall allow its freetrnde members to vote n« they please. It is understood that the Ministry will take the Arbitration Bill as it stands, though the Watson Government's proposed amendments will be adopted. After the Arbitration Bill Sir George Turner \> iH make liis Budget Speech. One of {he distinctive features of tho financial policy will be proposals for expenditure on defence equipment. The Trade Marks, Copyright, and High Commissioner Bills will bo adopted, and one ot two' other small non-contenfious measures introduced. PREFERENTIAL TRADE. A striking speech in opposition to Mr. Chamberlain's preferential trade proposals was delivered in Sydney on Thursday by Sir William. M'Millao. the well-known Syd*

ney merchant, and until lately one of the most prominent members in the Federal House. The preferential trade scheme, according to Sir William M'Millan, ignored, the fact that the foreign trade of every country must bo largely with countries in the same geographical area, as the great potentialities for trade between Australia and the East and Australia and Che west coast of America, bore witness. Mr. Chamberlain, ignored these great factors, and wanted to confine the trade of the Empire to itself and to wage commercial war against the rest of the world. With preferential trade the colonies would compete among themselves for the trade of tho Mother Country, and it would probably be found that 0110 uniform preference Uriff would be unfair to the remote parts, and once a tnriff was agreed upon it would be very difficult in me clamour of vested interest* to alter it aa times cuanged. No rigid trade relations codld ever stand tho ordeal of internal discontent, unles* a scheme could be devised, which would on broad grounds be mutually beneficial to all. A rigid scheme was absolutely Utopian, and if they had not a rigid scheme preferential trade' as a solid- and scientific proposal immediately went to pieces He saw no ground for supposing that tho patriotism which united them all and made them all proud of a common origin, and a common citizenship was on the decline, or required a more sordid and material stimulus. Sir William M'Millan concluded by saying that he thought a rigid preferential trade system would inevitably break to pieces and would in tin process very probably wreck the fabrio of Empire. WATER CONSERVATION. The great talk about irrigation which began during the drought has fatterrj died away to nothing, and in New'Soutm Wales the Government, doing nothbf itself, has been hesitating whether to allow a pwvjito syndicate to construct a dam on the Murrumbidge©.* In Victoria they have been more active, and' th« State has been steadily pushing forward! its irrigation works along the Murray. At a meeting called in Melbourne on* Tuesday to discu&s the question, Mr. Swinburne, the State Minister for Water Supply, announced that the schemes proposed by the Government' will run into about £1,500,000. Victoria, he added, was tho only State, that had shown her bono-fides by introducing a Bill to ratify the Murray Waters agreement of the Premiers' Conference last year. Mr. Reid also spoke, and promised that as "temporary occupant of a position of great .responsibility" he would do every? thing in pis power to further the work of irrigation. THE SUGAR INDUSTRY. Two Queensland politicians who fe»Ta returned from tho sugar-growing districts during the week nave m*d« some interesting remarks on the prospects of the industry under white labour conditions. One (Mr. Cowley) reports that in many places the 'whites are doing, tho work fairly well, but that in some districts there is dissatisfaction. Many met are, however, making good wages at the. work," but the farmers were all looking forward with, anxiety to the end of 1906, when the black man has to go. A great many ' liad . not yet attempted to use white labour, especially north of Townsville. He had been particularly struck with the fact that in the far north Chinese were steadily supplanting Kanakas . at the work. The other member, Mr. Kenna. who represents Bowen, takes an optimistic view of the situation, and says that, there are indications everywhere of fresh areas being put under cultivation, for sugar. Cane-cutting, too, he reports has become almost as organised an industry as shearing. The outlook is far from being as dismal as was predicted by> tho advocates of the Kanaka.