FEDERAL MINISTRY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 175, 18 April 1908, Page 5

FEDERAL MINISTRY.

TARIFF PLACED FIRST. SEVERE OPPOSITION CRITICISM. MR. DEAKIN'S REI'LY. Bt TELEGRAPH —PBEStJ ASSOCIATION-—COPYKIGUT. Melbourne, April 16. •• Tho Fodoral Minister (Mr. Deakin), in a ■Ministerial statement in the House, asked that othor business should stand asido to •make vray i for the tariff. / He thought tho first task, incumbent on, the Houso was to deal with the, tariff. Tho Government could not subordinate this question at present to any other, however important it might be. Ho proposed, to;proceed'with'the tariff next Wodnesday, and. moved that other questions on the business paper, including Mr. Web'ster's motion (for a< Royal 1 Commission on postal affairs)'and the Capital Sites Bill, be postponed till the tariff became law.

' A warm debate ensued, /.which Messrs.- G. H. Reid and Joseph Cook, Opposition loaders, attacked Mr.'Deakin over the W.ebster potion incident. "Mr:- Deakin'said that he .was willing to; accept a .challenge: from the Opposition at any time.

Tho motion to place the .tariff at the head of tho business paper/was. carried, and the H,ouso adjourned till Wednesday. .AN INTOLERABLE POSITION. . \Mr.. Deakin's. position under the three-party system,.is': thus referred-::;to., by .our/ Sydney correspondent under- date of April 11:— "In tho most "unexpected fashion, we have had a, Ministerial,-crisis thrust, upon us. Mr, Deakin!'. the Prime Minister, is,, it is Stated, about to resign,-'and the-Cabinet will be reconstructed; with .Sir William Lyne as its head,i in-alliance with the Labour -leaders. This .situation has arisen ''in "a most un-looked-for way. Apparently, Mr. Deakin has resented the manner in which/his Labour allies have broken away' from him lately, and' on Thursday last, when sorao of the party voted, against him on, a certain, motion for adjournment,. the fat got jnto . the fire. ' .. "This- trouble has-arisen directly over-the. question of the postal -investigation. The proposal of the ;Pederal Government that a Ministerial Committee should undertake the enquiry which is evidently so much required into the working of the administration of the Postal Department does not satisfy Some members of. the House, who want a Royal Commission. Mr.-Webster, of. New South Wales, a Government supporter, nioved on Thursday -for, f this■ Royal Commission,''declaring - that this would be the only means. of getting at the facts, since the' employees would not be likely to penalise themselves by offering evidence before ft Ministerial .Committee. At the Sydney Post Office, lie declared, the men hadr,to work in - underground •'vaults, - where there ,was . practically ,'no .ventilation, and they had to work for four'. or five hours beyond: their regular'time, - without - being al--lowed . any : _ opportunity to. - take > food. The administration.,of this office,'-ho asserted,'.'was a:-disgrace'to; civilisation;.-'while in 1 ' the money order and parcels offices, also, a chaotic state of affairs prevailed.. The whole of tho postal services in New South Wales had been: literally starved,., arid some of the employees wero in no.'better position than/ when.' they joined ' tho Department 20 and 25 years ago. 1 "In . .reply,', the "Postmaster-General, Mr. Mauge'r.-made it evident that even he is able to see the absurdity that an 'enquiry into the 'administration of. his own department' should bo. conducted by .himself, and .two: of his cot leagues, for: he promised. that if, as the investigation prooeeded; it became evident that tho; means- proposed, by/- the, Government; were not effective, , the .Government, would , favourably 'consider the appointment of ' a Royal Commission. ■ . Finally the debate was- adjQurned,l after tho air,had'become-electric.as the result,'..of '-ai) announcementby -Mr. Deakin-that' - ; if; thomotion 1 of Mr/Webster were/carried, tlie Government would-tako'this a*'an; indication of tho desire, of the 1 House. tliat liw 'Excellency,-shotild/:'fin'd"rtfcw,''advisers! this „remark ;> was: made when, the imotion for adjournment' was first defeated against the wish of the' Government, and its effect 'was to harden-up*th& -Labour following, ssvcii members wha "originally . voted against the adjournment • changing their. minds ovhen, the motion-was.put the' second 'time, so that it' was thqn carried. But evidently tho' position in which Mr. Deakin has been so long,-en-joying office: through th'o suffrages of the third party,v whilst his own "followers i-aro in- a minority, has become intolerable to him. It lMy bej /ori the othet hand,'that the crisis will blow over next week." • v.-