FEDERATION AND STATES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 237, 30 June 1908, Page 7

FEDERATION AND STATES.

SURPLUS REVENUE ACT, B Z TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COrYItIOHT. Sydney, June 29. Mr. Wade, State Premier, has invited the other States to re-submit the offer to the Commonwealth as to .finding money for pensions,' and urges Mr. Deakin, Federal Prime Minister, to withhold all appropriation under the Surplus Revenue Act.

: "IGNORED IN EVERY SENSE." FEDERAL AND STATE PENSIONS.-MR. ; WADE EXPLAINS. Mr. Wade says, in effect, that the States mil not object to the voluntary surrender on their part of sufficient revenue to provido Federal old age pensions, if the Federal Government does not adopt the course of appropriating revenue under the Surplus Eevenue Act, which ho holds to bo subversive of State rights. Mr. Wade elaborated his argument in a recent interview. : He quoted from his own speeches at tho Conference of Premiors, where he said that the constitutionality of the Surplus Revenue measure was questioned by different people, although the States woro anxious to co-operate in order to secure the rovenuo for old ago pensions. As litigation to test the Surplus Eevenue measuro might tio up tho Federal pensions scheme, the States were "doing a fair thing in proposing to help the Commonwealth to avoid that delay, by stating that .wo are willing to co-operate with them, with tho object of enabling them to obtain revenuo' for old ago pensions, not by Act of Parliament, but by means of a contribution from our own State treasuries."

Mr. Wade told tho interviewer that this offer of the States (which was mado beforo the Surplus Itevonue Act was finally passed) "has heen. ignorod in _ overy sense, and what has taken place now is that they proposo to appro-, priato ,£220,000 for tho month of Juno to a trust fund for old age pensions* We object, naturally, because in the meantime New South Wales, for instance, is compelled to pay tho monthly instalment of old ago ponsions under our present Act, .the Commonwealth appropriating a largo sum for the same purpose out of tho same month's rovenue, which is entirely unnecessary. In other words, if they had adopted our proposal, the money wo aro paying in New South Walos for old ago pensions in Juno would bo utilised for Commonwealth purposes, and the. whole of tho money belonging to New South Walos-which has been taken for old age pensions would havo como into our Treasury. These fignres show that tho States havo very just grounds for complaint, especially New South Wales, inasmuch as our offer has been absolutely ignored; arid, in tho next place, we are being deprived of double the amount of old age pensions that we are really responsible for. In the ill-adTisod action of the Commonwealth the old ago pensioners of Australia havo to submit to their payments—at all events, in three States—being postponed for an indefinite poriod."

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