MR. HUGHES STATES HIS POLICY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3011, 23 February 1917, Page 5

MR. HUGHES STATES HIS POLICY

LIFE OF PARLIAMENT TO BE

EXTENDED. CONSCRIPTION THE WILL OP THE PEOPLE THE ." OFFICIAL " LABOUR I PARTY By Telegraph-Press Aesociatuat-Copyiight (lice. February 22, lO.io p.m.) Melbourne, February 22. Tho Federal Parliament has reassembled. '.'■ ■;. Mr. Wm. Hughes (the Prime Minister) gave notice of motion seeking permission to present a petition to thtf Imperial Government asking for the prolongation of the life of ; Parliament lor six months after peace is declared, or until October 8, 1918. He then outlined /the policy of the new Gjbveniment. It stood, he said, for the development of an Australian national'■ spirit by the foundation of Imperial ideals, to develop the policyof the late Government, maintain, an' entirely, "white Australia , .' policy,- ancl create' the machinery for tne expeditious settlement of industrial disputes. There would be no alteration in the tariff justf now. . ■

Regarding the conscription issued it • would abide Vy the decision of the people. It was impossible to see what i the future had in store, but the electors alone' could reveres, the previous , decision. The Government . intended ■ • I Mly to carry out its duty in regaidr : to the repatriation of soldiers. TheJ Commonwealth had alreadv incurred' j debt in. connection with the war of , £131,000,000, and its obligations for /' the calendar year, of war alone, wdttHi: not fall far snort of £70,000,000, while for other purposes than -war, inoluding i repatriation and land settlement for . soldiers, tho financing of the 1917-18; : wheat crop, another £70,000,000 'would . : "be required. The probability of float- ; ing loans in Britain, other than war loans, was remote. The Government's financial policy, therefore, would be such as circumstances imperatively de- ' manded. It would be sound finance, but not by the odious economy of re-' ducing.the wages, of the .working olasses, or by methods of forcing men to enlist. . _ He regretted that the Offioial Labour Party had not joined the National Government. The reason was obvious. The ~ 1 Official Labour Party was no longer master of its own actions. Dealing with the Senate's attitude, Mr. Hughes' ',' deolared that his resolution not only. . ! ' outlined the present position of the ' parties in Parliament, so far as it af- ' feted the Imprial Confreno, but pro-: ■ vided the only means whereby Außtrs- ■ Ka could effectively he represented .- there. Tho responsibility for main- ■, ■ taining such an attitude as would pre*.; ; vent that effective representation _musf! /■■ - 1 'rest on the shoulders of the majority J of the Senate. : ■'■■';•'■■ ■ ' NATIONAL PARTY'S POLICY : ; APPROVED ;■■; 1 By- telegraph-Press AEBOoiatioß-Oopyrittllt > Melbourne, February 22. : jThe Liberals have met and approved ' the National Government's policy. ; ' SEAMEN'S UNION PRESIDENT DEFEATED. ALLEGEDLY FOR SUPPORTING MR. HUGHES. .Sydney, February 22. Senator Guthrie, for many years President of the Federated Seamen's Union of Australasia, has been defeated 1 for the- presidenoy. His support of \ Mr. Hugnes's conscription campaign is 1 alleged to bo the , contributing cause of , 1 his defeat'. . . ANTI-CONSCRIPTION IzEADER - RETURNS. - 1 • . Sydney, February 22. Mr. Celts, the. leader of the late anti-conscription campaign, has returned from a visit to America. LABOUR MINISTER OBJECTS-TO :■'; . ''COERCION." ,: ; Brisbane, February 22. ' A d,eputation from the Women's Recruiting Committee urged the Chief .'■ Secretary (Mr. Haxham) to comb out ; oligibles availahle for service in all business houses, replaoing them by re- I turned soldiers, married men and rejects, or women. ;■ .: /.'-.'• ■ Mr. Haxham in reply stated > that he was strongly opposed to coercive mea- , sures, which were highly improper; NEW SOUTH WALES ELECTIONS. Sydney, February 22. Parliament has been dissolved. The writ will be issued on Saturday, and polling day will be on March 2i. :.