POLITICAL POINTS.

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 119, 15 November 1902, Page 4 (Supplement)

POLITICAL P OIN TS.

The Secretary of the Victorian Protectionist Association (Mr. Mauger, M.H.lt.) thinks the issue of the next Federal election will be the taiilf. He says Protectionists are ready for the fight. Speaking of the necessity for the Federal capital, Sir. Watson, the Federal Labour Leader, says members should have their own House, where there would be no danger of provincial influence. The Federal Government (says Sir Edmund Barton) has been unremitting in their attention to the New Hebrides question, and their attention has borne excellent fruit — first, in the appointment of a Government Resident ; and, second, in the approval of the French and British Governments of the principle of a Court for the settlement of land disputes. Sir Edmund Barton says in reference to the new naval agreement that he considers it would be a fine thing if some of the Australian crews to be employed on the war&hips were allowed to gain some experience of other naval stations besides our own, to which they could be exchanged not permanently, but temporarily. When the time comes for the Commonwealth to purchase ships of its own it auII then have men thoroughly trained to work them. The greater portion of increase of the subsidy from' £106,000 to £200,000 will be devoted to the payment of Australia's own soldiers. The agreement is for ten years— the bookkeeping period of. the constitution, and if ifc is desired to enter on a new policy at the expiration of the Braddon clause notice to terminate tlie agreement can be given in eight years. The recent Imperial Conference passed a resolution affirming that the attention of the Government of the colonies and of the United Kingdom should be called to the present stale of the navigation laws in the Empire and other countries with a view of refusing the privileges of coastwise trade, including trade between the Mother Country and its colonies and possessions and beween one colony or possession and another, to those foreign countries in which the corresponding trade is confined to ships of their own nationality. The Commonwealth Premier states that a Navigation Bill fromed on these lines may be drawn up by the Minister for Customs shortly for submission to Parliament next session. Mr. Bent (the Victorian Minister for Railways) is still energetic. So long as he can find vent for it it is immateral to him whether he is cutting off half a_ million mileage of trains or only pointing out to refreshment-rooms lessees the necessity to wipe their glasses with clean towels only-. The latter (says a Melbourne contemporary) is the particular matter now engaging Jils attention. Mr. Bent purposes reducing the suburban fares in order to compete with the trams. Sir John Forrest,' the Commonwealth Defence Minister, says in regard to the retrenchment proposals in his department :—"I: — "I want to find out what is the irreducible minimum to which we can get our defence expenditure without crippling the efficiency of our forces. Let us get down to bedrock and organise our forces on a Iproper basis and upon a definite' policy — something we should fight for and something which will satisfy all reasonable people." It is stated that in order to effect the reduction of £62,000 required by Parliament, an entirely new scheme will be brought out. The United States Government revenue from Customs during August was the largest ever known. Senator Mason, of Illinois, U.S.A., recently brought forward a scheme for ending any luture coal fetrike which may arise in that State. He would have the United Slater Courts, through action by the Attorney-General, throw into the hands of receivers any coal properties concerned in a strike to be operated under direction of the Couits until all differences between employers and employees have been adjusted. The visit of the. Duke of the Abruzzi to Barcelona (^ays the Paris correspondent of The Time."!) shows that Italy is desirous of closer relations vith Spain as well a s with France ; not, of course, that tkeie has ever been any misunderstanding between Italy and Spain. But the two countries have been almost strangers, so that this act of courtesy may be regarded as breaking the ice between them. Curiously enough, too, a report by Count Sabini on an economic mission on which the Italiou Government sent him to France significantly says: — "We shall, perhaps, shortly see the realisation of a' Mediterranean Triplice." This is one more proof that the "Latin" race, in view of union in other directions, is waking up to the necessity of fraternisation. The Tsar has acceded to the request of Baron de Staal, Russian Ambassador to Great Britain, to be relieved of his post on the ground of his health. Baron de Staal, as the representative of Russia, it will be remembered, took a prominent part in the Hague Peace Conference of 1899. A Cape Colony Parliamentary return shows that 3437 rebels who surrendered under the proclamation of 11th June ] have been disfranchised for life. The Times correspondent, in an article on the "White Australia" question, concludes — It is not well always to look on the worst side of things, and it is quite possible that the white labour policy may be the best for Australia in the end and may result in placing in the sugar districts a large number of white settlers in place of the Kanakas, Chinese, Japanese, and Hindus who now exploit it. At any rate there appears to be no reason, social, climatic, or eco-. nomic, why s.ugar should not be grown in Australia by white labour ; the only dangerous factor is the white labourer himself. Mr. Shaw, Secretary of- the United States Treasury, speaking at Chicago, said he believed in reciprocity as outlined by several recent national Republican conventions'. He did not consider it as a step in the direction of freetrade, but as a natural handmaiden to protection. Ho was opposed to a tariff levision for some articles. The United States, ho &aid, needed move markets. Opening American markets to the unrestructed trade of foreign countries must not be thought of. The influential Jaris journal the Debats, discussing Consul Perier's report on Franco-English trade, says: — "These statistics show not merely" that Great Britain is our best customer, and that our economic activity i-j not declining, but inspire a more disinterested and humane hope. In each of these bales which carry acioss the Channel a little of the imagination of our artists, the grace of our women, and the mildness of our sky, there is a parcel of fraternity. These milliards of exchanges form between the two countries ties, doubtless thin and fragile, but so compact and numerous that they can resist the blade of .steel." M. Beau, the new French GovernorGeneral of Indo-China, is represented by an interviewer to have declared that France avouW obtain from Siam respect for signed conventions, and that no danger of a conflict with Jo wan or Great Britain would consequently arise. The Times St. Petersburg correspondent says that the Russian Government has apparently resolved to put an end, - once and for all, to the constitutional privileges hitherto enjoyed by the Finns. A number of new laws have been drawn up in St. Petersburg, and will shortly be published in Ilelsingfors, involving the complete abolition of all those securities for public and individual liberties which, have hitherto existed in Finland.