HIGH TARIFF AND SALARIES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 78, 28 September 1907, Page 4

HIGH TARIFF AND SALARIES.

A NOISY MEETING. SIR WILLIAM LYNE SPEAKS. A meeting under the auspices of the newly -formed branch of tho Protectionist Association, held in tho Brunswick Town Hall on the 16th inst., was (romarks tho Melbourne Argus) made tho medium by which a vigorous protest was lodged against the Commonwealth Parliament for increasing the salaries of members. Mr. John Fender moved :—: — " That in the opinion of this meeting tho fiscal issue in Australia cannot lie satisfactorily settled unless aaid until a tariff has been enacted which will bo wholly protective in character. It therefore respectfully calls upon all Protectionists in both Houses of tho Fed eral Parliament to unite in securing commercial stability and fiscal peace for the Commonwealth." A voice : There's nothing in that about the £200 increase, is there? (Great laughter.) Mr. Ilobshaw seconded the motion. Sir William Lyne, on rising to speak to the motion, was received- with cheers. He said : — The resolution is one with the character of which I entirely agreo. (Applause. S I am a, stranger to most of you, but I have thrown my weight, little as it may be —(laughter) — into the scale of Piotection for the past twenty years and over. Mr* Methven — Wo were Protectionists here thirty years ago. (Laughter.) SIR WILLIAM LYNE'S OPPORTUNITY. Sir William Lyne : But I have never had an opportunity in the Commonwealth until the present to put forward what I conceive to be a truly Protectionist policy.' A voice : For the manufacturer. Sir William Lyne : Yes, and for tli/6 worker and the consumer, too. (Hear, hs?.r.)\' It'" is nothing to me personally, . exoept in the interests of Australia. Mr. Methven : What kind of a botch did you mako of tho last tariff? Sir William Lyne : You and I will come to loggerheads soon. > (Laughter.) Wo have hfcd a shandygaff sort of tariff. In Victoria, before federation, you had a' tariff whjch was, a tariS not in name pfily,- but '■'in reality.- Wo had no such tariff in New South Wales. • A voice : You had not the sweating we had. Sir William Lyne : We had it ten times worse. A voice : What about starch ? Sir William Lyne : We had 20,000 unemployed. (Uproar.) The ehairm'n wished to interfere with the disturbers. Sir William Lyne : Leavo them alone. You know the loud tongue proves the vacant mind. - Mr. Methven : That is how you gel your loud voice. Sir William Lyno : Victoria before federation was the most self-contained colony in the group. New South Waloa not. lam sorry to say it, because I love Now South Wales. Mr. Methvon ; Then why do you coma to Victoria to talk Protection? Sir William Lyne : I am talking not 'to Victoria, butj t,o Australia. Some people talk agisinst tho Commonwealth, but I say thai the Comouwealth Parliament is the most superior Parliament in Australia. (Interruption.) Mr. Methven : Is it a Parliament at all? • Sir William Lyne : It is a Parliament' that would deal with that gentleman in a way that he would not like, lie was one of those men who did not know what ho was. Mrs. Muir : That is why he was put out of tho Si-ste Parliament. (Loud laughter and cheers.) Sir William Lyne : Ha, , ha ! I suspected as much. I had formed my own opinion in a few minutes that he was one of that stamp. (Laughter and interruption.) Eufc I ask you if "wo navo passed one law in the Commonwealth that you would like to sco repealed T Several voices: Six hundred a year. Sir William Lyne : Would you? Would you? Would you? (Laughter and inter- ' ruplion.) If you were there you v/ouid •naiit £1000 a y*ar. A voice : It was London that gave you these notions. (Laughter and interruption.) Sir William Lyno : Tho Commonwealth pissed the anti-kanaka law. Who is there that daT63 to say* that wo are not right in keeping this a. White Australia? A voice : What about the Eje-talians in Weetarn -Australia.? . Sir William Lyno, (emphatically) : I can tell that gentleman that tho hi^h tprifit is one of the be3t things that could ! have been giyep to Australia. (Laughter and applause.) We are going to hare a tariff "that^ will protect Australia, that will keep the rings of America out of Australia, and not let thorn in. (Keep quiet now.) Later on, Sir William )Lyne said : Fair play is bonny play, and we must j deal fairly not only with one section of j th.3 community, but with tho whole commnnity. When my friend the intorjwfor talk& about sweating ho docs not know what he is talking about. A voice : You know they do it. Sir William Lyno : It does not matter to me who they <rr?. My temper and my life has boon A voice : To protect the fat man. Sir William Lyne : To piotect nil the p-joplo. Althoutjb they Bay all 3orts of things about mo in Sydney— -tho 3}dney Morning Herald and the Daiiy Telegraph — I have hcatan ' ihem uvory time. (Cheers.) I have beatjn thain because I wenl for the people, and if you go for the heart of 'tho people you need rot cato a. snap of tho un^tis for all the parcra in creation. I feel that I have a gicat audience, of protectionists hefore me— (cheer;) — and that you will support your representative, Mr. Hurac Cock. U'rOlonged, shooting.) He is something like mo, You hCK»ty.himj? but 1)9 beats you every funo. Ihen wb have Mr. Maugrr, who' is, I'aui dfruiclf too liboial to tho labouring 'clauses— (hooting) — becaueo ho is f.o «pd so good-hcaitcd. (Uproar.) - v " ' A voice r ,WbAt aboui, the dukes you met at homo? < Sir Wil!iurn ( Lyne J Thcio are only two interrupters" in this audieneo who do not think much of our policy. Mr. C. Ev-Ogden : I don't think much of you. A voice: Why don't you find \io:k for the workers ? Sir William Lyno's li'ply was inaudible. Mr. Opfkn : You come out to-morrow, and I will oppote jou. (Lnugkter.) After Mr. Mnuirer had- spolibn, t Mr. Humo Ooqk fcijul ,tlint lio had very much ploaauie indeed A voice: In giu.bbiu<r £200. (Cheers and lauirhter.) Mr. Hume Cook, in moving that .the best thiinfy of tho nloeting be tendered to Sir William ,i>yue and Mr, Maugcr for their addresses, said they harl had fiom Sir William hyni, the Accing Prhiio MiniUor, nn cxtiomely putriotb AustroTidn .addrrs"!, aiul from Mr. Miiu^cr a speech ■full of inlorniation 1111& brimming ovor 'v.'Uli facts. (JJis^r.t.) /J'jiu ohjrct of the meeting via piimurily mHliu interests of those present. A voico (politely) : iTou mu£t h"avf> made a mistake. Mr. Hujruj Copki l'ailuimofit wns .aboui to, deal .with, the .UuijQ\ aud ths.

future of their industries would be affected very largely by the' tariff. If they ■walked down "Sydney-roaa they would see A voice : Your new house. (Laughter.) Mr. Hume Cook : They would see specimens of pottery-waie made in Japau. He bought a pieco, which cost him 4id, and' was told that if it werer made in Australia. the labour aloii© wotild cost 4d. The motion was received with mingled cheers and groans. "dLD BILL LYXE." Sir William Lyne, to reply, said that he always enjoyed a meeting where there wero intexjectors. Ho did not like addressing a dead meeting, but he -<>Yd 3 surprised to sco in one of the gentlemen who interrupted! the secretary of the Political Labour League. A voice : It is untrue. Sir William Lyne: Ho was glad that there had been nothing disagreeable in the meeting. Ho had done things facmotirnes that some people did not awproyo of, but they always &aic2, '"It's old Bill Lyne; ho ulwajs doe 3 i\hat is right." (Laughter.)