THE COMMONWEALTH CAPITAL

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 150, 21 December 1907, Page 6

THE COMMONWEALTH CAPITAL

The Premier of Now South Wales, accusing' the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of deliberately evading a settlement of the _ Federal capital question, is doubtless 3tating the case as he sees it. Doubtless, also, he is not stating the case as Mr. Deakin sees it, even if Mr. Deakin adopted Mr. Wade's point of view. Different men ; different minds ; — and few minds differ more than Mr. Wade's and Mr. Deakin's. Mr. Wade's is an athletic mind, single-pnr-posell, following his athletic habit. He sees a political problem as a feat to be executed, or a raco to bo run — braces himself for tho leap or the struggle— and is over or a{». tho end, winner or loser. Mr. Deakin's is a tergiversating mind, many-purposed, capable of effective concentration when the issue ia clear, but apt to delay preliminaries to reaching tho issue. In the matter of the Federal capital it is Mr. Deakin who has first move, not Mr. Wade. And Me. Deakin has not a clear board. Tho Commonwealth Parliament is about to adjourn, with a mangled tariff passed by the House of Representatives, 'and awaiting next session's dismemberment by tho Senate ; and Mr. Deakin, always sadly harassed, wants tho vacation to plan his programme with his colleagues. The capital question is but one of half-a-dozen questions he has to consider ; and in current politics it does not setni the most important. It is a wranglirig question, and a question which divides votes ; and the Commonwealth Miiiis'try, always kept in office by the Labour party, does not know how it stands. The Labour party is not especially anxious to deal with the capital question. If it tells Mr. Deakin to deal first with old-age pensions, for example, Mr. Deakin has no option but to do as he is told, or risk a dissolution with all the tariff work, wasted. Mr. Wade's task is simple; he has only to cry "Your move ! Mr. Deakin has a complicated gamo lo play. .New South' 1 Wales, in effect, 'is paying now for its own arrogance earlier. H aspired to dictate a capital site to the Commonwealth, and the Commonwealth refused to submit to dictation. Mr. Deakin's dilly-dallying may bo set against Mr. Carruthers' shilly-shallying. Tho Commonwealth. Constitution Act provides that tho capital shall bo anywhere in New South Wales, but not less than 100 milss from Sydney. The site is to contain an area of not lees than 100 square miles. The Commonwealth Parliament is to choose- the site, after New South Wales has granted or offered tho site-. The root of six years' trouble has always been New tiouth Wales' desire to do its own choosing. Now South Wales has suggested several sites, but nover has gone so far as tb say, "Take any one of these sites, and we guarantee that you shall have the land." The New South Wales 'Parliament has said only, "Choose any one of these sites, and we- will consider, nwe approve your choice." And, by (he Constitution Act, the Commonwealth Parliament sits in Melbourne till tho matter is settled; and Now South Wales cannot interfere. The assertion of rights recommended by Premier Wade is not easy. New South Wales may protest ; but protest is nearly the limit of effective- action. Reliance must be placed in the end on the good sense of the Commonwealth l'arliament; and tho Commonwealth Parliament is divided in opinion — even tho New South Wales representatives aro ilividod in opinion. Some of them want tho capital upon ono site, some upon another. Some aro content with tho 100 square miles of territory demanded uy the Constitution Act , somt' demand a larger territory, permitted by tho Apt. Some are content to let tho question wait; others areuncommonly weary of tho question. And, above the whole disturbance,, Mr. Doakin sits as Prime Minister, with only a minority of members pledged to hifl'onpport, and with fifty other things to think about, and offers swoeL, inefficacious words to Mr. Wade, who accuses him of paltering with n. mighty issuo. But what is a harassed Prime Minister to do? ' As notice has been received that the running of the- subsidised evening train between Wellington and Johnsonville will be discontinued after the Christmas holidays, unless the company is guaranteed ngainst loss on running expenses, meetings of residents of Khandallah and Johnsonville havo bsen called for Monday to coiuudnr what aotiou ahould be taken.