AUSTRALIA'S WAR POLICY

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 107, 6 May 1916, Page 9

AUSTRALIA'S WAR POLICY

QUESTION OF CONSCRIPTION

(FROU ODR OWN CORRESPONDBNT.)

SYDNEY, 26th April!

As you can readily -understand, any statements by responsible Ministers re-. garding Australia's war policy.at this juncture of reported crisis in Governmental affairs in Great Britain are. awaited with especial concern. However, since the departure of-the Prime Minister (Mr. Hughes) for Great Britain, where his doings and sayings appear to be noted with very great attention, we have come to realise! that his was the master mind which practically,, alone shaped the bold war policy proposals and Acts that followed in close-succes-sion, just before he.went away We have been forced to the conclusion that, as far as the Federal Government is. con-cerned,-.it will he a.case;.of .'.'marking., time " until Mr. Hughes gets back, and the date of his return seems pretty ■uncertain. Some! recent .announcement*., made by the Acting-Prime Minister and Minister for Defence (Senator Pearce).. were accepted as intimations that, in consequence of the rate :at which recruiting v was proceeding, we -were -very.!-: close to the advent of conscription, but in reply to demands for more specific statements on this point. Senator Pearce! has had_ recourse to the reiteration of the familiar declaration that the policy of the present Commonwealth Govern-' ment is not one of conscription. Senator Pearce was amongst the distin-' guished visitors at the opening of the now proceeding Political Conference o£ New South Wales. ' While he was impressing upon the conference - that the, Labour movement could not', be regarded as something apart from the war,,-and that-the war meant life or death bo the movement, he was bluntly asked "Let us. have something about conscription." EB»-' reply was: "The policy of the Government is voluntary eiihstment. ! Beifoiw; any alteration is made in that policy the Labour Party of which the Government is only, the representative will, 'be. consulted, and Parliament will also be consulted." Nothing in this of the latterday Hughes method of,-; deciding upon a thing and telling Labourites and people generally tEaf'their solemn, duty is to: support the decisions come to by Minis-', ters having responsibility and knowledge which they cannot share with everybody. There were naturally no expressions of dissent by members of the,conference oa account of what was taken as ah. acknowledgment that the Labour Party must be consulted before there could boserious talk of conscription. Cheers! greeted the immediately following an-i*. nouncement by the Acting-Prime Ministen' ►that it was intended'to introduce legisla.tion to deal with war,profits. A delegate interjected; "Why not confiscate i them'" There was further cheering:) when Senator Pearce replied: "Taxation < is confiscation. It is only another! form of the same thing." Thus tie! position as regards Australian war poliey, j accepting the latest - declarations by J responsible i Ministers, 'is "No oonscrip-1 tion. Taxation (or confiscation) o£ -war! profits."

Inasmuch as Labour dominates thai position in the Commcsrwealth Parlia- ( ment and in at least four out of the sixi States, and as the policy which Labour] Ministers stand for is framed by' or-j ganisations outside, which are the actual Labour Parliaments, everybody is con-j cerned in the decisions arrived at by I those organisations. In the two principati States, New South Wales and' Victoria, j there are now in session the> annual con- j ferences of the dictating organisations. The Victorian Political Labour Confer-* ence has dealt at an early stage of itaj proceedings with, the rnomentoufl question of conscription, It. has resolved,, with only one dissentient, at a fnllyattended sitting—"That this conferenoa absolutely pledges itself to oppose con-i scription of human life, and that it be, a direction from this conference that'that various unions and Political Labour: Council branches throughout Victoria/ take immediate action to' select candi-' dates to contest the next Federal elec-: tions in opposition to all members wha vote in favour of conscription." A copy, of this resolution is being formally sent* to. the Prime Minister, and we a!re awaiting, with ..the keenest interest ta learn what he baa to say abont it. Tha New South Wales Conference has not yeta reached the subject of conscription (it iat at present dealing with a series of motional of censure directed; against the State Gchl vernment), but it is known that a strong! section is determined to secure a resoluJ tion of the same nature as that adopted! by the Victorian Conference, and coucheol in language at least as emphatic.