Evening Post. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1930. FIGHTING AND DRIFTING

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 147, 19 December 1930, Page 10

Evening Post. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1930. FIGHTING AND DRIFTING

The outstanding events of the past week in Australian politics are the reassuring success of the Commonwealth's £28,000,000 loan, the rejection by the Government of the proposal of the Leader of the Opposition that a National Economic Council should be appointed to deal, regardless of party, with tjje economic crisis, and the ferocious outhurst of party passion in the Federal House of Representatives which was reported yesterday. The success of '■ the loan and "the widespread subscriptions and the magnificent support of small investors" which made it possible excited.the just admiration of the severest of Australia's financial critics in London. It went far towards restoring the faith in the credit of the country which the bungling and the wrangling, the perversity and indecision of the politicians during the last four months had grievously shaken. But the politicians were not discouraged by this triumph of national unity. After the "success of the Commonwealth loan had been officially certified to be "definitely assured," but before the applications had been formally, closed, they were at their old game again. Though it might be an exag- ■ geration to say that their success has ; overshadowed that of the loan, it has certainly done so for (hat large proportion of the democracy who derive : iheir mos.t lasting impressions of public affairs from newspaper headlines, and even in Lombard Street it must have had a very damaging effect. The occasion of this deplorable display in the Federal House was the introduction by the Acting-Prime Minister of a schedule imposing an export duty of -Jd a pound on sheepskins in wool. As the object was not revenue but protection, the duty was presumably not another violation of the Melbourne Financial Agreement which declared for the balancing of Budgets by increased economies and not by increased taxation. But, oddly enough, our report does not include a single word of argument or exposition on the part of either Government or Opposition. ' From the statement that the duty was proposed "obviously with the idea of helping the fellmongery industry" it may indeed be inferred that Mr. Fenton submitted his motion to the House without comment of any kind. If he had said anything at all, he must have explained the object of the duty, and, if he had, there would have been no need for the reporter's "obviously." But silence was as good as a speech for the Opposition, and if, as is probable, they bad an inkling of what was " coining it may even have been better. It is .difficult to account for the suddenness with which the storm burst except on the hypothesis that they had a knowledge or a suspicion of something which had been going on behind the scenes, and which the Acting-Prime Minister could not afford to mention. On what other theory is the sudden explosion of the whole Opposion by the mere introduction of a not obviously outrageous motion to be explained? Our speculation is based on the Press Association's message from Canberra yesterday, but the "Sydney Morning Herald's" report suggests that if the Acting-Prime Minister did not make a speech the fault was not : his but that of the Opposition, who had been too fully primed with indignation to listen to it. In either case it seems clear that there must have been more in the indignation of the Opposition than meets the eye. In so far as they were inarticulate the proceedings, as reported by the "Sydney [ Morning Herald," were as follows: Mr. Fenton's opening words were received with uproar. Opposition members shouted, "This is the worst job that has ever been put over here." Mr. Green said: "It is a bare-faced robbery." Mr. Parkhill: "It is an abso-' lute swindle." Mr. Gullstt: "And a public scandal.'' The Chairman of Committees ap--1 pealed in vain for order, and the disJ order was intensified into a "violent s storm" by an interjected remark * about the Mungana leases. Mr. j Theodore, whose connection with I these leases compelled him to resign his portfolio, but has not prevented • his restoration to the confidence of [ the Labour Caucus before his honour has been cleared by the pending pro- , ceedings, then advanced to clear his i honour in the old-fashioned way by ' making an example of one of his opponents. Though we had not been told that the Speaker had been called in, the report concludes:— The Speaker abruptly left the Chair, and the scene culminated when Mr. ' Theodore and Mr. Latham came to grips > and struggled, while many of their 1 colleagues formed an excited ring around them. Alt sense of decency was lost in uncontrolled rage. It was a disgraceful performance, but when the "Sydney Morning Her- . aid" describes it as "the most dis- , graceful ever witnessed," one may ' hope that the comparison is limited to previous scenes in the same Parlia-

ment. Both in an unprintable violence of speech and in "a physical violence which their friends were unable or unwilling to check, the legislators of New South Wales must often have surpassed this deplorable display. By comparison, however, not with the previous scenes of a similar kind in a land which is not distinguished by a high standard of Parliamentary decorum, but with the appalling magnitude of its allotted task, this explosion of hatred and violence in the Commonwealth Parliament and the undisclosed facts or suspicion in which it originated presents a distressing and almost tragic appearance to which, at any rate under the British flag, there can be very few Parliamentary parallels. If Nero really did fiddle while Rome was burning, it cannot be said lhat his statesmanship was far below that of the Canberra pilots who find time to fight one another while the Ship of State continues its steady drift towards the rocks. As we write, "'another grave warning comes to hand which indicates the imminence of Australia's peril in the opinion of those best qualified to judge. An urgent appeal to the various Governments to balance their Budgets and reduce their expenditure has been issued by the Bank of New South Wales on behalf of all the banks in Australia. Unless effective steps arc taken immediately, says this remarkable document, the time is coming when the banks and other financial institutions will, be unable 'to assist Governments to meet salaries, wages, and other commitments, except at the expense of widening the gap already in evidence between the costs of and the returns from Australian industries. The continuance of such demands will force upon the banks a drastic curtailment of advances to customers. The banks aro unable to accept responsibility for the consequences which must inevitably follow, but i v is most desirable that the public should be warned of the facts. Small room is left for continued elation over the success of the Commonwealth's loan by such a solemn warning as this.