SECESSION

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 40, 17 February 1933, Page 9

SECESSION

VM, REFERENDUM

POSITION:

(From "The Post's" Representative.) ;',: ; ;v . V SYDNEY,-Pobrttary 9. In' view', of tho, referenauin'to/bp held in Western AJustralia: on. - April -8, on the ;whether, the State should continue- as a part of the. federation of Australia, : interest in'the position is. increasing. . Thore' are few: people Who' think for .one moment that the Commonwealth is;in danger of.:breaking up j it is now so firmly osta/blislied that it is, inconceivable that any thing could, happen to■ shatter the .hopes of those who were responsible for the Federation; ■ It,is admitted that the conditions aro not : ail: that could be desired, especially by the smaller States, but it;should bopossiblo-to amend these without secession. There is little.'doubt in most quarters that the Referendum will be carried, but- how^ Western Australia will act in the event of a .£ avourablb vote is a mystery to the^ rest of Australia. Apparantly. there is'npthing in the Constitution providing for a breakaway, from- the •-. 'Federation. . Th;e Premier ...(Sir ..James Mitchell) who visited 'the' Eastern-.States :thia week for a meeting.' of the Loan. Qouncil refused to say what plans had been made.. If an alteration in tho Constitution: is necessary, this will be extremely difficult, for all efEbrts that have been made so far to'amend it have been miserable failures. Australia fears any tinkering with the constitution. '~ '■--.'-: ."Western Australia: cannot continue to' pay the price of Federation,?' said Sir James, in tho course of a statement in which;he predicted' that the~:.referendunl would;bo''carried, by an: overwhelming majority^1 ■" "Under'present conditions '.we would-be much more tiseful to the rest of Anstralia if we were out of it." ' There will be a.general election in. Western.: Australia.' oa^io date the referendum, is taken, .and it'isl fairly; certain that, the present Government .will be returned to .poweK.,lf. that is so the secession movement will, not be allowed to rest, for Sir James Mitchell, is. one of .its strongest . advocates. He claims" that' Western Australia has. suffered- many disabilities compared with' other-.-States, "mainly on account Qf its isolation. ~: The eastern States have had an. unfair • advantage in' the • matter .of trade. Of course, there are no customs barriers as between the States, and it is said that the Western Australian manufacturers have been., unable to compete with the manfacturers in the east> whereas-there is no markeV within Anstralia for Western Australian products. \ ; - Western Australia today may be counted' among the most prosperous of the States although it^has by no means recovered' from the depression. Gold has: been the most marked factor in achieving1 this position. Western Australia claims that Kalgporlie: is the most prosperous ; place r in Australia today. The yield- of gold in Western Australia. last , year v exceeded :60.0,000 ounces valued at more than £4^500,000. Tremendous'acti-vity has been apparent over an" area: of^more than:,aDoo miles in the State's auriferous belt,, and prospecting is; being .carried c out' :continaously. Gold production is .steadily increasing with the frequent discovery of new mines.! Thereare now 5000 more men employed on the. gold field^ than was the case three years ago. : Primary production has also, increased, and if prices would do the same Western Australia 'would indeedIbe .on the top of the wave.. .:■ ;•'• V ■■-• ..'■■ .-...* . :■;-