AUSTRALIAN CONDITIONS

Evening Star, Issue 17958, 3 May 1922, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN CONDITIONS

COMPLICATED INDUSTRIAL POSITION'. SURFACE PROSPERITY. PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION UNPOPULAR. Conditions in Australia were dealt with by the Hon. W. Downie Stewart (Minister of Customs) in an interview at Auckland. Matters appear very prosperous on the surface, lie said. 'Jliere had nob occurred in Australia the same inflation in land values as had occurred in New Zealand; consequently there was not the same, fall in values. At the same time, various largo industries were feeling the effect of foreign competition. “ Notwithstanding iho high tariff, there -is considerable evidence of unemployment,” said Mr Stewart; “while I was in Melbourne the Press reported, that there were at least 1,200 married returned soldiers out of work in that city." The industrial position was greatly complicated by the various Arbitration Courts and Wages Boards in different cities, and tho presence of the Federal Arbitration r, . t . , * r n ii

Qourt made a further complication. Ihc difficulties of readjusting wages and hours of labor and other conditions were much greater lu Australia than in New Zealand. Referring to tho effect of the proportional representation system in elections, Mr Stewart said that whatever tho abstract merits of proportional representation might bo as a means of securing a true rell’ex of public opinion, in point of actual practice it was difficult to find supporters of it an tho system operated in Now South Wales. Tho chief objection taken to the form adopted in: New South. Wales was that it magnified tho importance of the machine and practically cut out independent candidates, because the electorates were so largo that the expenses of a, campaign were too groat for the individual. “ Theoretically, candidates on one ticket arc supposed to assist_ each, other, and to work as a team,’’ said Mr Stewart, “ but in many cases what ia described as a form of political cannibalism sots in, and each candidate urges tho doctors to give him their first preference, and uses his efforts to have tho weakest candidate given tho next preference. Tho consequence is that too many weak men are brought up near the top. Then, again, under the system of large electorates there is an enormous multiplication of correspondence, duo to the fact that all the members concerned each write to the Minister about the same matter, and he, of course, has to forward replies to each. It is possible for favoritism to bo shown to a certain member by notifying him earlier than iho others of tho decision reached respecting tho request.’’ Tho first-past-the-post system, -and also tho second ballot, had serious objections (Mr Stewart added), but in view of tho experience of Australia he thought the question: of tho substitution of proportional representation required very careful consideration before being adopted.