FEDERAL POLITICS

Hastings Standard, Volume XIII, Issue 4309, 12 November 1909, Page 5

FEDERAL POLITICS

CABLE NEWS. United Press Association—By Eleetrie Telegraph.—Copyright.

FINANCIAL AGREEMENT. Melbourne, November n An amendment of the constitution to give permanency to the financial agreement between the States and the Commonwealth was defeated in the House of Representatives by I vote. A number of Government supporters joined with the Labour party in an attempt to secure an alteration. ASIATICS IN AUSTRALIA. (Received 12, 9 25 a.m) Melbourne, November 12. According 1 to a statement presented to Senate, there are 31,000 Asiatics in Australia. THE PRESS OFF ITS PEDESTAL. " CRAWLING IN THE GUTTER ?" Melbourne, November 12 In the House, Mr Bnmford, supp ->rting an amendment to the Electoral Bill in iavour of prohibiting; newspapers from commenting on elections between nomination and polling day, declared that previously the press had stood for all that was good and was a redresser of wrongs. Now the press had descended from that high pedestal and was actually crawling in the gutter. All the papers were on the Ministerial side, and the Labor Party was like an 8stone man going into the ringto fight a 12-stone man.