FEDERAL CONSTITUTION

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 3 September 1926, Page 9

FEDERAL CONSTITUTION

AMENDMENTS PROPOSED

REFERENDA BEING TAKEN

POINTS AT ISSUE

BY CABLE—PBESS ASSOCIATION—COPYBIGHT Received 1.25 p.m. to-day. SYDNEY, Sept. 3. As the final stages of the referenda campaign were closing, public interest, which had previously been apathetic, gained" force. Both Labour and the Government parties vigorously prosecuted the campaigns for and against the proposals tnronghout the Comraon-wte-a.lth. An anomalous position was. created in New South Wales, where both the State and Federal Electoral Acts .provide only for the closing of hotels during the holding of an election. The electoral officers decided that a referendum cannot be' classed as >an election, .therefore the hotels will remain open. Broadly speaking, there are two proposals for amendment of the constitution before the electors. The first a.sks that more -power shall be given to the Federal Government 'with the object of securing efficient control over trusts, combines and trade -unions and other industrial organisations, in order to enable .-unionists to .secure more, control over their own organisations, and particularly in times of industrial turmoil, to enable them .to take a seorfeit ballot on the question of the strike. The .second question before the electors a.sks them to give the Federal Government what has hitherto been regarded as State rights and to. empower the Commonwealth Government, in time of industrial stress, to take whatever steps were necessary to maintain transport- services. This latter action would only be necessary in, the event of a State failing to maintain the essential .services, Its happened during the .rodent seamen's strike. This was really the cause of the Federal Government seeking the additional powers asked fon by Mr Bruce and his -party on the .strength of the mandate given at last Federal election, to dea.l with alien agitators, but which wsjs inoperative under the existing constitution. They .are hopeful of carrying the proposals, while their opponents are relying oh the fate of the previous referenda, for an alteration. "Opponents against granting the Federal Government such wide powers as Are demanded are confident of defeating them. The .split in the Labour Party renders the . position more obscure than, it would otherwise be. A pretty general opinion appears to ,be that the electors have not taken the trouble to properly acquaint themselves with the intricaoies of the issues involved, and that the vote, to a considerable extent, will be 'am ignorant tone ori both sides. The prospects of carrying the proposals are nob regarded as being bright. It will be some days before the result of the whole vote will he finalised.