FIGHT TO FINISH

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 13 November 1926, Page 9

FIGHT TO FINISH

ABOLITION OF COUNCIL MR. LANG DETERMINED ADDRESS TO LABOUR PARTY. ay CABLE- PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. Received 12.20 p.m. to-day. SYDNEY, Nov. 13. Speaking at the opening session of the Australian Labour Party’s conference, the Hon. J. G. Lang said that if he continued to receive the confidence of the people the Government would not only remove the nominee chamber, but imported Governors would llecome a thing of the past. Both belonged to a bygone age, both were relics of a system utterly incompatible with democratic institutions. The fight was on, and it was going to be a fight to a finish.' The abolition of the Legislative Council was a plank in the Labour platform which had too long been left in abeyance. He was convinced it was much nearer realisation to-day than it had ever been. Be ter ring to the rejection of a clause in the Eire Brigades Bill by the Legislative Council, Mr. Lang said that it was not really a. defeat of the Government at all;'it was merely the capitalists in the nominee Chamber giving the public another demonstration of how they can protect their pockets and frustrate the Government’s intentions. Mr. Bavin having failed in the representative chamber to reduce the contributions by the fire insurarice companies towards the maintenance of fire brigades, naturally turned his attention to his friends in the nominee chamber, and his accomplished friends, being largely insurance company directors and shareholders, were not slow to act. The result was the defeat of a Government measure and the necessity for the recommittal of the Bill and the renewal of the fight to get the will of the people's chamber put into effect.