AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12425, 14 February 1901, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH.

THE COLOURED LABOUR QUESTION. GRADUAL ABOLITION OF KANAKA LABOUR. PROTEST FROM QUEENSLAND. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. MELBOURNE, Feb. 13. Mr Barton, Mr Kingston and Mr Drake addressed a large meeting in the. Town Hall, Mr Barton spoke in advocacy of the Trans-continental E-aillway development in the Northern Territory. He said thatActs will he introduced to effectually minimise- and speedily put a stop to the. introduction of Asiatics, as distinguished from South Sea Islanders, and to advance, by gradual steps, to a- point where the importation of Kanaka labour would be abolished. The National Liberal organisation has adopted a platform, which includes the steady development of Australian resources, preferential trading relations with the Empire where possible, a “White Australia,” the nationalisation of the area of the Federal capital, and the maintenance of Australian interests abroad. BRISBANE, Eeb. 15. A meeting of sugar manufacturers carried a resolution, deploring Mr Barton's statement that it wn-s intended to abolish Kanaka labour. If this proposal were sanctioned by the Federal- Parliament, and no other aliens were allowed to do the work, the sugar industry would speedily be extinguished.