SYDNEY LETTER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17948, 15 November 1918, Page 6

SYDNEY LETTER.

- + — TOPICS OF THE DAY. [FfIOM CrCB CORBESPONDENT.] November (5. LAND FOR SOLDIERS. Tho project of increasing settlement by making land available to returned soldiers has :-:« far worked indifferently. In. the more populous States, tho..areas available are very restricted, and though large sums have: been spent on t ©sumptions, tho laud opened to closer occupation by this means is relatively limited, in the other States tlicfo is considerable inalienated land at the disposal of tho Governments, but most ot tins is.so remotely situated that the expenses incidental to improvement become enormous. In order to arrive at a better basis of working,' the various jviiuistcrs of I<and have lately been in conierence at .ivieioourne>witn tne JHunster ot xvepatriauon. 'i'no result is not very ctoiu yet, ouo it womu &oein as u tne Ministers word agreed chut tney Kuouid pay more attention to settlement uuuer intense- culture conuitious, wue reducing tno area of Inner required, and to tne establiaamont of small rural inuustries. iJio minister of Repatriation (oenritor Millenj says chat il iou,uju ■ men were baws to Australia vvitnin twelve months alter tho war a tremendous strain would bo thrown upon tiie Department if only 10 per cent applied lor Holdings, f osaibly ttlt percentage mignt bo Higher. At an average cost or only xivvu per man the sum involved * would represent i;i6,0u0,000. If tne probable aemanu was to be met' it would bo only by more extensive efforts than those yet contemplated. Ho urges the consideration oi new rural industries, for which tniallci areas and less capital would suffice, a:iu which would provide for the absorption of large numbers of men. The Minister repeated at the conference tho offer made some time ago that it' the States would provide the requisite number ot holdings to justify tho expenditure, the Commonwealth Government would find the money for factories or other central buildings necessary to handle the product, and would guarantee a minimum price for the latter during the initial stages of the industry. Tho fact in connection with the repatriation by iand settlement schemes is that ,tho States and the Commonwealth are in tho midst of enormous difficulties, created by, tho monstrously evil manner in which Australian lands were disposed of in earlier days.. The history of land settlement in Now South Walea and Victoria is of immense grants being made to a few individuals, and of millions of acres being disposed of for less than the proverbial rang. Tho results are seen in the distribution of population and the obstacles to increasing our sparse population bv immigration. Practically all the land is in private hands—and the, country-side almost empty. I n New South Wales, where tho rural population shows a steady decline, settlement can apparently only proceed at stupendous cost to the State.. There is, or soon will be, room for a hundred or two settlers on tho costly irrigation areas. . Perhaps a few hundred can be supplied with land in the west, But apart-from fhdse openings, provided at enormous cost, the Government is merely groping in tho dark. Wo hear often enough of the great number of people who wilj come to Australia when the war is over What would he done with them? Their absorption would ho a. more expcniive business than fighting the GwrniD/ INFLUENZA. Up to the present Australia is free from. ?!ie influenza scourge. Various countries in which the disease is rampant have been declared infected. Steamers arriving from these places, are being quarantined. Vessels, though' the port ot origin may be clear, reporting cases of influenza are detained. Last night the Moeraki, from New Zealand, was ordered into quarantine and' tho passengers landed at South Head, where there is'now a fairly considerable population. Of course we are hopeful that the preventive steps taken by tho Public Health Department may be effective, but it would seem as if'medical men are rather doubtful on the point. Most, of them take the view that tho infection of Australia is inevitable. Meanwhile their counsel to everyone is to keep "fit," and above everything else to avoid' crowded places. This is ay very well,- no doubt, but it is starkly impossible for the majority of people living in a congested eitv'to avoid crowded places. There are crowds in trams and trains and ferry boats and shops. One's only chance of keeping clear of these is to take flight to the mountains. Many of us get encouragement to do this from the news arriving from New Zealand, for whatever .the facts may be the general impression created is that you are in a rather bad waV. Apropos of this: The indignation, official and otherwise, over the manner in which passengers were allowed to disembark at Auckland from the Niagara and journey across to Sydney without intervention by the New Zealand Health Office wits very pronounced.

THE TASKS OF THE FUTURE. Among his friends Mr Holman, the State Premier, makes uo secret of his apprehensiveness about the difficulties of Government after the war. His view of the position that will develop within a year after peace is declared is distinctly gloomy, ( being based mainly upon considerations arising out of tho terrible waste of wealth and life and credit during the past four years. Occasionally he refers, somewhat guardedly, to this matter in his public utterances, and in a speech at Queanoeyan this week he declared that unless there was a very great increase of production ia Australia the country would become 'involved in something' of the nature of a cataclysm. Leaving this aspect of the problem he went on to cay that in his opinion ".the greatest industrial upheaval in tho history of Australia is approaching. :; On that point at any rate I do not. think there is much reason for thinking Mr Holman to be wrong. Labour all over Australia is growing very restless. The movement tor the establishment of One Big Union, though meeting with difficulties, is. marching rapidly forward, and unless the other eido naa something more definite to offer Labour than nebulosities about "production"—unless the depreciation of tho currency which has heavily reduced the purchasing power of the workers' income is quickly corrected—serious trouble can bo counted upon. The writer expresses no opinion on the merits or demerits of Labour's political policy or industrial attitude. He merely" points to what, arc quite obvious tacts. There is, too, this further circumstance to take into ; consideration by those who would form opinions about Australian affairs—-that tho thought of Labour has undergone very rapid change during the last four or five years- Prior to that Labour pinned its faith to reform of the traditional character. It concerned itself mostly with struggling for increased wages, for protection against outside competition, lor equality in. politics and so on. Its attitude nowadays tends towards identity with the Labour programme in other countries-'-towards revolutionary change in the control o. production and the management ot mdustrv In other wordy. Labour is becoming Socialistic, not in the sense ; ot those who use the term in connection with the hybrid device known as State Socialism, hut as the Word _ is used by those who look on-State Socialism as an adjunct of Capitahsm. Austra ban Labour which once looked to war lamentarv reform now distrusts Parliament. Tfc'ifi swiftlv getting to tiw stage of havinVbufc a single « on its programme -<•-Destruction of the Capitals S y s - JtnVanTudt But if tho end of the

war brings anv measure of deprivation to the Australian workers —even if it does not bring theai immediate relief from what they conceive to be gross, economic injustice—there will bo a bis fight. It may be true that a general strike is always doomed to failure. The evidence is rather confusing. In any case, it is absolutely certain that organised in One Big Union Labour could paralyse the industry and commerce of this Continent, perhaps indefinitely. : TRADES UNION FUNDS. Trado unions have been notified by the Department of Labour and Industry that their funds must no longer be devoted to political purposes, except under special conditions. Provision to that, end was made in the. Arbitration Act of this year, but, owing to representations made to him, the Minister of Labour and Industry agreed not to insist, on the enforcement of the rule until September 30 last. The Department has now intimated by circular letter to the unions that the law must in future be strictly observed. It is pointed out. however, that a union's moneys and property may be applied to the furtherance of political objects if the rules contain provisions required by the Act, such as the following clauses:— 1. Any payments in the furtherance of political objects are to be made out of a separate fund. 2- Contribution to such separate fund shall not be a condition of sdurssiou to or membership of the Union. 3. A member who does not contribute to such separate fund sball not bo excluded from any benefits of the , un'on, or placed Under any disadvantages as compared with other members of the union by reason of his failure to so contribute. Union officials complain that this notification will prevent thorn adeauately assisting the Labour candidate-in the by-election campaign now proceeding at Monaro.