SECESSION ISSUE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 255, 25 September 1933, Page 6

SECESSION ISSUE.

The notice of motion given last month by the Premier of Western Australia (Mr Collier) to appeal to the Imperial Parliament on the question of secession appears to have been responsible for the appointment of a Select Committee. which has recommended the appointment of. a non-Parlia-mentary Committee to prepare an address to the King on the question. This is to contain a statement of the secessionists’ case and applications to both Houses of the Imperial Parliament to effect separation of the State from the Commonwealth. At the recent general election a definite vote was given for secession, supporters of the cause numbering 107,884 with 55,703 against. Somewhat paradoxically, the Nationalist Government which led the campaign was defeated and a Labour Government returned to office. The new Premier did not appear to be other than lukewarm on the subject. Perhaps he is more convinced than the previous occupants of office that the issue is hedged about with legal difficulties that are likely to be insuperable. At any rate, it appears to have been a shrewd move for the Select Committee to suggest the appointment of a non-Parliamen-tary committee to state the case. The Labour Government may give its imprimatur to the committee, but it escapes the responsibility of carrying the referendum to its logical conclusion as a measure of its own doing. In transferring the matter to people outside of Parliament, it avoids the charge of inactivity or lack of interest in the cause. The reasons may be financial. The State receives an annual grant of half a million pounds from the Commonwealth to offset the disabilities suffered under the tariff, and this would be lost on secession. Moreover, short-term indebtedness of £10,000,000 now guaranteed by the Commonwealth Bank and the Federal Government would have to be shouldered alone if the State became a separate entity in the full political sense. Realising the disadvantages to be faced Mr Collier no doubt prefers to walk warily. In any event, constitutional authorities hold that the marriage of Western Australia and the T adoration can only be dissolved by the majority in all the States, and the vote only stands as an expression of opinion. A better outcome would be the remedying of the grievances suffered by Western Australia .in its union with the other States,, and on these lines there is fruitful work for the responsible people.