Customs Portfolio Not For Country Party

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 6747, 4 January 1932, Page 7

Customs Portfolio Not For Country Party

AUSTRALIA’S TROUBLE. United Press Association. —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. SYDNEY, Jan. 2. Dr. Earle Page, leader of the Country party, returned from Melbourne yesterday. He discussed the critical position over tho new Cabinet and expressed the opinion that the Lyons Government would have a short life. He added that the absence of the Country party from the Ministry waa due to the fact that Chambers of Commerce and manufacturers had declared ihe Country party “black” so far aa the Customs portfolio waa concerned. He emphasised that there was no lack of willingness on the part of the Country party to lend its whole weignt to the Government when dealing with economic and financial problems. Dr. Page said that it was quite impossible for Australia to get out of difficulty until there was a fixed determination on the part of the Government to make tho iam> industries profitable. Members of the Country party would avail, themselves of the opportunity while free from tho cares of ofiico to visit the other States to tell the people exactly what was happening in New South Wales, also to outline the cure. There could be no real economic health in Australia while two-thirds of Australia’s population was living in New South Wales, which was suffering economic and industrial stagnation duo to Langism and the inability of producers to obtain relief from their present burdens.