AUSTRALIAN DUES

Northern Advocate, 18 April 1932, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN DUES

OVERSEAS INTEREST

LANG- DEFERMENT PLAN,

DEPRECATED BY ME LYONS

(United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) (Received 9 a.m.) SYDNEY, April 17.

Mr Lang has returned to Sydney from the Premiers ’ Conference at Melbourne, and it is stated he docs not intend to return to it.

Despatches from the Victorian capital state that the Prime Minister, Mr J. A. Lyons, has sent a statement to the London press deprecating Mr Lang’s'suggestion to withhold oversea interest in order to meet the economic and financial difficulties in Australia. He says the prospect of a general reduction in interest on external debts depends on .the action taken upon an international,basis for the relief of debtor countries.

Mr Lyons says he sincerely hopes the war debts question will bo settled at the International Conference, to be hold in London in June. “Whatever measure of-relief is, obtained,'however, will depexld upon how far we are able to strengthen our credit,’’ he says. “Mr Lang’s attitude certainly does not enhance our prospects of relief. ’ ’

A WEEK OF TESTING,

MR. LANG PACES CRISIS,

Financial muddle increases.

1 (Received 10 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. Owing to the terrible muddle into which New South Wales finances hare drifted in consequence ” of the Commonwealth blockage and the lack of banking facilities, Air. J. T. Lang, as State Treasurer, will have his hands pretty full during the coming week finding a new way out of the impasse. The Government’s cheques are being rejected in all parts of the State, and bitter complaints are being made by those? who have any business with the Government. Further Federal action is now temporarily held up by to-day’s High Court application by Mr. Lang for an injunction restraining the banks fulfilling the Commonwealth attachment of State deposits. ■ There are also critical developments which may force drastic action outside the. ambit of Federal activities. It is authoritatively stated that the Premier will default in internal as well as external interests. The climax is expected this week, when the Privy Council’s decision regarding the abolition of the Legislative Council is expected. It is anticipated that this will completely transform the present outlook. Mr. Lang’s place at the Melbourne

• Conference on Unemployment is to be ■'filled by Mr. Davidson, Minister of Public Works.

GOVERNMENT ATTACKED,

STRONG WORDS PROW PULPIT.

(Received 11.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day.

At-the Pitt .Street Congregational Church, the Rev. T. E. Ruth gave an address on “the Police and the’ ‘Now Guard.’ ” He asked: “If it is the duty of the police to obey the orders iof a corrupt Government, what then?”

Continuing, he said: “The police are all right, but their masters, with their warped idea of justice, their apparent protection of Communists, their animosity ,to loyalists, their Soviet legislation, their tin-hare scandals, • and their policy of default and repudiation; these political masters of the police, I say, arc all wrong. “The right of criticism is necessary to public morality. It is a common fight, and if the police are employed by their .masters to deny it, it must be guarded by others. For months I have been amazed at the supine sur- ! render of the citizens of this State to Si scries of immoral political actions.”

Mr Ruth concluded: “There is sufficient manpower in the ‘New Guard,’ if consecrated to the cause of Christ arid the cause of the State, to save NeW South Wales.”