LABOUR MANIFESTO.

North Otago Times, 3 November 1906, Page 1 (Supplement)

LABOUR MANIFESTO.

THE FIGHTING PLATFORM,

THB AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT-1

ART PARTY,

PROGRESSIVE LAND TAX,

CITIZEN DEFENCE FORCE.

PAST WORK OP THE PARTY,

Tha Federal Parliamentary Labour' • party has issued the following manifesto t to the electors ofAustralia:— : Follow-citifcens;—The results of the! general election of 1903 proved that; , the principles embodied in the Federallabour platform had since 1901 become rbctter understood and more widely apby the electors of Australia.' That' election substantially augmented' the'representation of labour in both .Chambers of. the national.Legislature. . .Thus onf" numbers in the Senate rose from 8 in 1901 to 14 in 1903, and in the House-of Representatives from 1G in the former year, to 25 in the latter. This . gratifying accession to the strength of labour, in Parliament was necessarily the expense of the other two •parties. Although it left eaeli of them ' correspondingly onfcobled, still in conv ' bination they were' sufficiently strong to, defeat the Labour Government and in-! tercopt the accomplishment of its pro-: gramme. In a Parliament containing: • threo : partios nearly equal in their re-; ipeotive numbers such a contingency' was to hare been anticipated. : As the| _' affairs of the country must be carried' orir some understanding or allianco be- ■ -4n'ifca- two of euch parties was inevitable. Yel.'to achieve the best results. .for tie nation, tho Executive Govern-' meat should be sustained in'tho Legis-lature-by an assured majority, pledged . to principles clearly defined on thoHust.; in"), and accepted by the constituents.j ... Our platform has been enunciated in: - unmistakable terms, and with confidence! wo .submit it and our Parliamentary! record for the judgment of the people.' LABOUR AND OTHER GOVERN- : MENTS. i

The Parliament now expiring has : .been notable for frequent Ministerial: changes. Shortly after it assembled the- j • Deikin Government resigned beoause'j Ti;cv Housq of Representatives declined; to include railway servants within the; soopo of the Arbitration Bill. Mr Watson was then sent for, and formed a •Ministry, from.tlie Labour party, with Mr Higgins, K.C., as Attorney-General.! . Its immediate work was' to complete! .tho Arbitration Bilj. to which a largo! majority of- members were pledged. -In endeavouring : . to ■ carry the" measure througli the House, the Labour Ministry found that it had to fight not only tho .' avowed.opponents of the bill, but also .many of its professed supporters. The provision allowing tho Arbitration Court to grant preference to unionists in order to protect them from being victimised, as introduced originally by the , Deakin Ministry, was opposed by Air Deakin and several of his late colleagues, and defeated in committee. Tho very exceptional course was taken by tho Opposition of refusing to allow . the matter to be reconsidered, whereupon the Watson Government resigned, preferring to sacrifice plate to principle. Its brief tenure of office (some four months) and the relentless opposition it encountered-throughout prevented 'tho Labour Ministry from accomplishing" much in tho way of legislation; but its of the Treasury v benches, htfwir, at least dissipated the notion tbiVtho labour party feared to accept tho responsibilities of government. Tho retirement of the Labour Ministry was, followed by a coalition Government formed by Messrs Eeid and M'Lean. This Ministry passed the Arbitration Bill through its remaining stages, notwithstanding that the measu.ro recognised the principle of preference to unionists and included State' bmploycce within its scope, to both; of which Mr Eeid had previously offered strenuous opposition. ; On Parliament assembling for its second session the Heid-M'Lean Government proposed to pass the Redistribution of feats Bill, and then dissolve; bub' as much uscfrl work remained to be done, the Labour party concluded an arrangement with Mr Deakin by which the Reid Ministry was defeated, and sv Donkin Government again assumed office.

WORK OF THE SECOND PARLIAMENT.

Siuco the advent of the second Deakin Administration mueh valuable legislation has been onactej. Other measures mak-! ing for tho country's prosperity would undoubtedly \m\\ become law but for' the systematic -jbsl ruction which they encountered from tho party of reaction.! Nevertheless what has been accomplish-! ed'abundantly justified the refusal of a; ■dissolution, with its attendant expense; and dislocation of public business.; Finding it impracticable to enumerate here all the work of the second Parlia-. nient, this brief survey takes note only: of tho measures of greatest moment ; with which the Legislature during tho pas; three years attempted to deal. FISCAL LEGISLATION.

1 Tho Labour platform proposes that tho fiscal policy of Australia shall be settled by direct vote of the people themselves. Our intention is that this settlement shall be made speedily and .decisively, free from the confusion and .distraction of other issues- A Royal Commission is at preeant inquiring into tho effects of the existing tariff, and its report will doubtless bo followed by a 'complete revision of duties by Parliament. This being accomplished the question of confirming or rejecting the revised.tariff should be submitted to a referendum as soon as practicable, and thus ensure freedom from tariff alteration for a reasonable period.* a Bounties Bill authoris-i ing expenditure within 10 years of; £503,003 to encourage Australian pro-: duction has passed the House of Repre-; sentativos. The products to which this | law applies are chiefly agricultural, and j to ensure tho sußsidy products must be. grown exclusively by white labour. It is hoped that under the stimulus'of this bounty,there will be a movement of )»pulatkm _ from the cities into the country, with a corresponding development of .agriciilaural resources. PROTECTION FOR WORKERS AND '":■'■ CONSUMERS, I

A new and notable feature in tariff legislation was introduced at the instance ;of tho Labour- party into -measures giving increased protection to the manufacturers of agricultural machinery. Hitherto protective duties too frequently havo benefited the employer only. This new scheme takes some account of the interests of operatives and the public generally. Undei it protection to the manufacturer is dependent first on the payment of adequate remuneration to the worker, and - next oh the sale of. products at not pore than a fixed maximum price, the latter provision safeguarding the consumer from extortion. These principles might well be incorporated in any tar- \ iff readjustment, COMMERCE ACT. If vigorously administered the Commerce Act will prove one of the most useful measures passed by this Parliament. It protects the public against; fraudulent practices, and the honest _, trader-'against dishonest competition . in J» interest of the public health. 'll)i 8 last compels manufacturers to indicate the ingredients or materials of which their goods are composed. .A description of an article as all wool when it is partly rcsal is, an of-

iertce UntleV that Ac:. The innocent nothing, syrups, which actually contain narcotio poisons, can only be imported at tho risk of a heavy penalty. Unfortunately the Constitution does not empower tho Federal Parliament to superviso imports nfterclcaring at the Customs, and so before reaching the consumer they may bo tamporcd with. It is tho function of the State Governments to exercise supervision at this stage, and if the publio are to ho completely protected legislation by various States is necessary, ANTI-TRUST LEGISLATION.

j Recognising the growing power of I trusts aiid combines, Parliament en- ! noted last session a measure for .their ' repression, modelling largely on American legislation. This law also seeks to : prevent ''dumping" in Australia—that ! is, tho salo here at undor cost of goods I the surplus products of foreign manufactories. In this respect our law will probably nrovo successful, and afford 'adequate protection to those- ongaged in Australian industry. Its eifective- ' ncss, however, in prohibiting the operation of hurtful local monopolies is open to doubt. The failure after 16 years' trial of American legislation points to tho necessity of much more drastic- measures. ■ We feel that the only real reniody for suoli ovils is collective control j of all monopolies, by which incentives to restraint or manipulation of trade' would be removed, economy of produc-l tion secured, and public interest com-! pletely safeguarded. j NATIONALISATION OP MONOPO- ! LIES. ; Consequent upon the report of the 1 Royal Commission on tobacco monopoly,! initial steps to procure an amendment j of the Constitution enabling the Com-j monwealth to nationalise this and simi- ■ lar monopolies were taken by a Labour ; senator. Although not successful, ow-1 ing to tho pressure of Government lmsi-: ness, this effort roused the reactionary: party in the Senate to be a vigorous de-: fence of the tobacco combine. The fact' is still beyond dispute that this com-: bination is a menace, both to growers; and consumers of tobacco. Its profits j are immense. It has increased its out- [ put, while reducing the number of its • employees; yet it maintains its price, to the consumer. By these means, combined with certain labour-saving ma-' chinery (of which it enjoys exclusive use in Australia) it has effected a saving in wages alone estimated at some; £200,000 annually. Several countries i have nationalised this industry, and de-! rive large revenues from it. Public! control of this monopoly would benefit both producer and consumer, and turn a stream of wealth into the national treasury which is now absorbed by pri-j vat-s capitalists. THE UNION LABEL. i

1 A proposal to include in tho Trade ' Marks Act provision for the protection ; of union labels from fraudulent imita- .; tion was fiercoly opposed by tho Eeid i party, supported by tho employers' organisations throughout Australia. Evenj tually, however, it was carried, and the . workers' trade mark now enjoys pro- . teetion from piracy similar to that accorded those registered by ordinary ■ trading firms. • OLD AGE PENSIONS. ! The constitutional requirement that •three-fourths of the net Customs and oxciso revenuo shall bo returned to tho j States' Treasurers, and tho hostility to i both Government and Opposition parties; to direct taxation, have proved insu- ; perablo obstacles so far to the creation! of old ago pensions. ' j I A Royal Commission recommended i .'that funds be deducted from the consoli- ; j dated revenue, and indicated certain: isources of direct and indirect taxation.' for the purpose. The Government siib-: raitted an amendment of the C'onstitu-' I tion superseding the three-fourths re-' ! qnii'em'ents as regards special duties, the'j ;whole proceeds from which could Be: | applied to the payment of pensions.: This measure, however, failed to pass: the Senate. The initiation of some buma no provisions for aged and indigent: citizens should b9 one of the first Actsl of the new Parliament, and ths labour j party is resolved to push tho matter! to a definite issue without further delay.;

LAND TAXATION AND SETTLEMENT.

Tho most serious obstacle to the ex- J pansion and progress of Australia is| land monopoly, which, unfortunately, 1 exists in all States. Our cities are con-! gcsted because of this monopoly, It is] ; largely responsible for our unemployed. ■

|lt has driven thousands out of the' iCommonwealth during the past few; i years, and it impedes us in. obtaining j :any substantial increase,of population] | from abroad. Agriculturists will not 1 iconic hero unless there is available j ! good land at moderate cost adjacent to: ', railway lines and centres of population, i :In short, it is absolutely necessary thatHand monopoly should be abolished if \ the people of this Continent ;are to have- ; a fair ohance of earning an honest live- ; liliood in their own country. ; The party has therefore determined' that somo definite action must be taken . to this end, and its proposal is that a i .progressive land value tax should bo! : imposed for the purpose of breaking i lup largo estates. The tax outlined by j the party is an extremely moderate one. ] There is an absolute exemption of £SOOO i in unimproved capital value (all im-j provements being exempted from taxa- j tion), so that, the small bolder, the I bona fide grazier, and agriculturists, will! •not only bo untouched by this tax, but' I will actually bonefit largely by its opera- j tion. It will then be to the advantage j .of owners of. land locked up against settlement to arrange- for its disposal; to intending settlers who are now com-1 pelled to leavo the country, or pay execssivo rents to monopolists. Tho in-1 direct benefits of-this tax should be considerable. Production will bo stimulated, and new channels of employment I provided, giving our railways increased I j traffic, and swelling tho tido of national! ■ prosperity. The policy is not a now j I one. It is not an experiment. It lias' been-in active operation in New Zealand j for years, and contributes largely to J. tho prosperity enjoyed by that colony., Wo submit this item of our programme! in full confidence that- the electors of j

the Commonwealth will perceive fho de- j stniction of land monopoly to bo nni imperious necessity, which can only be j satisfactorily accomplished by such a policy as is hero outlined. I NATIONAL DEFENCE. . j The policy of the party, on the vital j question of -defence, though often mis- j represented, has been consistent and patriotic. While in the first Parliament wo Jed tlio way iu cutting about £300,000 off the'military estimates, we at the same time offered to vote for the expenditure of any reasonable sum upon our woefully deficient armament and equipment. Later, when a Labour Government was in office, it proposed to allocate a large 'sum for this purpose. Military expenditure must always be carefully watched, and any tendency]' towards mere display or training at the | expense of adequate equipment should! be steadfastly opposed. Our immediate i aims should include the extension of I our citizen soldiery, and the local manu : ; facture of small arms and ammunition j in sufficient quantity to meet all pro-; bable emergencies, . j | As to naval defence, we recognise j fully what we owe to the British fleet,] but the exigencies of war will almost j inevitably cause its withdrawal from! our waters at a critical time. To meet! this contingency it is essential to pro-! vide for coastal defence, so that havens j of refuge against a raiding enemy mayj be'available for Australian shipping.! Well-defended bases should prove of j great assistance to the Imperial fleet, j and in themselves would form no mean i contribution towards Empire defence.! We therefore favour immediate proyi-'

j'sion being inado for coastal'defence by j torpedo boats or other suitable vessels. I SHIPPING ABUSES AND REFOIUIS.

Tlio Royal Commission appointed by the Labour Government unearthed muou ■useful information and submitted numerous valuable recommendations conowning coastal oncl over-sea navigation. It is essential that early in tho next Parliament steps should be taken to • onact .legislation on. tho lines' suggested hy the Commission, This should result in considerable alleviation of tho position of seamen and afford greater protcotion to tho lives of crows and pacsongers at sea.

Another commission touching a kin-

dred question was appointed at the ii stanco of a member of tho Labour partj It reported in favour of tho cstablisl mont of a Federal fleet for tho convey anco of over-sea mails ami passongers and incidontally disclosed improper practices on the part of sliipping companies which should shortly engage legislative attention. Interesting revelations havo also been mado by tho Victorian State Butter Commission, later created a Fedoral Commission by the Labour Government. By giving secret rebates certain companies secured a monopoly of cargoes, and compolled tho dairy farmers to pay enormously excessive charges, file Federal Parliament promptly passed a law. which punishes tho giving of socret commissions by a fino of £SOO, or two yoars' imprisonment.

: W GUINEA AND THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

The Commonwealth has now uovcroignpower over that portion of Papuan territory hitherto known as British New Guinea. The management of this new possession involves numerous problems calculated to fully tax the wisdom and resource of the Federal Executive. As tho latter must be guided .by the advico of the officer administering the affairs of the possession ho should be a man well disposed towards native races experienced in tropical countries, and withal in intimate touch with Australian sentiment. Trial by jury and direct representation in a local legislature should bo conceded at once to the white population. So jar Papua has been a burdon on the taxpayers of Australia. Our immediate duty is to devise means by which it will becomo self-supporting. While safe-guarding the interests of tho aborigines it must extend gonerous encouragement to white settlers and stimulate tho production of those commodities for which the soil and climate of Papua aro especially fitted. Problems of a kindred nature, yet perhaps more insistent than any presented by Papua, confront «s in respect to tho Northern Territory. Circumstances not wholly within Federal control have intercepted the acquisition of tho possession by the Commonwealth. It must, however, soon pass under Federal jurisdiction.* Its proximity to "tho East," whose teeming millions tend to overrun their natural boundaries demonstrates the unwisdom of allowing this spacious territory to remain untenanted, and enforces the necessity of vesting its control in tho national G'ov- | eminent. We are convinced that its ! effective occupation by the white rxcQ ( i 3 practicable and necessary. There is in it illimitable room for immigrants of the right sort, and to such the Labour party would offer a cordial welcome.

PUBLIC DEBT'S.

Thcro is little" doubt, but that Federal securities would command a higher price in the world's money market thau tboso of any single State. It is therefore to be regretted that constitutional limitations have prevented the adoption of any workable scheme for taking over of State debts. If the Commonwealth Parliament were ahlo to assume respon. sibility for maturing loans without being compelled to simultaneously tako over an equal proportion from each State, and were permitted at any time to take advantage of market fluctuations, it could secure a greater profit' on the -operation than is possible under l the existing provisions of the Constitution. It is therefore desirable that the Constitution bo amended in this direction, and there should also bo somei limitation on the borrowing powers of

the States. It .may be pointed out that tho Labour party took the lead in ob- / jocting to the flotation of loans for ! Commonwealth purposes, and insisted ■ upon works being constructed out of

Tovonue which the States' Governments had usually paid for out of loan moneys. This policy should he continued, and borrowing restricted to the smallest possible limits. CAPITAL SITE.

I But littlo progress lias been' made ' with tho selection of the site for the Commonwealth capital. Differences existing between the Senate and House l of Representatives during the first Par* | liament bavo been reconciled, and both' : Chambers during the Watson Adminis- ■ tration agreed upon Dalgety. The Act) ; also provided "that tho Federal terri- • tory should not be less than 900 square milos, with an outlet to the sea. Tho New South Wales Government lias ob- . jected to all these provisions, and submittcd alternate sites nearer Sydney, and more accessible to existing railway i facilities. For many reasons it is de- ; sirablo that : the selection should be ! definitely determined as early as pos-1 jsible. j | KANAKA LAROTJR. i j No phaso'of labour policy was' more j bitterly denounced than that involved in the abolition of the kanaka traffic,: jlt was confidently predicted that the J i ruin of the sugar industry must follow j iany attempt to replace coloured by iwhite workers, This gloomy,prognostication has been utterly falsified by ■events, while our contention that the, • only .difficulty in tho production of sugar by white labour was economic, and 'not physical, has been amply demoa-J . strated. . Tho currency of the sugar . bounty has been extended until 1912 j contingent upon the employment of 'white labour at not less than standard ■ wages. Tho industry is more flourish-' ■ ing than over, and reliable authorities ; estimate that fully 70 per cent, of tho I I yield in Queensland this year will he ! produced by white labour. | ATTENDANCE OF'MEMBERS. j In tho first Parliament the labour

; members secured the highest average j attendance. This position has been ! maintained in the second Parliament, the figures being as follow : I Senate (from the opening of Parlia- | ment to September 27,1906).—176 sit' |tir>w3. Labour, 154; Ministerialists, j 145; Opposition, 130. ! Houso of Representatives (from the opening of Parliament to September 28, 190G). —276 sittings. Labour, 242; Ministerialists, 225;. Opposition,.-207, THE REAL ISSUES. Against us and our programme stands the conservative and reactionary party, with its battle-cry of "Anti-So-cialist." The battle-cry is new but the party is old, and under varied disguises lias always been arrayed. against the interests of the people. Desperately j alarmed at the amazing.progress of our j party, conservatism is now, as ever, with ! its tremendous and sinister influence, j fighting the battle of the privileged ! few. It professes to see in onr objective \ alid platform gravo dangers to our do■mostio and national life; but what it • really fears is an attack upon the citadel j- »f monopoly. To secure to all citizens j.lhe full results of their labour is the ! ideal.embodied in our objective, and j towards the reabsaTion of this ideal we ! idvceate as flighting platform—j 1. The maintenance of a white Aus- ;. '.'." tralia. j 2, Nationalisation of monopolies. i 3. Old-age pensions. j 4. Tariff referendum. i 6. Progressive tax on unimproved j kind values. • i 6. Restriction of public borrowing. I ; 7. Navigation.laws. ' ..; 8. (Stize'n defence force. .....

Wo invito electors to contrast this dofmite, equitable, and practical platform with tho vague and meaningless negations of our opponents. We feel confident that. our. fellow-citizens will neither bo alarmed at imaginary dangers nor deceived as to the real issue now before thorn; but seeing that tho contest is betwceji Unprivileged classes and tho pooplo, they will give us tlio support necessary to carry our pro- j grammo into effect. • • J, C. WATSON, Chairman, FRANK G. TUDOR, Secretary, Federal Labour Party.