THE ANTI- TRUST BILL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13050, 15 December 1905, Page 5

THE ANTI- TRUST BILL.

SECOND READING DEBATE, .. . ! A BILL TO PROHIBIT IMPORT-' I INO-. By Telegraph.—FressAssQciation.—CopyTight;, '.". ~->■.,. (Recaivcd December 14, 11.21 p.m.) Melbourne, December 14. ,-, Mr. Joseph Cooke resumed the debate on the Anti-Trust Bill to-day. He urged • .that the Bill should be left c -er till next. 1 session, as it affected the, whole trade of Australia. He objected to the provision , that the operations of a tru. c , should be , deemed unfair until proved otherwise. The ; . ; ! Harvester ■companies should have the right to appear before the Tariff Commission before anything was done. It was essen- • I tially an anti-trade Bill. In seeking to put down trusts, a huge Government trust would be set up more tyrannous than any private trust. The Bill was intended to ;: : force up prices. It enabled -the wholebusiness of the country to be run on socialistic lines., without the Government taking ; ■ socialistic responsibility. The Government - was trying to sneak in prohibition of imports, •■...■. not by honest, straight-out protection, but in a dishonest way. The provisions would prove most inquisitorial. A Minister should.,,! not have the power to appoint a board "of : '' : ' inquiry. Be advocated the appointment of a High Court judge. The Bill was far too ■ drastic. (Received December 15, 1.7 a.m.) Sydney, December 14. After a lengthy debate, the Anti-Trus* Bill has been read a second time on the voices. A big fight iV com"' it-tee is ex---"-.. pected, ' ■■"-' : : .'""..'..\'..:, - ~ '■■'" SOME SEVERE CRITICISMS. - "■]" Sydney, December 14. , The Sydney Daily Telegraph says the AntiTrust Bill, in its provisions and in the cir-' cumstances in which it is brought forward,/ is politically monstrous. The only way !of getting it passed,' if there should be at - | majority in favour of such an astounding proposal, would be to "knout" it through . ! with the gag, the most appropriate method' lof passing such "a Bill. ','',/ ''.' .'.. '.' '''.".'l.-; The Sydney Morning Herald says —"It"' is hardly possible we can be. expected to take seriously this extraordinary Anti-Trust Bill. It discloses Mr. Deakin, on the one hand, inspired his Protectionist and ',? on the other by. the Labour wing. The whole Bill, in the latter aspect, means an appeal for labour .votes, but labour will -« be : capable of seeing that it , may. pay too dearly for. ice fads.' Mr.jDeakin has sue- ' ceeded in shocking the sense of the com- ' munity, and we hope that is as far as. his success will go." ■ / ; -' ~, .. EFFECT ON KAURI TIMBER TRADE. ' Melbourne, December 14.-; At the annual meeting of the Kauri Tim-? ber Company Mr. H. Reid said the Antii , \ Trust Bill might be better termed a Bill for the abolition of Australian: industries.: r No doubt, if carried into law, it would in-y juriously affect , the , company. ••■. It. was '\ i' scarcely credible that in the present century;. : ••■ a Minister of the Grown could bring forward a- ■ proposal such- as that which gave the Minister for Cus- » toms power to prohibit any article being imported into Australia that was " likely to come into unfair competition with Australian manufactured articles. . Assum- ■ ing that the Labour members proved to ; Sir AV. J. Lyne that Queensland pine was better for butter boxes than kauri, the com- . pany would be ruined.. They had h&lf-a-. million capital at. stake invested, on the a*( , sumption that under the British flag they, would get fair play. He had never known of such an iniquitous measure being : intro- ■'. - ;: duced into Parliament. '