AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15233, 21 February 1913, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

AN -OPPONENT OF .. FEDERATION. ; [by TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] : - , Wellington, Thursday. c The Hon. A. H. Barlow, representative of the Government in the Legislative Council, of the State of Queensland, and senior member (next to the Premier) in the Cabinet, is at present in Wellington on holiday. Mr. Barlow is an uncompromising opponent of Federalism in: Australia. / "Federation," he said in an interview, "has done us a lot of harm through creating want of confidence. : People axe afraid to invest money. The Federal elections are on May 31, arid if the ' Fisher Government goes back to power it will be time to put up the shutters. The referendum they are proposing to submit to the people is even more dangerous than themselves. I think the prospects are-fair for the more -rational party: in Queensland. The strikes of last year produced a" very considerable awakening among the apathetic portion of the public. " At the Queensland elections, following the strikes, the Liberal Government obtained a majority, of 22 in a-' House of 70 , members. - I think that the excesses •of Labour I will be the chief thing influencing the mailt of the coming elections, arid' I think, they will' influence them in favour of Liberalism. It will be deplorable .if they don't," ■ ' •. , - Mr. Barlow holds that Labour is running a big machine which it does not know how to control, and that naturally the man with capital will not board the machine.;' ; Reverting to the subject of ■ Federalism, ho said that it was in many ways a very bad thing for the country. For his State (Queensland) it was particularly bad. Queensland had only 10 representatives in the Federal Parliament, and New South Wales and Victoria could swamp them. • " I oould not . help thinking as • I was coming across that that ! strip of ocean was' a God-send to New Zealand. If New Zealand had been, a couple .of hundred miles from Australia, they would have' had you in the Federation. If anyone ever talks Federation to you don't you listen to them. Australia is as big as France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Great; Britain; and a portion of European Russia, and they are going to control the whole of .it from Yass .. Canberra, .up in the ; Carpathian Mountains. The thing is ridiculous." :