FUTURE OF AUSTRALIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20841, 7 April 1931, Page 12

FUTURE OF AUSTRALIA.

APPEAL BY MR. LYONS.

great national movement.

SINKING OF DIFFERENCES.

A notable appeal for the dropping of party differences and the formation, of a united front to save Australia from economic disaster was made by Mr. Lyons, M.P., in Sydney a few days ago. " There arc 300,000 Australian citizens out of work," said Mr. Lyons. " I here is no more work for them to do. 1' or many months unemployment has been steadily increasing. It is still increasing. Disaster has befallen us already, and a condition of calamity unparalleled m the experience of the Commonwealth is rapidly developing. " What are the causes of our tragic situation? It is true that our national income has seriously diminished owing to the collapse in values of our exports. But the paramount cause of our industrial and commercial paralysis—the fundamental reason why 300,000 of our workers are' unemployed—is that the people of Australia and the people of Britain have lost faith in the integrity and competence of our national Government.

" Urgent Common Duty."

" The crisis that confronts us is too acute and serious to waste time in denouncing and blaming those whom we believe to be responsible for our plight. It is our urgent common duty to restore and re-establish confidence in the credit of the Commonwealth botli at home and abroad. When we have done this, not only will Britain hasten- to our financial assistance, but I.believe that ample supplies of local money, real money, will also become available to tide Australia over the crisis, to provide work for the unemployed and to lead us back surely and steadily to conditions of prosperity.

" What must wo do to recover the internal and external confidence which is so vitally necessary to the rehabilitations of our national economic life, and the reestablishment of our 300,000 unemployed in permanent jobs? We cannot do it by spending more than we earn, by shirking our responsibilities, by repudiating our debts, by debasing our currency. Those are expedients which could effect nothing save further to impair our national credit, increase the army of our unemployed, and bring us by swift stages to the pit of national insolvency and economic ruin and collapse. . . . " We Have No Party To-day." " My mates and I have been Labour men all our lives. We have no party today. Conscience has compelled us to transfer our allegiance from a party we long served to the people of Australia, because so many of the people of Australia are in dire and dreadful need. There are 300,000 of them out of work, and it is the duty of every citizen, and therefore our duty, to do what can be done to pro-, vide those unfortunates with employment. "Earnestly, humbly, sincerely, I invite the members of all existing political parties and all private citizens who think as I am thinking, to sink their differences and unite in one great Commonwealth movement to restore the integrity and prosperity of Australia and to banish the curse of unemployment from our beloved country. I have but to add that I am prepared to serve such a movement gladly, with all my energy, and in any capacity." " I have not left the Labour Party," added Mr. Lyons. "The Labour Party has left me."

Mr. C. Tranter, speaking in Melbourne for the Associated Banks of Victoria and the Ail for Australia League, said that generally the Lyons policy would commend itself to bankers as being on sound business and economic lines. It should be patent to everybody that they could only get back to prosperity by doing what Mr. Lyons suggested. That ■was the only honest course: The banks had already said that they would be willing to give all the assistance in their power provided the Government position was put on a sound basis. Otherwise, it was impossible for them to do anything. Support Prom Mr. Bruce. Mr. S. M. Bruce, ex-Prime Minister, said that he greatly welcomed the proposals made by Mr. Lyons. lie was prepared to. give his- assistance to put into effect the idea underlying them. " The position in Australia to-day is critical," said Mr. Bruce.. "It is imperative that all sections should sink their minor differences and act together in one great movement to preserve Australia's good name and to restore confidence, which is a vital necessity at the present time. The only way that this can be done is by ail true Australians coming together on the basis of a broad Nationalist policy, and then concentrating on the return to Parliament of men of character and integrity to give effect to it."