FEDERAL ISSUES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22670, 6 March 1937, Page 15

FEDERAL ISSUES

GOVERNMENT'S POWERS REFERENDUM TO-DAY AMENDMENT TO CONSTITUTION [from our own correspondent] MELBOURNE, Feb. 26 As the issues are rather academic and complicated, the man in the street, who is obliged under penalty to vote, is frankly bewildered by the referendums to be taken throughout the Commonwealth on Saturday, March 6. The questions involved are' .whether • the Commonwealth Government should be granted additional powers for controlling marketing and aviation. Under the Constitution the Government is obliged'to submit thesa issues to the people. The decision of the Privy Council in the historic dried fruits case made necessary the referendum on marketing. It was shown by that decision that the-"Commonwealth lacked powers for the regulation of inter-State trade. Later, it was shown that power to control air services required strengthening. The Commonwealth was entitled to enforce regulations for interState services—as it has done only this week by deciding to require all interState passenger machines should be equipped with wireless—but it has no power over services operating within a State. Marketing Issue Doubtful It is generally agreed that the aviation powers sought by the Commonwealth should be granted. Aviation was not mentioned in the Constitution only because men and women did not fly in 1900. Thus, while allowance must be made for those who will vote against a Government on any issue, it may confidently be predicted that the referendum on aviation will be endorsed by a large "Yes" majority. But on the marketing question the Government is not nearly so confident. The history of past referendums shows that most of them have resulted in a rejection of the issue submitted, even when the question caused no violent conflict of opinion, as when Australia twice during the war declared against conscription. Most of the political leaders are urging a "Yes" vote. The Country Party and the United Australia Party are supported, in the "Yes" campaign by most of the Federal Labour members. But Mr. Maurice Blackburn, a prominent Federal Labour man, who at the moment is out of step with the party because of his alliance with the No More War Movement, which is allegedly Communistic, is leading the "No" campaign. Lang Labour members and the Premier of South Australia, Mr. Butler, are others who are taking part in the "No" movement. Intensive Publicity Mr. Parker Moloney, who was Minister for Commerce in the Scullin Minis- : try, has just completed a "Yes" tour in South Australia, which is regarded as one of the "No" strongholds, and he said he expected a "Yes" majority * in that State. Only diehard Tories, freetraders and Communists would vote "No," he predicted. Both factions are waging an intensive campaign by newspaper, screen and hoarding advertising. "No" advocates say that the cost of living will be in- , creased by a "Yes" vote; that the proposal is an interference with individual liberty; and that, as a means of protecting the farmer, controlled marketing with a home consumption price is inferior to the imposition of excise duties and the granting of§subsidies. Appeal to Past Practice For the "Yes" cause it is urged that the rural producer is entitled to share in the national protective policy, which can be applied most effectively in his case by a marketing organisation that will set apart the quota for home consumption in order that he may re-' ceive a price on which his industry can live. It is pointed out that the type of marketing organisation which the Privy Council declared last year to be unconstitutional existed for eight years, and resulted in the stabilisation of the rural industries without revealing any of the hidden dangers which "No" advocates now fear. A strong case seems to have been established for a "Yes" verdict on the marketing question. But, as the issue will be decided to a substantial extent by city dwellers, many of whom are likely to be influenced by "No" bogeymen, no confident prediction about the result of the poll eight days hence can be made. Whatever the result, it can be said truthfully that many uninformed votes will be cast on both sides. INFORMING THE ELECTORS ISSUE OF 4,200,000 PAMPHLETS If the electors of Australia do not understand the questions placed before . them in to-day's referendum, they can hardly blame the Federal Government. Probably more trouble has been taken on this occasion than ever before to make national issues clear. The Government in January went to the expense of printing 4,200,000 copies of a 16-page pamphlet which, with admirable fairness, gave " all the principal arguments for and against both proposed.amendments to the constitution. A copy was posted to every elector, and if even a moderate proportion of the recipients have tasen the trouble to study its contents the pamphlet will have been, for a brief period at any rate, the most widelyread publication ever issued in Australia. The case for voting " Yes " was written by the Federal Attorney-General, Mr. R. G. Menzies. On marketing he claimed that in all fairness the primary producers were as much entitled as the manufacturing industries to be protected against the destructive effects of world competition. "He asked that the Federal Government be given power to deal with a serious crisis in primary industry. To provide a bounty out of taxation, he said, would make the farmer dependent on the annual financial whim of Parliament and deprive him of the security and stability that were his due. The case for the negative on both issues was taken by Mr. M. Blackburn, a Victorian member of the Federal House of Representatives, who charged the Government with intending to hand over air transport to " the Imperial Airways Trust," and to give absolute preference to commercial aviation, against the interests of the railways owned by the States. A vote in favour 1 of the marketing amendment, said Mr. Blackburn, would put a power of indirect taxation into the hands of monopolies. and neither the. small farmer nor the farm employee would benefit. The producers would be enabled to govern not only their own affairs, but also those of-other people. He regarded the whole proposal as an attack on democracy. By' special arrangement, Reuter's world service. in addition to other special sources of information," is used in the compilation cf the oversea intelligence published in this issue, and all rights therein in Australia and New Zealand are reserved. Such of the cable news on this page as Is so headed has appeared in the Times and is cabled to Australia and New Zealand by special permission. It should be understood that the opinions are not those of the Times unless expressly stated to be so. ,