AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1514, 7 March 1901, Page 48

AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH

MR BARTON IN QUEENSLAND. BRISBANE, February 38.. From Ipswich, Mr Barton, the Federal Premier, went to Brisbane, w-heve fee w as welcomed by the Mayor and 'StateMinisters, and banqueted by €he Australian Natives Association. The topic of the speeches was the black labour question. BRISBANE, March I. The Right Hon E. Barton and the Hon J . G. Drake have addressed meetings at Maryborough and Gyinpie. TUe c ‘ Brisbane Courier ” warmly attacks Mr Barton’s attitude on the black labour question, which, it says, is totally 'idvariance with that of the State Government. It denies that there vas i& tacit understanding on reintroducing the traffic that it should last only ten years, and it claims the same consideration for the sugar industry as Mr Barton so readily promised the Victoria n industries. Nominations for the Federal Senate closed to-day. Fifteen were received at Brisbane, including the Hon J. G. Drake (Federal Postmaster-General}, the Hon A. J. Thynne and A. S- Cowley (members of the State Council) and Messrs T. Glassey, W. G. Higgs, it. Dawson, J. C. Stewart and C. Macdonald (labour members of the Stats Assembly). BRISBANE, March 2. Altogether seventeen nominations have been received for the Federal Senate. Mr Barton, the Federal Premier, visited Bundaberg, 217 miles north &f Brisbane, and spent a day in visiting the sugar plantations and conversing with the growers on the question .-of black labour. He was presented with an address from the white workers, and eulogised for his promised abolition '<af Kanaka labour. BRISBANE., March 3. As one nomination was informal, there are sixteen nominations for the six seats in the Federal Senate. SYDNEY, February -128, „ Mr J. S. Larke, Agent for the Canadian Government, in an address the Chamber of Manufactures advocating nay ciprocity and preferential treatment 3ss British goods in the interests xfi the Empire, said that if it were desired to get New Zealand into the federal compact it would never be done by putting cn an adverse tariff against like SYDNEY, March 1. The writs for the New South Wades Federal Senate elections will Fb issued on sth March, to be returnable on LOfh April. Those for the House will he issued on 11th March, and made returnable on 16th April. Mr J. G. T. McGowen, leader -®f 'the Labour party, is amongst the 'candidates for the House selected by the Protectionist party. The Postal and the Land and Naval Defence Departments passed over ffroai State to> Federal control to-day. With regard to the Defence Department, there is to be virtually no change in the administration until the Federal Parliament passes a Defence Act. SYDNEY, March J2. The Federal election campaign as in full swing, and the voice of the poßikdi charmer is heard throughout the length and breadth of the Commonwealth. The various parties are hard at work crewing up their ranks, and from the Irmpa crops of aspirants selecting hunches Tor the House and the Senate. Unity :5s the burden and the declared desideratum, of every speech, but the ideas Af unity are wonderfully mixed, and sms deeply tinged in most cases by perty

predilections and circumscribed by State boundaries. Every State aas its question. In New South Males and Victoria, .thanks chiefly to Mr Reid, assisted by a band of able lieutenants .-and with influential press support, the t.oM freetrade versus protection m ; s been forced to the front. The labour party is vigorously putting forward its •claims, the various States providing a good quota of candidates. .Though Mr Crick is practically robbed of his portfolio by the transference of the Post Office to the federation, nothing ..definite has yet been agreed upon with xega-rd to the rearrangement of. the State Ministry. Sir W/illiam Ly lie's retention of the Premiership is much commented upon. Mr McGowen, leader of the labour party, in a speech said lie owed no el'o- ■. glance to any party in the Federal campaign. Ostensibly the issue as raised iu the metropolitan press was freetracle nr protection, but it was raised only to divide the people, an.clallow Con n-.r-Tiii lves to get elected. The real object was not to secure freetrade, but. to In 11 the labour party. South Australians have the trail s'conrinentai railway and the develop.. m-ent of the Northern Territory as a . fighting platform. The battle is being made a fierce and .’bitter one in Queensland, where in'terest centres ■ round the question of Flack labour, one of the most difficult .problems the Federal Government will have to deal with. Mr Barton is at present making an extended tour through the .northern State, with vhe double object of studying the question, .mad convincing, the sugar-growers of the -desirableness of a. ‘‘ white'’ Australia. -The Western Australian campaign is lieing carried 011 less ardently, though •The special tariff concession granted to .the State under the Commonwealth Bill is regarded as a source of much congratulation. Tasmanians are loyally federal, hut have a grievance. They want more substantial representation in the Federal ’iGalriuet, and candidates are strenuously voicing that want. Returns from the various States show Thai the trade of the Commonwealth last year aggegatecl £'141,137,000, an increase of £690,000 over that for ihe previous year. The' imports totalled ;£§8.985,000, an increase of £5,546,000, .;snd the exports £72,151,000, a decrease rof £4,756,000. Tasmania, was the only 'State which showed an increase in -exports. MELBOURNE, March 2. The writs for the Federal elections 3iare been issued. Mr Kingston, the Federal Mm3ster for " Trade and _ _ Customs, ■states that if the Ministry der reiefed to bring down 'a tariff in the first ..session of Parliament he would be prepared with the necessary recommoadalions. DUNEDIN, March 1. Representations have been made to fiflbe Premier by Scottish societies- that The various Highland Volunteer corps iin die colony should he as much in evififesee as possible in the contingent to rbe sent to the opening of the Federal Parliament in Melbourne. . The corps «re Dunedin, Wellington and Wanganui!. The idea is to send them in their vewn uniforms instead of in khaki.