AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 5229, 19 March 1904, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

THE FEDERAL PARLIAMENT. PENSIONS AND THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY. MELBOURNE, Alomsh 18. The Senate discussed Senator Peairse’s motion in favour of tike nationalisation of the tobacco industry, and tho devotion of the profits to pay old-age pensions. The industry was estimated to yield £628,000, and this, with £600,000 paid back bo the States, would bo sufficient to provide ail persons in the Commonwealth over the age of sixty-five with a pension. Tho debate was adjourned. THE NAVIGATION AND SHIPPING BILLS. y : MELBOURNE, March 18. The Navigation and Shipping Bills are a composite Act based on the existing legislation of Australia and New' Zealand. A very largo number of clauses deal with tho machinery for carrying but the leading features already outlined.: : EMPLOYMENT OF CHINESE ON THE RAND. ' MELBOURNE., March 18. In tho federal House of Representatives Mr WaAion, loader of the Labour party, in moving his motion regarding Chinese labour in the Transvaal, maid he. considered Australia was quite justified in offering objection, and well-fitted to express an opinion. The ostensible object of the Boer war was to prosorvrSouth Africa to the British people. That object was negatived if China were allowed to flow freely into tbe Transvaal. Ho denied that , the mines could not afford to pay white man’s wages. There had been no fair trial of white labour. Australians had a right to protest, because tho Transvaal had no representative institutions. They, were . legally dumb on tho point. Tbe Premier (Mr A. Deakin) outlined the growth of the exchange of ideas between the various colonies and the Empire, and claimed that there was nothing remarkable in the sending of a protest against Chinese in the Transvaal. Air Seddorfs request for Australian co-operation in a message to Britain asking that the Imperial veto should be put upon legislation, even in a Crown colony, was an extreme one; and was foredoomed to failure. It would have established a precedent in inter-imperial relations which might well have been called revolutionarv. , He wanted to satisfy outside critics that Australia had not rushed into this question without the fullest consideration and experience. The future

of South Africa should not bo sacrificed to the interests of a chirs whißonim waa to obtain all the gold the fields, could yield in tho soonest possible time —a class which was united to the country by no tie, and gave no thought to social results.

‘‘We ha.ro been told,” aontdnued Mr Donkin, “that tho war against tho Boons was a miners’ war. If we lisd been told it was a Chinese miners’ war, what a difference there would have been! Why were we not told that - it was tho Chineso franchise wo wore fighting for? If Chinese wore introduced it would lead to the destruction of the basis upon winch tho British Empire iu South Africa rested," The debate was adjourned, and tilt House rose. DISCUSSION ON THE RESOLUTION SPEECH BY MR KINGSTON. (Received March 19 11.56 p.tnJ MELBOURNE. March 18. In tho House of Representatives. Mi D;ugald Thomjison resumed the debate on Mr Watsons anti-Chinese motion. Ho said that tho only safeguard for the Transvaal against inroads by the Dutch population would ho in settling largo numbers of Britishers in tho country’. This Parliament should, howevei. merely express a belief—to make a protest implied that it had power to interfere. Mr Thomas Ewing considered the mo. tion gave recognition to Imperialism and put on record oar responsibility in all Empire legislation. Mr Johnson thought the wording of the motion too strong, and moved an amendment, “That this House views with extreme regret tho proposal to import Chinese to the Rand', regarding the step as prejudicial to tho best interests of the Commonwealth. ”

Mr Hughes complained that Australia’s sacrifices to the Empiro had been made in vain, if foreign mine-owners! were allowed to work the Rand mines with! Chinese. i

Mr Lonsdale thought Sir Watson’smotion not strong enough, and mowed a further amendment, “That this House records the belief that the proposed introduction of indentured Chinese labour into the Transvaal is fraught with ppril o the Empire,'and hopes it will not ho carried into effect.” , j Mr 0. C. Kingston urged the necessity of unanimity, and asked the House 1 to pass the same resolution as the Sen-' ate. He congratulated! the Government on its action. There was, he said), i nothing in the objection to the Com- 1 mon.weal th having followed the Fee- 1 mier of New Zealand. Mr Redden- was! worthy of every respect, and his ■ groat* achievements were an honour to hinu j It would he a happy day when they.! found both the Commonwealth i and New Zealand Governments co-j operating thus in the best interests of ' Australian democracy. It would have 1 boon a meanness indeed not to havosupoorted the war, but what a shame it was to think that Australian blood and! treasure were shed and spent to enable Chinese to be brought into the! country to take bread' out of the mouths of Blritish people, all for; the private greed of mine-owners. The result would be a loss' of tho r realasation of hopes rightly entertained by the States of the Empire. If the proposal were consummated it-would force them to the conclusion that, however muck Britain appreciated those who rendered services to her in time of need, she, in the piping times of peace, forgot them in preference to those who had no claim on t!*i Empire—Chinese aliens, who never cEjald benefit the nation-, whose employment would prevent safeguarding Jlritishi interests in South Africa by the setfleinont of a large white population. 1 Were they to tolerate proposals -which would mean no work for the Australian or Britisher? . It meant that they would be put on one side for aliens who had proved themselves undesirable in this country. It would a calamity if such proposals were carried out, causing disappointment and .bitterness: that would be roused by many reasons, most of all by ingratitudet iEEe hoped thlo day would not pass without their completing the agreement of both Houses, so that their opinion could be flashed to the forir cornel's of the world. ■The only constitutional way to express deep Australian feeling was by this resoto- . tion. So might the world speedily learn that Australia spoke with onevoice—loud and deep.

The debate and the House wece-«i4-« journed till Tuesday.