FROM THE COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10661, 10 January 1911, Page 2

FROM THE COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENT.

(Special to Oamaru Mail.)

Invercargill, January 9. Hon. W. M. Hughes, who acted as Prime Minister of Australia during the absence of Mr Fisher in Africa, arrived at Bluff this morning on a brief holiday visit to New Zealand. The hon. gentleman is accompanied bv the Hon. E. L. Batchelor (Minister of External Affairs) and Messrs W. A. Gale and F. F. Clapham. . .

Mr Hughes will tour the Dominion fairly fully, but will spend most of the time in the South Island, where he will visit Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri and Wakatipu, and also Mount Cook'. He will reach Wellington on February Ist, and, after visiting Rotorua, will go io Auckland and return to Australia, arriving there on the 10th. Mr Hughes accorded a News reporter a brief interview on arrival this morning and spoke enthusiastically of the progress of the Labor movement in the Commonwealth. "The facts speak for themselves," said Mr Hughes. "The Labor movement commenced in 1891 in Australia, and what was called' the solidarity of the party sprang into existence in 1894. To-day the Labor Party is in office in Now South Wales and South Australia, while in Western Australia Laborites are only one or two behind the reigning Government. In the other States, too, I am able to say safely the movement is making great progress. In the Commonwealth Government itself the progress of the party is even more marked, and the Labor Party has been in office three times, the first being Mr. Watson's Ministry of 1904, and the second the Fisher Ministry of 1908, when, however, the members, although much increased, were not sufficient to give the party a majority. On the 13th of April last the people gave us a satisfactory majority, and in we went again. We have a majority of 12 in a total of 75 —that is, a party of 42 to 30. In addition, there are the Independents, who are supporting our policy. In the Senate the effects of the progress, of the labor movement are still; more apparent, and of eighteen vacancies which were created the party gained everyone, giving us 25 seats out of a total of 36. Ido not think that the Fusionists, as the Opposition Party is termed, can put us out; it is highly improbable; and even if' they gained the whole of the next eighteen vacancies, which would not be within the realm of practi-" cal politics, we would still have half the Senate. What the Fusionists are looking forward to' is a deadlock. In order to appreciate the-position in.the Commonwealth Parliament, at its proper value it has to he remembered that this' is the fourth. Parliament, and that at the-first ten years ago the Labor Party had only 24 members as against . ,65 to-day." : J 'Asked whether he thought that the advancement would continue, "Mr Hughes said that it would, but it could not do so at the same rate. The move--7 ment would go steadily on, and the one thing that could cause a reaction was incapacity on tEe part of the party or some grievous error of policy. The public, he was perfectly certain, was behind them, and had supported them handsomely. That was particularly evident in regard to the graduated land tax policy, because land monopoly had come to such a pass that it had become necessary to deal with the question if they wished to-continue an immigration policy. The' graduated land tax would fill the bill, so to speak. New Zealand had had considerable experience in that connection, and it was a refutation of the melancholy croakings of the great landowners of Australia on the passing of the measure. The facts were a complete refutation of such Opposition criticism. .The Ministry's general policy was sufficiently we'll known not to require recapitulation. They intended to deal with trusts and combines in such a

way as to prevent any exploitation of the people, whom they intended to ask at the next referendum for power to nationalise all monopolies where other legislation was ineffectual to deter exploitation. Asked, further, whether the present Ministry proposed legislation which would effect a closer relationship between the Commonwealth and the Do-

minion, Mr Hughes said that he had been asked in that connection to see Sir

Joseph Ward, and one question was a protective tariff. He could not say what commodities it would affect, but it stood to reason that they would' he commodities which passed between the countries.. He was not authorised '-o do anything moire than discuss the question, but he would go so far as to say that the Commonwealth was very anxious to come to suitable arrangements. It seemed absurd tat it should be otherwise between countries so close

together, and the arrangements proposed would be mutually satisfactory. Their Ministry had decided' to agree to a universal penny postage scheme, which would come into effect in May next, and

Which would result in penny postage to the whole of the British Empire—a fact which could not help facilitating closer relationship.