OUR MELBOURNE LETTER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13996, 31 August 1907, Page 4

OUR MELBOURNE LETTER

(Fflou Our. Or.x Correspondent.) MELBOURNE, August 21. Tlio political item of tho week has undoubtedly been the grab of Federal members at an increased salary. Tho eolerity with which tho nebula of this proposal look shapo is astonishing. When Sir William Lyno was delivering his Budget Mr Webster, a. Labour member, interjected something about the absence of provision for raising members' " screws," and tliero aro thoso who sav that the interjection was inspired, hut at anyrato Sir William was in no way annoyed by it. If inombers desired tirao to discuss that subject, ho said, t-lio Government would provide it, and ho added tliSt, personally, ho was in favour of increasing tho emoluments. Within a week tho Speaker announced to tho Houso that he had received a message from tho Governor-General asking for an appropriation lor tho payment of an increase in members' ' salaries. The Government brought down tho message, hut was afraid apparently, to father tho necessary bill, so Sir William Lyne, as tho member for tho Hume, did this. Though every membor of • tho Government voted or paired in favour of tho bill Ministers would not admit that it was a Government measure. At length, when Sir William Lyno hail submitted to a good deal of chaff on the subject, lie went so far as to Bay: "Well, perhaps we may call it a Government bill." Mr Irvine, ■ ex-Premier of Victoria, handled tho Ministry very severely for its attitude. It was one of our constitutional safeguards, 110 maintained, that the Houso could only deal with financial proposals when they emanated from tlio Ministry. Sir William Lyne averred that ho had tho precedent of a great constitutionalist, Sir Henry Parkes, in connection with payment of members in New South Wales. Mr Bruco Smith, who was a member of tho Paita Ministry at tho time, showed that there was no analogy lictwccu 1:ho two osses, and tho Treasurer was compelled to rest himself in tho knowledge that, ho had a substantial majority behind him. It. wa3 in no sense a party division, for Sir William Lyno left his followers free. As a fact, tho Leader of tho Opposition (Mr Ik>id) and tho Deputy-leador (Mr J. Cook) voted for tho increase. Mr ltoid, however, said that ho would not take tho increase himself in tho presont Parliament. Tho proposal was agreed to by a majority of 16, tho voting being 31 for and 15 against. Thero woro 11 pairs on each side.

Gltero has been a groat outcry in tho prc33 and in public against tho unseemliness of members voting themselves a rise of £200 a year—bringing their salary up to £600—without tho matter ever having been beforo tho country. There is to bo said for the proposal in itself, for members from West. Australia and Queensland aro put to heavy expense in attending Parliament. Tho mcthjpd of doing tho business, however, has 'excited a- derision and indignation which may ho yet strong enough to frighten members from their purpose. Tho proposal ha 6 yet to bo considered by tho Senate. THE TARIFF. Tho tariff, drastic as it is, is moro fortunate than tlio salaries' proposal, for it has many ardent champions. Of coureo they aro mainly manufacturers. Critics aro shoeing that tho woollen mills which havo been refusing orders because of tho overdemand arc to bo pampered with further largo increases, while tho Denton Hat Mills is to bo enabled, at tho public expense, to incrcaso the 10 per cent, dividend which it has paid for many years. But Sir William Lyne, in Sydney on Saturday evening, was emphatic that tho tariff would go through. He was in congenial company, for ho was speaking before tho Chamber of Manufacturers, which represents the only powerful Protectionist cotorio to bo found in Sydney. Sir William enid ho was pleased to havo had tho opportunitv of giving to Australia a Protectionist tariff. They might depend on it, said he, thumping "tho table, thoy wero going to get it. Tho papers might howl, and abuse, and misinterpret as much as thoy liked, but (again pounding tho table) thoy wero going to havo it. Did they think in Australia that any tariff would stand that was not truly Protectionist? " Novcr ! " shouted tho manufacturers. Did thoy think (hat this great country would ever stand a wishy-washy half-and-half tariff that would do nothing but raiso rovenue. "No! No!" tho manufacturers calkd in chorus, Mr Kingston was a stronger man than Sir William Lyne, but ho had to accept big modifications in a tariff not so severe as tho present one. Nor did the Kingston . tariff ever oxcito tho animosity that tho present ono has raised. Captain Evans, tho Premier of Tasmania, is in Molbourno already to protest about, tho injury tho I tariff would do Tasmania, while in tho island Stato resolutions of indignant protest ard, being Carried. In Western Australia the Attorncy-goneipl describes it as " Protection run mad," the Bouldor minors havo affirmed it wilt'inflict " irreparable injury on Western Australia," and both Houses of Parliament aro to lxs asked by tho Government to protest against "tho egregious folly." Even in Now South Wales, whoro a State olection is pending, tho Labour- iparty foe's that it will do it great harm if the Commonwealth Labour party assists to carry tho tariff, and a delegation has come to Melbourno to ask Mr Watson to 1 uso his influenco to havo tho tariff so ' readjusted that, the increased duties may not press unduly on tho workers of that State. RACING DISPUTE. It is not often that the question of tho possession of a racing stake goes to the Supreme Court for decision. It did so in Perth last week, liowovor. Mr F. C, Thomas, lcsseo of tho racehorse Beggarman, claimed from tho Helena Vale Turf Club the first prize in tho Final Handicap, run on May 11 last, when Beggarman and Montgolfiero ran a dead heat, and in the run-off Montgolfioro won. Mr Thomas protested on tho ground that Montgolfiero's jockey struck Beggarman across tho nose with his whip. Tho stewards upheld tho ptotest and awarded the raco to Beggarman. Mr ,T. Ilayward, Montgolfiero's owner, appealed to tlip West Australian Turf Club Committee on tho grounds that tho protest had not been lodged in accordance with tho W.A.T.C. rules. Tho committco upheld, this further protest, and ordered tlio. money to go to Montgolfiero's owner, Mr Thomas then went to court, whero ho brought • out. neir points. The finding should bo upset, l o said, because Mr A. G. Jenkins, a member of the committee, not only backed Montgolfiero to win tho race, but actod as solicitor for Mr Hayward in tho appeal, and then sat in judgment on the ease.' The reply was that Mr Jenkins',? managing clerk conducted tho appeal, and that. : Mr Jenkins knew nothing of it. Mr Justice Burnsido decided that though Mr Jenkins knew nothing of what his eierk had done, the fact remained that his office was used to prosecute the appeal, and that as suoh was tlio caso' his presenco at tho hearing of tho appeal would cause any decision tho committee might como to to be void and of no effect, and ho ruled accordingly. Tlifreforo tho money paid into court belonged to tho plaintiff, to whom he ordored that it be paid. Notice of appeal was given.