AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19759, 9 April 1926, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT.

TEN WEEKS BUSINESS. TARIFF SCHEDULE. LFbom Odb Own Cobbespondemt.) SYDNEY. April 1. The first session of the present Federal Parliament concluded at the end of last week, and in the 10 weeks that members had met, some important legislation had been enacted. With the large majority given it by the electors in November, the composite Bruce-Page Ministry did some effective work. By lai the most important legislation was the Crimes Act, dealing principally, with the prevention of transport services and other strikes. But also ot prime importance»was tne Tariff sctiedule, winch has still to be considered by the Senate. This the Minister for 'iraoe and Customs (Mr Piatten) piloted through with much ability. Free traders did most of tne talking, but the Minister had a solid backing ot Protectionists when the votes were needed. Labour voted almost solidly for the increases in protective duties,- but the Country Party solidity suffered. The most bitter opponents ol the schedule were a little group of County patty Free traders who fought every point to the last ditch Ln one item feeling was aroused. This was the duty on agricultural machinery Mr P. B. Stewart, the stormy petrel of the House' of Representatives, as well as of the Country party, moved an amendment that the duty should be removed and that a bounty to local manufacturers should be substituted. That amendment was de feated by 37 votes to 12, the latter including tour Nationalists, seven Country party members, and one Labourite. but the only Country party Minister to support the Government was Mr Atkinson, the other throe Country party members ol the Ministry side-stepping their vote. That action is known to have annoyed Mr Bruce, and Nationalists ar believed to be determined to ask why the three C.P. Ministers “de serted.”

Oil has played a prominent part in ihe session. A Bill was carried through to law providing for the appropriation of £50,C00 for the purpose of assisting State Governments, companies, and persons engaged in the search for oil in Australia in carrying out boring operations and in making geological surveys in areas where it is considered that there is reasonable prospect of obtaining oil. Then at the last moment of the session a Bill was introduced and carried through all stages to give effect to the Public Accounts Com mittee's endorsement of a proposal to increase the capital of the Commonwealth Oil Refineries by £IOO,OOO to £850,000. The Commonwealth Government owns one more share in this company than the Anglo Persian Oil Company, and its object is to prevent the exploitation of the Australian market by foreign oil companies by the establishment of oil refineries within the Cl nmonvvealth. The refineries were estab lished to be ready for crude oil when it is found in this country, but meanwhile the Anglo-Persian Oil Company is providing them with crude oil. The increased capital is to enable the C/\R. to meet foreign competition, e-peciallv by providing the most modern distribution methods. The Prime Minister, in moving the second read ing of this . ill, made a cornprehe. sivo survey of the position of the petrol market, and severely criticised an American company for its endeavours to exploit the Australian user of petrol, especially statements made by the company in newspaper advertisements inferring that moft of its capital was Australian, whereas Mr Bruce was able to prove i'-,’ the onlv shares Australians held were employees, and that ove: 90 per cent of the capital w»« held bv a New York company. The Bill passed through without onposition. It was in the riving hours of l.u session that Mr Walter Marks, a Sydney member, caused a sensation by giving details of an American plot to frustrate the finding of oil in Australia. He produced affidavits by two directors of the Lander Gil Company—two reputable Svdney men—that an Arneri oau expert recommended to the eompany bad deliberately obstructed two promising bni-es of the company in Queensland. These slated (bat the expert bad admitted forcing telecrams to suit, his own purposes, had endeavoured to disgruntle the drillers on the field, in order to have his own cronies appointed in ”-eir pnsi tion, and that the bores had been choked iusfc when it was expected to strike oil The allegations were endorsed later by a Guoensland Minister.