POLITICS IN AUSTRALIA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20789, 7 August 1929, Page 9

POLITICS IN AUSTRALIA.

A RETICENT MINISTER. ' CIVIC GOVERNMENT OF SYDNEY. (Special to Daily Times.) ’ AUCKLAND, August 6. Evincing d marked disinclination to-dis- ' cuss industrial and political questions in Australia to-day, Mr E. Farrar (Minister of Labour and Industries m the New South Wales Government) arrived by the . Ulimaroa to-day. Mr Farrar expects to leave to-mPrrow for Wellington to meet Sip Joseph Ward, and he will return at the week-end to greet Mr T. R. Bavin, Premier of New South Wales, who'is on . the Makura on his way home after a health-recruiting trip. Mr Farrar will ; return to Sydney with Mr Bavin on the Makura. ' One of the policy questions confronting the Government of New South Wales, Mr Farrar said, was that affecting the civic government of Sydney! Tho Act under which commissioners were appointed to supersede the Lord Mayor and (Municipal Councilwould expire in October, and the Government would have to decide whether the term of the commis- ’ sioners was to be extended, local:government restored, or some-other system devised. So far as he could see there was no great public demand for the ■ restora- . tipn of the old regime. There, were hopes that the rain at the end of July would, save the late wheat crops in the southern and western districts, continued Mr ’ Farrar, but. at tho best the’yield would be only about 30,000,000 bushels, or about half the normal high returns. This, with its consequent lower demands for transport and other workers engaged in handling wheat, plus the coal and timber troubles, would have the effect of accentuating unemployment. 1 ' The coal dispute was at present the subject of investigation by a Royal Cora-, mission, and Mr Farrar declined to comment on it or state the outstanding issues between the coal owners, and the men.