NO DICTATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21244, 27 January 1931, Page 16

NO DICTATION.

MR SCULLIN DEFINITE. A DRAMATIC ANNOUNCEMENT. FINANCIAL POLICY. (Prom Cue Own Correspondent.) SYPNEY, January 15. The dramatic announcement by the Prime Minister (Mr Scullin) on his return to Melbourne —“ I am the Prime Minister, and while I am the Prime Minister I will be the Prime Minister ” —left no doubt as to his attitude towards those sections of the Labour Party that would attempt to dictate his financial policy. The statement was made at a luncheon given by the Australian Association of British Manufacturers, and it was loudly cheered by hundreds of guests. Coming close on the heels of a report that Federal members at a conference in Sydney had decided on a policy of straigntout inflation it cheated a good impression generally, and afforded great relief to those who feared that Mr Scullin might slip a little from his path of no inflation. Even now it is by no means certain that Mr Scullin will not agree to some modified plan' in order to appease the hotheads who blame the banks, and nothing but the banks, for the hard times that are now being_ faced, The fear, however, that a policy of unlimited inflation would be forced upon the Government seems to have been a little premature to say the least of it, and most reasonable Australians breathe again. It is an unhealthy sign, nevertheless, that the Labour Premier of New South Wales should have disowned the Loan Council, the one body which seemed to have any chance of putting the finances of the various Governments on a sound footing. But Mr Lang always did feel that he should be a law unto himself. So far he has not succeeded in raising the millions he talked of during the election campaign—and that is not the only promise he has failed to keep. _ Mr Scullin showed other evidences of great courage during his Melbourne speech. He said that while ha was given the responsibility of government he would be the Government. , He applied that remark not to one section of the community but to all sections. He would say to his own followers, to his political opponents, and to the press of Australia, that the Government was the Government. That was not a challenge, but a declaration of where he stood. He claimed that he spoke as a true Democrat His Government intended to use the full pero„atives which the people had given to it. Mr Scullin said it was true, unfortunately, that people abroad had lost faith in Australia, and that even Australians had lost faith in their own country.-' He believed that they could soon corner and that once they had turned the rise would be as rapid as had been, the fall. There was no reason in ate why Australian stocks should be as low as they were to-day. He did not .think that a solution of the problems lay m the formation of a coalition Government. He had always been opposed to that torm. Government, and he was still. In 1 Melbourne Mr Scullin studiously avoided the question of finance, but this ‘was not surprising as he had announced his intention of declaring his policy m Sydney at the opening of the by-election campaign in the Parkes seat. The by" election was made necessary by the appointment of the Labour member (Mr MTiernari) to the High Court Bench. By the way, there is reason to believe that Mr Scullin was not too well pleased with this appointment, which was made during his absence, owing to its political flavour. Mr M'Tiernan had been a staunch Labour member of both the Federal and State Parliaments He entered the Federal Parliament at the first time of asking, defeating Mr C. _W. C. Marr in what was regarded as a Nationalist stronghold. Mr Marr la . ftgal ? standing in the interest of the Nationalists. and his policy is mainly one of antiinflation. As the Labour P.arty, under the guidance of Mr Scullin is not likely to advocate inflation, many of the speeches are liable to misfire. Anyhow, it is the first by-election since Labour swept the polls last year, and it will be interesting to see the result. There has been no very noticeable revulsion of feeling against Labour, particularly not against Federal Labour, and it, is quite likely ' that in Parkes the party will repeat its success. However, it has ' , hbsen as its. represetnative in the campaign 9. man who is allied to which ,does not think that, Mr Scullin is moving fast enough, or drastically enough, vIt seems more than likely now that the rival Labour factions, instead of precipitating a fight that would wreck their organisation, will get together in the hope, of arriving at some 'compromise policy that will suit all The former Treasurer (Mr Theodore) • is still angling for a return to office, but the dark clouds occasioned by the Mungana inquiry , have not yet broken. He is not an extremist in the true sense of the term. _ Maybe it can be said of him that he is_ sitting on the fence, hoping, always hoping, for a return of that powdr and authority he loves so well. His ability in matters of finance is fully recognised, and very likely Mr Scullin would be glad to have him as his lieutenant.