RIVAL POLICIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21264, 19 February 1931, Page 9

RIVAL POLICIES

MR THEODORE AND MR LANG. DISCUSSION AT CONFERENCE. LABOUR RANKS DIVIDED. (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) SYDNEY, February 18. The Federal and State Labour Parties are still at loggerheads over the East Sydney by-election, the conference last night ending after a bitter discussion without a decision; but it is understood that the State faction is determined to conduct the campaign on the Lang plan, with Mr J. A. Beasley (Federal Assistant Minister) as the opening speaker to-night instead of the Prime Minister. Political circles begin to feel that the chaos in the Federal arena can only be cleared by a general election. The caucus of the Federal Labour Parliamentary Party at Canberra to-day is expected to reach a momentous decision relative to the rival Theodore and Lang financial policies. At a meeting of the Australian Council of Trade Unions the secretary (Mr Cross), dealing with unemployment, said that the political machine was inadequate to cope with the situation. The only means of securing a satisfactory result would be a declaration by the Federal Government of a national emergency, which would enable the Arbitration Court decisions to be overridden so that the workers could obtain whatever industrial conditions they desired. At to-day’s session a motion for a general strike is expected to be submitted, which it is believed will have strong support, though it is doubtful if it will be carried. STILL ANOTHER CONFERENCE. TREASURERS AND BANKERS. MELBOURNE, February 18. Invitations have been issued by the Federal Treasurer (Mr E. G. Theodore) to the general managers of the principal trading banks of Australia to meet him and representatives of the Commonwealth Bank in conference at Melbourne on Friday on the general financial situation. SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PREMIER. A NOTE OF OPTIMISM, ADELAIDE, February 18. (Received Feb. 18, at 11 p.m.) On his return from Canberra to-day the Premier of South Australia (Mr L. L. Hill) said that the position of Australia, particularly regarding finance, was obscure at the moment, but he;saw a gleam of hope. He believed that when the Premiers met in Melbourne next week the plans which would be evolved from the deliberations there would depend entirely on the result of the conference between the Prime Minister and Mr Theodore and the Commonwealth Bank Board when the three-year-plan would be discussed. RESUMPTION OP A LEASE. MALADMINISTRATION ALLEGED. SYDNEY, February 18. In the Assembly the Minister of Lands (Mr J. Tully) accused the late Minister of Lands (Mr R. T. Ball) and the Bavin Cabinet of maladministration in connection with the amount paid the Canally Pastoral Association for the resumption of a lease of 30,000 acres. The Minister said that £59,711 was paid, but when the land was subsequently valued the market value was £25,000 less. Mr Ball denied any maladministration. He, 'as Minister, accepted the Land Board’s valuation. Mr Davidson, Labour member for the district, had represented the area as suitable for closer settlement. The discussion was adjourned. GENERAL STRIKE PROPOSAL.' SYDNEY, February 18. Supporters of the general strike proposal, to be submitted to-day, are reported to fear that if the congress passes a resolution calling on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency, and the Government refuses, the New South Wales Premier may make a drastic move to declare a state of national emergency in this State, which would counter a general strike. FORECLOSURE SALES. BOYCOTT OF AUCTIONEERS. SYDNEY, February 18. The Farmers’ and Settlers’ Association in the Forbes district passed a resolution in favour of boycotting auctioneers who attempt to hold foreclosure sales. TRADES UNION CONGRESS. THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS. SYDNEY, February 18. Addressing the Australian Council of Trades Union Congress, the president (Mr Duggan) said they met in a hush that foretold a great tragedy. A quarter of a million Australians were on the verge of starvation, and many more were in danger of being crushed by the weight of the power of the machinery they themselves had created. The press, the pulpit, and the courts denied men a decent standard of living, and forced them to endure many tortures. They looked to Labour to regain for them their lost employment and standard of living. A HOSPITAL’S DEBTS. BEDS TO BE CLOSED. SYDNEY, February 18. Hampered by an overdraft of £105,000 and tradesmen’s debts amounting to £14,000, the directors of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital decided drastically to retrench the staff and close a number of beds. The annual cost of running the hospital is £130,000, of which the Government contributes £60,000. Henceforth only urgent and casualty cases will be admitted till the position improves. MR BAVIN’S CENSURE MOTION. THE CLOSURE APPLIED. SYDNEY, February 18. (Received Feb. 18, at 9.30 p.m.) The censure motion in the Legislative Assembly was launched by Mr Bavin today, but it had not gone far when the closure was applied, the motion for which was agreed to on a strictly party division by 44 to 25. The House was in an uproar for many minutes. MiBavin exclaimed that the Government’s action in stifling discussion on such an important question as the proposed repudiation of national obligations would be properly appraised by the people of New South Wales.

ABATEMENT OF WAR DEBTS. MR SNOWDEN QUESTIONED. LONDON, February 17. In the House of Commons the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr Philip Snowden) had a busy quarter of an hour answering questions in relation to the abatement of Australia’s war debt to Britain. The most direct was the query: “ What proposals have reached you for a revision of the terms?” Mr Snowdon: I have not received any communications thereon. Mr D. Le Mander (Lib.): Will you point out to the Australian Government that if the question arises Britain is in no position to make any concession? Sir N. Grattan Doyle (Con.): Will you also remember that these questions are most mischievous? Mr Snowden did not reply. , Mr E. F. Wise (Lab.) questioned the relative receipts of war debts from the Allies and the dominions, and Britain’s payments to America. Mr Snowden, amplifying his previous reply, said: “ Our payments to the United States for the year 1931-32 amounted to £33,550,000. Our receipts from the dominions were £7,053,000.” Mr Wise: Are we to assume that the Balfour formula regarding the repayments of allied war debts was not included in the amounts paid to us from the dominions? Mr Snowden: The note on which debt repayment settlements were made provided that there should be correspondence between what we pay America and what we receive from debtors. That has been fulfilled. Mr Wise asked; “Is it not the case that we on a balance receive £5,000,000 or £7,000,000 more than we pay to America ? Mr Snowden; I do not think so. Of course, such correspondence varies from year to year. Replying further to Mr Wise, Mr Snowden said Australia would receive £826,000 on account of reparations in 1931-32, and Australia was due to pay Britain £5,548,809 on her war debt in the same period. Mr Wise: As every pound paid on war debt is a pound less for Australia to purchase in this country, would it be worth while, in view of the unfortunate position of Australia, to reconsider the basis of repayments? The Speaker here intervened, and the question was not answered. Mr Wise then sought a comparison of the percentage in allied repayments and our repayments to America in 1931-32. Mr Snowden said: “ Our payment to America is 3.64 per cent, of the capital sum outstanding at the beginning of the year. The corresponding figure for Australian repayments to Britain is 6.96 per cent. It is impossible in the case of the French and Italian war debts to Britain to express a distinction between capital and interest.” Mr Wise: Is it not a fact that we are expecting Australia to pay four or five times as much per annum correspondingly as France and Italy pay us? Mr Snowden: What we expect from Australia and what Australia is paying us is the sum which is due under the Anglo-Australian agreement. / t NORTHERN NEW SOUTH WALES. IIOVE FOR SECESSION. SYDNEY,' February 18. (Received Feb. 19, at 0.5 a.m.) Following Dr Earle Page’s speech on the agitation for the creation of a new State in northern New South Wales, the Sun to-day features an article in which it is hinted that within a fortnight a most sensational move for the creation of a new State will be undertaken. The area comprised in the secession movement is 100,000 square miles, embracing the provinces to the north and north-west of Tamworth, the population of which is 400,000. The Sun says: “ The breakaway movement has gone beyond the stage of words, and it is expected that the conference of members of the New State League, which will meet at the end of the month, will make vital decisions, which will probably lead to an immediate announcement of secession from New South Wales. Well-informed people, however, point out that there are constitutional difficulties in the way of sudden secession.” EAST SYDNEY BY-ELECTION. THE CAMPAIGN OPENED. , SYDNEY, February 18. (Received Feb. 19, at 1.55 a.m.) The East Sydney by-election campaign was opened to-night on behalf of the rival parties. Mr Beasley, Assistant Minister of Labour in the Federal Ministry, expounded the Labour policy at the Paddington Town Hall before a huge audience. The keynote of his address was a fierce attack on the banks and financial institutions, which, he declared, were throttling Australia. He said it was impossible to meet the interest demands, and at the same time maintain the principle for which Labour stood. The banks had brought failure in business and restriction in the Home market, and naturally the people were asking who was governing. There was only one answer. Whatever methods the Scullin Government had adopted to meet the present crisis had been at the dictation of the banks, including the Commonwealth Bank, which seemed to think that they could with impunity grind the people down to the lowest level, destroy the social legislation built by Labour, then start off afresh after amply safeguarding their own assets and creating a state of affairs similar to that in backward countries. Mr Beasley commended Mr Lang’s financial plan to the electors, and emphasised that the proposal at the Premiers' Conference at Canberra last week approving of the idea of taxing Commonwealth and State loans was nothing more nor less than repudiation. Mr H. S. Gutley, the Deputy Leader of the Federal Opposition, opened the Nationalist campaign on behalf of their nominee at Darlinghurst. He discussed the complete failure of the Scullin Government to fulfil its multitude of preelection promises, and said that Labour was to speak with two voices in East Sydney. The State Executive would advocate direct repudiation, and the Federal Executive was working for the same end througli nationalisation of banking, which was intended, it was clear, for the Theodore plan. He warned the electors that if repudiation was carried out no Australian Government would bo able to borrow another shilling within the lives of the present generation. 1 A CANDIDATE REPUDIATED. SYDNEY, February 18. (Received Feb. 19, at 1.55 a.m.) The Federal Executive of the Australian Labour Party to-day repudiated Alderman Ward, who is contesting the East Sydney by-election on behalf of the State Labour Executive, because he is advocating Mr Lang’s financial proposals. The militant section of the Australian Council of Trades Union Congress, which sat in Sydney to-day, submitted a recommendation for a general strike, beginning on February 25. An attempt was made to pack the meeting. Fights occurred with the doorkeeper and disorderly scenes were enacted at various stages of the proceedings, but no decision was reached. Mr J. S. Garden was the most prominent advocate for a strike.

FIGHT AHEAD,

ANOTHER SYDNEY BY-ELECTION. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, February 12. The certainty of another Federal byelection in Sydney has sent joy into the hearts of the Nationalists, though they arc willing to admit that it will be more difficult to win East Sydney than it was to win Parkcs. Three years ago the Nationalists would not have thought it worth while to contest East Sydney, but a big change has come over the affairs of the nation since then. The change in feeling even since the last election has been remarkable, as shown by the Parkes result. The East Sydney by-election has been made necessary by the death of a veteran Labour member of the House of Representatives, Mr J. E. West. Mr West had represented the electorate for 20 years. It has always been regarded as a Labour stronghold, and if the nature of Mr West’s majorities’are any criterion it certainly was. However, Mr West was immensely popular personally, and would have been assured of a big vote no matter what his political colour. He was a master plumber, so he had the unique distinction of being as welcome at a meeting of employers as he was at a Labour Conference. There is every indication now that the. Nationalists will make their first serious endeavour to capture the seat, and they think that their main ally will be the Labour Premier of New South Wales, who has advocated the repudiation of interest due to State bondholders. Although the Prime Minister has said that the Federal Government will have nothing to do with Mr Lang’s scheme, much will be made of the repudiation issue —in fact that issue will be the main one. The selection of a candidate will be important. A strong man will be needed, and he will not be easy to find. There has already been quite a stampede of Labour men anxious to secure the party selection. In view of the Parkes debacle Labour, too, realises the need for a strong man. It is going to be a keen fight, and ever so much more interesting that the contest in Parkes.