AUSTRALIA'S FUTURE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23669, 29 November 1938, Page 10

AUSTRALIA'S FUTURE

MEASURE OF APPREHENSION COUNTRY OVER-GOVERNED RETIRED JUDGE'S VIEWS ON UNITY PROPOSAL (Special to Daily Times) AUCKLAND, Nov. 28. "With world unrest increasing and faced .. ith the probability of higher taxes, Australia is rather ipprr.hensive for the future," said Mr W Mocatta, a retired judge of the New South Wales District C< % who arrived in Auckland by the Niagara to-day. "It looks as if they are going to mobilise our manhood too," he added.

Mr Mocatta. who has come to Auckland to meet his wife and daughter, who will arrive from England in a few days, resided in Auckland about 50 years ago and expressed his eagerness to see the city again after so many years He lived at Remuera for about t-.vo years when only j youth, and he still carries on his upper lip a scar of a wound suffered in the hunting field at Ellerslie. He suffered an injury when his horse bumped him against a scoria wall. "I most decidedly think we are over-governed and have too many Legislatures," said Mr Mocatta when asked to comment on the recent suggestion of a former Prime Minister of Australia, Mr J. H. Scullin, that the Commonwealth Government should hold a constitutional session of Parliament to draw up proposals for submission to the electors for recasting the Federal Constitution. The Prime Minister (Mr J. A. Lyons) had issued a statement indicating that he was in favour of such a session being held. There was need for unification of government in Australia, Mr Mocatta added. It had to be admitted also that on account : the vastness of the continent, and because of many other problems, there were many difficulties to be solved before unification could be achieved. Government under such a system would have to be submitted to bodies situated in various States to handle local affairs. "One central Government would be a good thing, but there are so many local necessities," he added. "For instance, the Legislature that would have to govern New South Wales would have to know all about the problems of such remote parts of the Commonwealth as Darwin."