THE FEDERAL PARLIAMENT

Otago Witness, Issue 1851, 30 March 1904, Page 23

THE FEDERAL PARLIAMENT

THE ARBITRATION BILL.

MELBOURNE, March 23.

Mr Deakin, in moving the second reading of the Arbitration Bill, spoke for three hours. His objection to bringing civil servants under the bill lay in the fact that their grievances were more easily remedied than those of private employees. The former could always approach Parliament for redre-s.

The Bounties Bill was introduced. It provides a quarter of a million for bounties on pig and bar iron, £50,000 for galvanised iron>, wire netting, and iron or steel tubes, £20,000 for Australian spelter, and £4000 for the first 500 reapers and binders.

Mr Watson's motion, objecting to Chinese in the Transvaal, was carried by an overwhelming majority.

Mr Watson's message to the London Daily Chronicle stated that- it was not a time to be mealy-mouthed when capitalists, most of whom were foreigners, wanted slave workers at tucker wages. His party had no objection to the . employment cf South African natives, but the employment of Chinese was a different matter altogether. Australians, as partners in securing the Transvaal, had a right to call a halt until a referendum had been taken.

Sir W. J. Lyne, in introducing the Manufacturing Encouragement Bill, explained that the measure was the finishing touch to the Tariff Bill, which was being drafted and would shortly be submitted, giving power to deal with trusts and rings when it was established ■•that they had unduly increased prices to consumers.

Parliament adjourned to April 13.