AUSTRALIAN POLITICAL SITUATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2757, 16 January 1907, Page 18

AUSTRALIAN POLITICAL SITUATION.

VIEWS OF A FEDERAL M.H.R. A HIGHER TARIFF FORESHADOWED. I A NEW LEADER WANTED. 1 The Hon. William Knox, member for Kooyong in the Federal House of Representatives, and one of the Victonan Commissioners to the Christchurch Exhibition, paid a hurried visit to Dunedin last week, and left again by the midday express for the 1 north on the 7th. Mr Knox has previously visited the North leland of New Zealand, but until a few days ago, when he visited Christohurch in his official capacity as a commissioner, he had not hitherto been in the South Island. Previous to leaving Dunedin yesterday Mr Knox remarked to a Times reporter that he was much impressed with his visit to the southern, part of the colony. " I have been looking about in your colony," he said, " for a dead-beat, as we know them in Australia, but I have not seen one. When I was leaving the Christchurch Railway Station for Dunedin I thought I saw a aample of the article I was looking for, and called the attention of a friend to the fact. My friend looked in the direction I indicated, and dryly remarked : ' You are mistaken ; the man you refer to is one of our largest landowners, and is in a fairly good position !' " Continuing his remarks on this head, our visitor said : "In New Zealand I have seen no palaces and no hovels : everyone looks comfortable and happy, well-fed and healthy, as if they are all going for a long life. The pressure of life is not high, but it is steady and .progressive." What is likely to be the outcome of the Australian political situation? interpolated the pressman. j " The result of the elections has left things very much as they were before," replied Mr Knox. "The only satisfactory feature about the whole matter is the position of the Senate, which is fortunately strong enough to prevent legislation of a so-called advanced or confiscatory nature becoming law. My own opinion is that the »House will meet and members will be sworn in. and that Mr Deakin will then leave for the Imperial Congress in London, and on his return he will take up the tanff as the fir^t question of pressine importance. Personally, I hope he will be allowed fair hbertv to deal with that question. A considerable majority of the members of tho House of Representatives are pledged to a higher tariff and to the satisfactory adjustment of anomalies which now exist. A Tauff Comnns— ion has been in-\p->tii?atinu the wbolo rciost on for -on\e time, and what is wanted i- r li -it tins question shall be doalt with and nettlod for Home time to come, a^ it cau-^s divisions between paities in the House which would nor othorwi-o exist. Those dhisions assist the Labour pavtv in its policy of determination to oppose e\erv other party that is not in favour of its platform. With tlif tariff question out of the way. I think all the parties in the House outside of the Labour party would unite for the purpose of' securing "liberal 'and progressive legislation, which will not interfere with geneial libpitv or silage public eonfwlpnce in the ttdbilitv of the Commonwealth. I look hopefully on tho corning session of the new I^i I lament, but as to what Mr Deakm's noMtiou will l>o under the new conditions is a matter of great apeculation. Tho position sooms f o nic to be one of waiting for th( j advont of some leadoi — 'omeone who ha- not bfon prominent in Federal politic* liitheito — .-someone who will be able to f>( j cuio co'i'-Mon among parties now in oppoSiiion. When that takos place we may hope to sp-p our httlo difference* di-appear and undiM tho leadership of a nan who has tli" facuitr of piaspinjj what Federal unity roaMv mean-, wo may expect to see logisliiion pi.icpccl on hno> which will not lntorfoio v\irh thp "ovoreign riirhts and in<lepondoncp of the vanous State 8 of the Commonwealth.' Reporter: You speak of the Australian Labour party as a united party with common aim-=. Havo yon not an extreme Sociali-tie element in the partv — th*> "New Australia'" element, for instance 9 Are tho trades unionists in evmpathv with the ■ exists? Mi Knox: "We have men In the Labour 1 party who are more moderate than the Socialistic advocates, but the whole Labour • party is controlled by the decision of the ' caucus, which governs all the sections — moderate or othej:\vA36 fc 'i

In concluding his remarks, Mr Knox said he was sorry that his stay in the southern part of New Zealand had been so brief, but from what he had seen in the colony he was sure it would be to the benefit of Australians generally, and its publio men in particular, if they visited the colony more frequently for the purpose of studying its people and institutions closely, and also for the purpose of enjoying its magnificent; scenery.