AUSTEALIAN POLITICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 27

AUSTEALIAN POLITICS.

THE NEW PROTECTION. MEMORANDUM BY MR DEAKIN. MELBOURNE, December 12. Mr Deakvi has issued his promised memorandum on the new Protection. It j is a somewhat lengthy document. The old ' Protection (says the Premier) contented itself with making good wages possible ; j the new Protection seeks to make them actual. Briefly, this will be accomplished by the imposition of excise duties on certain classes of goods which enjoy the benefit of sufficient protection, and an exemp- i tion from the duties so imposed" will then be made in favour of those in the manufacture of which fair and reasonable wages are paid. In this way, wherever effective protection is granted, its benefits will be limited to those manufacturers whose employees are allowed to share in them to this extent. The first requirement is obviously to provide machinery for the determination of the question, What are fair and reasonable rates of wages? Th^ authority to make this determination will be a tribunal to be known as the Board of Trade, consisting of three members. These will be placed in a position of judicial independence. They will be appointed for a fixed period, they wiir be paid adequate salaries, and will- be placed entirely out of reach of party influence. The 'important and far-reaching nature of their functions will, it is thought, fully justify; conferring upon them this degree of independence. Although it is not known when the Federal Parliament will adjourn, it wilf reassemble on March 4. As a result of shortening hands in the Harvester factories, 500 men have been thrown idle, and as their society's funds axe exhausted many of them are in great straits. MR REDDS VIEWS. SYDNEY, December 12. Mr Refd declares the new Protection to be wholly impracticable. QUEENSLAND POLITICAL CRISIS. BRISBANE, December 13. Mr PhHp, the Premier, states that a plank in the platform of the present Liberal Administration will be an elective Upper Chamber. THE FEDERAL TARIFF. | MELBOURNE, December 13. | The Federal House of Representatives has practically finished the tariff. The old rates on harvesters and strippers of £12 and £6 respectively were reverted to. The House has read the Tariff Bill a third time.