DEMOCRACY A FARCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17433, 4 December 1930, Page 13

DEMOCRACY A FARCE

CAUCUS DICTATORSHIP POLITICAL AUSTRALIA “Democracy in Australia has become to' all intents and purposes a farce, w said Mr. W. A. Boucher, who returned to Auckland by the Marama this 1 week after a business visit to the Commonwealth, • “ With Lab/ir Governments in power people hh\V practically no say in the affniib (if the country after the elections. lit"is purely and simply government by caucus, a particularly bad form of dictatorship. “The Labor Party in Australia had its saner elements,” Mr. Boucher continued, “but if they attempted to curb Labor’s 'Socialistic activities, they Were promptly ‘disciplined.’ The Word ‘discipline’ was freely used, and there was even talk in some sections of ‘disciplining’ the Prime Minister, Mr. .L H. Scullin, on his return from the Imperial Conference.” Trades unionism as it existed at present whs practically doomed in Australia. The workers were beginning to realise that‘for years they had*been carrying oh their hacks paid agitators, who’had done them far more harhi than good. The workers had to realise that they had now to fac-e altered ’conditions in the same manner as the 'primary producers of the' country.' '• “ ,,A ' "\.

Australia was feeling the results of its'short-sighted policy as far as tariff walls AVer6' cOncerifed, and it was to In* hoped that'Now Zealand would novel - ' give protection 'to uneconomic and unsoumf industries as had been doiio in the Commonwealth. An illustration of the failure of high tariffs was* provided in the case of one firm, which had a protection of 70 per cent, on its product, and which was now in 1 i quida tion. —Dominion.