LABOUR EMISSARY

Southland Times, Issue 19771, 20 February 1923, Page 5

LABOUR EMISSARY

VISITOR FROM QUEENSLAND. (Special to the Times.) WELLINGTON, February 19. Hie Hon J. S. Collings, who was Labour member of the Legislative Council of Queensland until its abolition by the Theodore Government, arrived to-day by the Tahiti, on a tour of New Zealand. Explaining the workings of the Labour Government ,in Queensland, “It is,” he said, in an interview, “a plank in the platform of the Australian Labour Party to have one national House of Parliament for the whole of Australia, with merely advisory councils or something of that sort in the different States. When we first got into office in 1915,” he remarked “the Upper House was of a conservative character. For some time it had been emasculating our measures, and throwing others out altogether until at last the position became absolutely intolerable. Elected by the people we were unable to give effect to the programme which the people endorsed. Finally we got a majority in the Upper House, which enabled us to put our legislation through, until we were able to pass a Bill providing for the abolition of the Council. Since that time we have had one session of Parliament with only the lower House. Without reference to Federal authority, we can go direct to Great Britain for instance. Our measure for the abolition of the Upper House ha dto receive Royal assent, because an amendment of the constitution was involved, but it did not have to receive the approval of the Comonwealth Government. Ours is the only working-class Government in the world,” Mr Collings claimed. “Some people might say what about Russia? Well when I talk about working-class Government, I mean stable Government, able to translate its policy into legislation, and peacefully operate that policy. Russia is not able to do that because she has to moderate her policy under the influence of outside interference. If after eight years experiment we go down, it will be a most serious thing from the Labour standpoint. The election next October will be the most fiercely contested fight Labour has ever had in the State. Money will be poured like water into the fight against the Labour Government. We recognise that it is going to be our real testing time.”