GOVERNMENT IN AUSTRALIA

Southland Times, Issue 23678, 29 November 1938, Page 8

GOVERNMENT IN AUSTRALIA

DIFFICULTY IN WAY OF UNIFICATION

VASTNESS OF CONTINENT AND OTHER PROBLEMS

(Special to The Times) AUCKLAND, November 28. “With world unrest increasing and faced with the probability of higher taxes, Australia is rather apprehensive for the future,” said Judge W. Mocatta, a retired judge of the New South Wales District Court, who arrived in Auckland by the Niagara. “It looks as if they are going to mobilize our manhood, too,” he added. Judge Mocatta, who has come to Auckland to meet his wife and daughter, who will arrive from England in a few days, lived in Auckland about 50 years ago and expressed his eagerness to see the city again after so many years. He lived at Remuera for about two years when only a youth and still carries on his upper lip a scar of a wound suffered in the hunting field at Ellerslie. He suffered the injury when his horse bumped him against a scoria wall.

“I most decidedly think we are oyergoverned and have too many legislatures,” said Judge Mocatta, when asked to comment on the recent suggestion of the former Prime Minister of Australia, Mr J. H. Scullin, that the Commonwealth Government should hold a constitutional session of Parliament to draw up proposals for submission to the electors for recasting, the Federal constitution. The Prime Minister, Mr J. A. Lyons, had issued a statement indicating that he was in favour of such a session being held. There was need for the unification of government in Australia, added Judge Mocatta. It had to be admitted, also, that because of the vastness of the continent and because of many other problems there were many difficulties to be solved before unification could be achieved. Government under such a system would have to be submitted to bodies situated in the various states to handle local affairs.

“One central government would be a good thing, but there are so many local necessities,” he added. “For instance, the legislature that would have to govern New South Wales would have to know all about the problems of such remote parts of the Commonwealth as Darwin.