DRASTIC PROPOSALS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 83, 17 March 1931, Page 5

DRASTIC PROPOSALS

, The present relief tax of Is in the £1 on,wages is to be ultimately converted nito an unemployment insurance fund. The committee condemned the, failure of the Federal Government to evolve measures to cope with thfe financial crisis and protect the •workers' standard of living. The proposals did not go far enough, for many delegates, and were referred back to the committee. i >i'; The miners' delegates opposed all reports, and submitted an amendment for ian extended scale of relief up to £4 12s 6d fortnightly. One speaker declared the miners were preparing io- leave the Australian Labour Party. •THey could not endure much longer t#e pittance received from the present*Labour Government. "If a plate glass window iB all that stops them, that glasß is going."

> TO HELP THE WORKERS .••" Press Association. —Copyright. , ; \ (Reed. 10 a.m.). i m':V-i SYDNEY, This Day. >.;Mr. Abbot, the organising secretary of,' the Producers' Advisory Council, denies the statements made at the Labour Conference that recentlyformed organisations contemplate revolutionary tactics. From; the beginning they stressed their adherence to constitutional methods, he said. . They are not at tackling the workers, but are in reality fighting their battles.

A FRESH START REQUIRED j<?OPINION OF LORD SOMERS '- . MELBOURNE, March 16. .! "/'Sound government by responsible men,' the repeal of more than half the legislation on the Statute Books, aud . the relegation of those who have done & much to bring about the deplorable conditions from which we are suffering to-day," was laid flown by delegates to the Chamber of Commerce conference as'the only "means of regaining past pjrqsnerity. ,j. The Governor, Lord Somers, opening the conference, said that a definite Clstad and a definite policy were the uigent need of the community. In •Wiopinion business had been hopless,vly.'nuked with legislation. It would ~:> b»'ft. good thing if all the Acts passed by the Governments in the past 20 burnt and a fresh start made. , V*srajr J. Paxton, president, attacked t|e 'incompetency of Australia's prei . stent Government. It was a lasting dis- ' grata that- the Acting-Prime Minister, at the time of Sir Otto Niemeyer's Visit, bad not the manhood or the • sense of fair play, to make statement regarding the true facts of Sir Otto's visit until after he had left '■■tigg country. ', ••FINANCIAL CHAOS" V LANG GOVERNMENT POLICY •f THE INEVITABLE RESUJ .T ..;.;,' ;., : SYDNEY, March 18. -At ' Parkes to-night, Mr T. B. Bavin, Leader of the State Opposition, addressed the first meeting in connection with his campaign throughout 'tbe-j State, to protest against the preaenti policy of the Lang Government. He said that financial chaos was inevitable by the end of the financial year if the Government's plans were carried out. The Government was following a course which involved a . breach of the law and was asking the ' Ring's representative to acquiesce in and make himself a party to that 'breach. Mr Lang's policy could not b& earried out without an open and unquestionable i legality, particularly in connection with the financial agree-'"-ment. The people were entitled to ask 'the Governor to use whatever consti- ! tutio'nal powers he possessed either to prevent this policy being carried into effect or, if that could not be done, to secure an appeal to the people on a petition to the Governor on these lines. Mr Bavin urged electors in every part ~ of .the State to sign.

; BY LABOUR ■'"'; "MR THEODORE'S REPLY '■'" '.';' SYDNEY, March 16. ... ' '"Neither the State Executive nor any'other New South Wales body has power to expel me from the Labour " movement," said Mr Theodore. "The supreme authority in this matter is the Federal Labour Conference." " A DISTINCT MENACE" ALL FOR AUSTRALIA LEAGUE SUPPRESSION SUGGESTED SYDNEY, March IG. Declaring it illegal and unconstitutional, the Government Whip in the Senate (Mr Dunn) declared that the Federal Government should suppress thO "All for Australia League," as it was a distinct menace to law and order and the the good government of Australia. i, THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES \ ;. :MR McGRATH NOT TO RESIGN MELBOUKNE, March 16. ' • The chairman of committees in the House of Representatives, Mr McGrath, who announced recently that he had left the Labour Party and had thrown in his lot with Mr Lyons, has added he has not intention of resigning his position as Chairman of Committees.

WES!I?RALIAN ECONOMY. RETIREMENT OF MINISTERS PERTH, March 16. • The Minister of Lands, Mr Latham, j s&id that the State Government's economy plans would include the retirement p£ two iliaisteps.

{ * UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF LABOUR CONFERENCE PLANS MORE TAXATION SUGGESTED Reed. 11 a.m. SYDNEY, This Day. PROPOSALS for further relief of unemployment were submitted by a special committee to the Labour Conference. These provide for a capital levy and for a steeply-graded supertax on higher incomes, the conduct of a State lottery, bond loans and advertising taxation.

UPPER HOUSE CASE Press Association.— Copyright. (Itecd. 12.35 a.m.). LONDON, March 16. The opinion is expressed here that if Mr. Lang takes the Upper House case to the Privy Council he will be unlikely to succeed.