THE FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12770, 11 February 1910, Page 2

THE FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

MR FISHER AT MARYBOROUGH. PROTECTION AND FINANCE. [Piiess Association — Copyright.] Brisbane, Fcb 10. Mr Fisher, Leader of the Federal Labour party, in his electoral campaign speech at Maryborough, opposed Wages Boards and urged th& necessity to give greater power to the Federal Parliament to protect the workers. He claimed that his Government was responsible for tho initiation of the Australian naval defence scheme, and was tho first to put the idea into concrete form. The inclusion of financial arrangements with tho States in the Constitution would prove embarasshig to the people of Australia, because it would be impossible to have a protectionist tariff and simultaneously a large revenue from tlio Customs. If they wcare going to have a protectionist country, and ho believed they were, very high duties would be required to defray the expenses of federation and the payment of 25 per cent to the States. He urged the people to trust the Federal Parliament to do justice to the tSates. If justice was not dono the people had the remedy at the next election.