AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 14245, 25 June 1910, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

FEDERAL PARLIAMENT. MR. FISHER’S POLICY. By Electric Telegraph .--Copy right. (Received Juno 25, 9 n.m.) MELBOURNE, Juno 25. The caucus has concluded consideration of the proposals to be embodied in the Governor’s Speech at the opening of Parliament on Friday. Mr. Fisher, interviewed, was reticent, but stated that the Government intended to carry out the proposal to make the payment of 25s per head of population to the States for a period of ton years, with a special extra grant of £250,000 per annum to Westralia. It was not intended to touch the tariff this session. Ho proposer! to t?J;6 a referendum on the question of extending the operations of industrial laws'. WANT-OF-CONFIDENCE MOTION. (Received June 25, 9 h.m.) SYDNEY, June 25. Mr. M'Gowan’s waut-of-confidenco motion was negatived by 50 to 35, the final sitting occupying 25 hours. OLD AGE PENSIONS. (Received June 25, 10.20 n.m.) MELBOURNE, Juno 25. Mr, Fisher announced that the amendments of the Old Ago Pensions Act would not be so extensive as previously foreshadowed, which would mean an extra cost of £1,090,000 annually to the Commonwealth. The Government had power to reduce womens’ pension age from sixty-five to sixty, and to proclaim invalid pension provisions entailing together an extra cost of about £700,000. The Ministry did not mean to go beyond that at present. COST OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. (Received June 25, 10.20 a.m.) SYDNEY, June 25. The Solicitor-General has made inquiries into the proposal to abolish the Legislative Council. Ho reports that it would mean a saving of £8,708 yearly to the State.