CONTROL OF PRICES

Chronicle (Levin), 4 December 1947, Page 5

CONTROL OF PRICES

(^JZ.P.A,

■—Reuter,

Australians Are Scared Of Mr. Chifley's Motives .

Copyright)

Iieeeived Wednesday, 7 p.m. , OYDNEY, Dec. 3. The attempt by the Chiiiey Govern ment to seetire publie consent to thc permanent controf of renrs and prices by the Commonwealth, is regarded .by the Opposition as another phase of the all embracing socialisation schemi. which' began' with the Banking Bill and the uttempted acipiisition of airlines The issue * will be decided by referendum in Febiuary or Alarch but already there are hulications that tlie banking eontroversy will vitally affect the voting. The Opposition is eonvinced that the people will vote against t.he Go'vern ment beeause, firstly, they will be scared by the word power ", as tho^ were in the referendum of .1944, be lievmg rightly _ or wrongly that the Federal Government has more than enough power already and secondly, j they will vote not on the merits of price and rent conlrol but according to whether or not they approve of bank nationalisation. The connection between the Rents and Prices Bill wliich has just passed the House of Representatives, and the Banking- Act. now in the hands of the eoui;ts, is not obvious unless both are considered as parts of a general socialisation policv. How easily the banking issne could be inlrodueed into the prices debate, was denionstrated last week by tlie Opposition Leader, Air. Menzies. He said that he had once advocated some centralisation of powers but that he would now view it witli horror as the government had just .denionstrated with the Banking Bill how ruthlessly it could exercise existing powers without regard for jniblic opinion. The Opposition is not opposed to pnce control but believes that it could well be exercised by individual Btates. Government memiters, headed by the Minister of Immigration, Air. Calwell, who lias improved liis status during the debate, say that tlie differing political complexions ot the Btates might me';> divergent laws and resultant chaos. "This is not a Bill to destroy anyone's libertv, " said Air. Calwell. "It is a Bill to protect everyone. " " Burprising efi'rontery is being displayed by the Commoriwealth Govern ment after its previous rebuffs in asking the people to amend the constitution, " says the Bydney Herald. " Bureaucratic rule with its delays, anomalies, abuses and favouritisin is still fiourishing loug after lioslilities have been coneluded and demobilisarion coxnpleted." Whether a referendum will be a fair test of govenimerit policy is a mattm' for conjecture. The odds are alwa.vs against tlie Australian publie agreeing tp vilal changes in the constit ulion such as are involved in tlie present propo'sal.