ROUGH ON LIBERALS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 182, 27 April 1908, Page 7

ROUGH ON LIBERALS.

A COLONIAL, CRITIC. STATE REPRESENTATION. CONSERVATIVE FOREIGN POLICY PREFERRED. 3Y TELEGRAPH* —PRESS ASSOCIATION— COPVBIOIjr (Reo. April 26, 5.5 p.m.) London, April 25. Mr. . Price, Promier of South Australia, ad- 1 dressing tho Liverpool Reform Club, said that eight hours of Australian work equalled ton hours in England. . Ho feared that tho Liberals had contaminated tho Imperial movement, forcing it into a,narrow--groove. Australians believed that tho Liberals in England were less friendly to-them than they •ought to be. Ho complained that the Australian Stato Premiers: were excluded from tho Colonial Conference. The Federal Premier did not represent tho whole of the Government func-, tions ill, Australia. He complainod bitterly of the Imperial veto of the South Australian Bill refusing mining leases to Asiatics. The Liberal Government had jio right in that connection to ask an Australian Government to substitute "aliens" foi 1 "Asiatics," since tho colonists did Mot there exclude Europeans. Though South Australia had been described as insignificant, nevertheless it meaiit to insist on its rights i , "Australians," said Mr. Price, "foel that in foreign policy the: Liberals .do less good for tlie dolohies'than the Conservatives do. Wo doubt tho Liberals' so far as. colonial, policy is concorned. I think it would bo advisable to call a Council, at which the Australian States bo ablo to do something with regard to making the Treaties which bind them." ; There was some correspondence between the New South Wales; State Government and tho Home ■ Government on the . question whether the States should be represented at the Colonial Conference otherwise than through tho Federal Government. The Homo authorities maintained that, the States had parted with, so much of the eletrtonts. of government that their separate representation was not desirable. I As Mr. Bent ruefully remarked the other day, Lord Elgin favoured one conduit instead'of ! sii. ■