POLITICS IN AUSTRALIA.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 455, 13 March 1909, Page 7

POLITICS IN AUSTRALIA.

~.. ■■. .'- ■ ■'■ '■;''' i) '—■ .: ■■'■■ ■ •■ THE.-.CENTRALISATION QUESTION. V

(Br XXI.VGif AI'H. —Sl j yc: AI, CORIIESTOSIinNT.r •••'C V v .'Christchuroli, March 12.' Mr._y. J. Lesina, M.L.A., of Queensland, a member, of the' Labour party of that Siate, is m Chmtchurch, in tho course of a tour of investigation into the operations of Noi Licensfe, which he has boon commissioned to carry out by certain Queensland papers. opeaking to a "Times" interviewer, Mr. Lesina gave an interesting account of the Jabour movement and labour politicians in Australia. The prospects of the Labour party, federally speaking he said were ft t> i , .^H 1, might do injury to the l<ederal Labour party was the suspicion which was growing into a certainty in tho minds of many people-in Queensland, and throughout Australia, that tho party was in favour of tho centralisation of. power in the hands of the Federal Government, and the consequent curtailment of the functions or state .Parliaments. .. This suspicion was strengthened by .the attitude openly taken up by some of tho Federal Ministers and others. Mr. -Mah(V, ; a Minister, was in favour of the Federal Government takin" over the administration of all land and all railways throughout Australia, and Mr. xsatchelor, another member of the Federal Cabinet, desired increased financial power and tho right to regulate all State Industrios. Mr. Fraser, ono of the youngest and most active, members of tho federal Labour party in the Houso of Representatives, desired to make the ■ tobacco industry a nations monopoly, and to place the educational systems of all; States under Federal control. Mr.; M Dougall, a Victorian Labour member, supported Air. Mahon's demand for federal administration of lands and railways and Mr. Hall, a New South Wales Labour member, desired to bring shipping within i tho administration of tho I'oil era I authority. Senator Lynch considered that the Commonwealth Government should establish a bank.of issue and deposit, and Senator Pearce, a Cabinet Minister, proposed an amendment of the Federal Constitution, enabling the Government to take control of all trusts, combines, and monopolies. _ The objection to these proposals was that the State Parliaments would have their functions so curtailed as to render them useless, and that their, abolition would be certain, while the formation of new btates would bo prevented, in the ab- . sence of a completo system'of local selfgovernment. This would mean that persons living thousands of miles from tho centro of government , would have their interests neglected. Messrs. Fisher and Hughes, and other members of the Federal Cabinet, repudiated the idea of centralisation, but this repudiation was discounted by tho utterances . 9f individual, members.