FEDERAL REFERENDA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1061, 25 February 1911, Page 5

FEDERAL REFERENDA.

'LABOUR ACTIVITY. Br Telegraph—Press AsKoriaMr.n—ConvlehG Syiinoy, February 24. Tho executive of tho Political Labour League has forwarded another letter to all the New South Wales Labour Parliamentary representatives, including members of tho Federal Houso and Senate, requesting their attendance at a meeting to discuss the question of tho supporting of tho referenda.

Tho Stato Ministers dcclino to discuss eitlicr letter with the press.

STATE PREMIER'S VIEWS. Mr. ITGonen, tho Labour Premier of Neiv South Wales, does not seo eye to eve with the Perioral Labour party on the proposed alterations to tho Commonwealth constitution. 11l a recent speech he stated:— "The real point in dispute amongst the supporters of tho Labour party is as follows:—Those who supported tho proposed amendments contended .that they ,were necessary ?iii oi'der .td 'sdeuro'the amendments upon which all wero agreed. An 'other section of the. supporters of the Labour movement, with" which I atrreed, .was of opinion that the extension of Federal functions, which it v;ns admitted was necessarj'i could be achieved without giving the' Federal Parliament powers to deal with matters that were intra-State under tho present Constitution, such as domostic commerce, industrial legislation, control of our railway system, and various other matters which wo considered it inexpedient to hand over .under present conditions. Wo realised that the proposed incursion into the domain of purely domestic matters was to be conferred upon a Parliament elected on a Federal basis, and wo havo always urged that if it is desirable to give tho central Government those nowcrs over purely local the, whole Constitution of tho Australian Parliament must bo revised.

"The transfer of these functions to a Federal _ Government, wo believed, and still believe, is fraught with gravo possibilities, and will result'in endless confusion and conflict between • the present State and Federal Dowers. The final arbiter of the effect of any legislation would, v;e contend, under these proposals ho the Hip:h Court. IVhiJp the legislation of . the Federal Parliament might not be challenged to the same extent, every statute passed by a State Parliament would be subject to review, and practically the. whole of the legislation of the Commonwealth, both Stato and Federal,. would be perpetually before the High Coiirt to determine whether inconsistencies existed between State and Federal legislation'on mattors in which concurrent power existed. We therefore urged that amendments of the Constitution should Jjo confined to purely Federal matters until, such time as. the whole Federal compact lmtl been reconsidered.; We urged that before the Federal. Parliament is entrusted with the power of legislating on purely domestic matters, the three weak spots of the Australian Constitution should be' eliminated. are-(l) the election of a Senate on a State basis, (2). the power of invalidation vested in the existing High Court, and (3) the power of the minority to defeat amendments in the Constitution." ' . ■ . .