REFERENDUM BILLS.
COMMONWEALTH AND STATES WIDER POWERS SOUGHT. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright Melbourne, November 20. The Referendum Bills for the amendment of tho Commonwealth Constitution wore debated in. the House of Representatives yesterday. The proposed amendments will give tho Commonwealth power to make laws with regard to trade and commerce generally, corporations, Labour matters, and to nationalise monopolies. Mr. Hughes, Attorney-General, in moving the second reading of tho Referendum Bill, dealing with trade and commerce, claimed full powers to alter the Constitution. It was never protended, he said, that the Commonwealth was a finished product that conld stand for all time. The Government was attempting to breathe into the Constitution the breath of modern life. He denied there was any attempt to establish unification, and argued the necessity, in view of the rocent High Court decisions, for stronger powers -for the Federal Government to deal with industrial matters, trusts, and oombines. There were trusts in Australia, but tho Federal Government was powerless to reach them. The Beef Trust already had a footing, and under the present law was freo to exploit Australia as it had dono in America. Mr. Deakin, Leader of the Opposition, declared there was a unanimous feeling that there was apt to be an encroachment by. trusts, but he foresaw more dangers still—the prospects of a system of naI tionalisation. The country had not reached a stage l where it was. prepared to change the whole character of the Constitution. The present proposals were an attempt to annex the powers of the Legislatures. The interests of Australia could be served by loyal allegiance to Federal principles. The new proposals would produce the exactly opposite effect. " Mr. Hughes subsequently moved the second reading of a Referendum Bill giving powers to deal with corporations. He instanced the Coal Vend and Sugar Company prosecutions as cases in which wider powers were deeded. ■'
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Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1603, 21 November 1912, Page 5
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311REFERENDUM BILLS. Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1603, 21 November 1912, Page 5
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