The Dominion. TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1913. A GREAT POLITICAL BATTLE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1832, 19 August 1913, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1913. A GREAT POLITICAL BATTLE.

The Australian papers which arrived by yesterday's mail contain full information regarding the policy of tho Liberal party in the Federal Parliament. The indications are that the Prime Minister (Mr. Cook) and his colleagues have determined to take a decided and courageous line notwithstanding the smallness of their in the House of Representatives. They aro not content simply to mark time , and do nothing in the hope of averting a crisis. They take the stand that it is their plain • duty to carry out as . far as possible the programme which tney placed before tho people, and on the strength of which tliey were returned in sufficient numbers to put the Labour Government out of office. Their intention seems to be to go straight on with their measures, and to show that they really mean business, and when they find that the obstructive tactics ot their opponents in the House or tho hostile Labour majority in the Senate make further progress impossible, they do'not intend to throw their programme overboard or adopt a policy of procrastination, but to go back to the people and give the electors an opportunity of declaring their wishes in a more decisive manner, and thereby to put an end to the deadlock if and when such takes place. This is certainly tho most dignified and effective course to pursue, and if the Cook Ministry go forward unwaveringly on these lines they aro_ sure to strengthen their position in the estimation of the country.

Before Parliament met, some people were of opinion that for the purpose of gaining time the Opposition might agree to treat one or two items in the Government's'' programme as non-party matters, including perhaps the proposal t to remedy some of the more glaring defects of the electoral law which were made manifest during the recent general electron, but that part of the Liberal policy which directly attacks some of the most cherished ideas of the former regime, such as the proposals to abolish preference to unionists, to revert to the competitive contract system, and to reintroduce the principle of the freehold in connection with land settlement in the Northern Territory, was bound to meet with the most determined opposition. The battle, howevci\ commenced as soon as Parliament met on Tuesday of last week. Mit. Cook asked leave to make a policy statement to the House, but this cannot be done if any one member objects, and when it became evident that such objection would be raised, Mr. Cook withdrew his application for leave, and moved that the statement be printed and taken into consideration with the proposed Address-in-Replv. The motion was carried, und too policy momariuj' duow of which & summary has aU

ready appeared in our cable columns, was then circulated. The' Opposition decidcd to get to grips right away, and on the following day Mr. Issuer moved an amendment to the Address-in-Reply, the debate on which is still proceeding. The Federal Parliament is now moving on towards the inevitable crisis, the only question being as to how and when it will be precipitated. In summing up the position tho Sydney Daily Telegraph states that if there is to be any legislation at all it must be of a Liberal char-* acter, for if the, Government with its majority cannot give effect to its policy it is certain that the Labour party, which is in an actual minority in the House, is _ even more powerless. Important Bills may possibly be forced through tho House, and then the Senate, with its large Labour majority, will be compelled to take a hand. It will have two courses open 'to : it—indefinite postponement of Government measures or straight-out rejection. In either case the Liberals will probably take the necessary steps to secure a dissolution—that is to say, a dissolution of the whole Legislature -and not of the House of Representatives only. But even if the Liberals were sent back to tho House with a substantial majority, it is quite possible that the deadlock might not bo removed, owing to the fact that each State, no matter how large or how small its population, has equal representation in the Sonate. Tasmania arid New South Wales, for instance, despite the enormous difference in their population; are each represented by six Senators. The result of this peculiarity of the Constitution is tha,t it is guite possible for a comparatively small minority of the people of the Commonwealth to return a large majority of the members of tho Senate. This fact points to the possibility of a permanent deadlock which only an amendment of the Constitution could remove, and any attempt to secure such an amendment would involve a long and bitter struggle. However, Mr. Cook and his colleagues need not at present look _ so fa-r ahead as that. Their immediate business is to go straight on -with their programme, and be prepared for any and every emergency. Both parties know that tho double dissolution cannot long bo delayed, and both are organising for what will probably prove the greatest political _ battle in the history of Australia.