AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1921, 2 December 1913, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

THE SENATE STRIKE. THE FEDERAL PREMIER INDIGNANT. TIME-WASTING IN LOWER HOUSE. An informativo review of tho work of tho present session of i!io Australian Federal Parliament, of which some extracts aro givou below, was recently prepared by the Commonwealth Primo Minister (Mr. J. Cook) to indicate the amount of time wasted by the Labour Opposition sinco Parliament met in August. "The hold-up of public business,' which lasted in our Houso for months," Mr. Cook remarked 1 , "has now been transferred to tho Senate. They behaved themselves admirably and wit'.i proper Senatorial decorum so long as tliero was nothing to do. While Kill pay jjnd no work, not even so. imteli as a jitfclo gentle exercise,- was the rule, things went smoothly, but the moment they faced tho serious lnisinoss of tho country they turned and jibbed. And for what reason? They tell tho public plainly that it is because we will not allow our Chamber to be held up further and tho country's business set asidfe while, they attempt to visit us with a third vote of censure within tliroo months. Quito unabashed, they say to the country that, .unless the Representatives will suspend business . for a bitter, personal, empty wrangle, 'wo will suspend it in tho Senate until they do.' Perhaps a few facts will -show how they have been treated during tho session, and with what 'sheer brutality'— to use their own elegant language—they have been gagged and bound. These facts aro tho most eloquent comment upon the situation. "To show tho justification for the Ministry imposing the closure in order to push on business,'a digest of tho time occupied by the Ministerialists and Opposition respectively has. been compiled. The actual timo on Government business was 235 hours .41 minutes. This does: not incliulo the timo occiipied by questions and personal explanations, npr tho timo taken . for private business." - • . Detail's' 3iipolicd' h;; Mr. Cook show that Opposition- speakers appropriated tho lion's share of the time devoted to discussion. For instance, oil tho Electoral Bill, up to the second-reading Rtage, during a period of 28 hours,_ seven Ministerialists and «41 Oppositionists spoke.'

Blocking the Will of tiio People. -"Never before in my experience,;' Mr. Cook remarked, in concluding his statement, "lias a Ministry been so systematically blockcd in its attempt to do public "business. In the fnco of all " this they rush about tho country, trying to make their own supporters be-liever-nobody else could possibly credit —that their rights are being taken from them with a ruthless hand. Regarding tlio Senate, I havo only one "word more to add at this stago, and it is this: It appears that what has taken place at tiro present time is emito m accord with tlio new views of their leaders as to tho Senate's functions and responsibilities. Only the other day Mr. Hughes wrote of it as follows^ "'The will of tho peoplo must prevail! What hypocritical cant this ii about tlio Senate blocking the will oF tho pconle. Why, the Senate was created 'for no other purpose than to block- tho will of tho people. "Thrso-or o 'tho, utterances of,.demo* oratic leaders iu. these valiant dfl^fl.

Leader of the Senate Speahs Out. ' Tho'Leader of tho Ministerial Party in'tho' Federal Scnato (Senator Milieu) made the following statement oil tho subjcct of tho attitude taken up by that k°"\vhcn the Opposition took the extraordinary course of .refusing to attend to public business, its action might' havo been attributed to the peti-, lanco of angry and rcckless men, cym-e-ally indifferent to i>ublic responsibilities, seeking only to frustrate tlio legislative proposals of their opponents. But when it repeated- the procedure with possibilities of continuing tri-> process indefinitely, the situation ucgins to assume .more serious .proportions. Clearly, tho Opposition, by its action, aims at one of two tilings; cither it is seeking absolutely to bring tho work of Parliament to a complete standstill, or it is deliberately making an effort to control tho Executive ct tho country. If this effort is allowed 'to succced, it means tho end of responsible government. A Government cannot be responsible to! both Houses. Hitherto, and without question, its responsibility has been to the - Lowoi House, and it is -inconceivable that un: peoplo of Australia will ever allow t at responsibility to be shifted to tho Second Chamber, oven at the dictation ot tlio Labour party. Yet, it the pro sent outrageous attempt wero allowed to succeed, that would be the result. No Government, with-any conception ot the essential requirements ot our political system, can allow it to sticceod, and it would bo interesting to know if Messrs Fisher and Hughes arc prepared to openly proclaim the right ct the Second Chamber to exercisc over tho Government that control which baand must belong, to tho People 3 Chamber. I want, further to emphasiso the refusal of Senator i\L - rrogor to state, in answer to my question, how long ho and his party intend to obstruct public business. J'.ven if lie will not toll me, surely tho electors havo a ri"ht to know . I can conceive of no m.ue oo"ivincing proof of tho necessity lor .a double dissolution than this wanton action of the Senntc; Meanwhile. I imagine that by this time the electors avft beginning to ponder tho slightly-altered wolds, "How long shall wo bear with this evil congregation?"