STRAIGHT FROM THE SHOULDER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3040, 29 March 1917, Page 5

STRAIGHT FROM THE SHOULDER

MR. lIUGHES'S POLICY SPEECH STRONG CRITICISM OF OPPONENTS ■'■ : ."~. ■ ;. Melbourne, March. 28. ■- In delivering his. policy speech at Bendigo, Mr. W. M.. Hughes said tho Anzao vote oti tho conscription referendum was 72,000 for and 68,000 against. Tho Government was forced to go to the country by tho bitter and teokless hostility of tho Sonata If returned, tho Government would not forco conscription on the people, but if tho national safety demanded it tho question would again ho referred to tho people. ( | Referring to the wheat pool, ho said'l that to date there had been sold 6,100,t 000 tons. Of this, 2,014,000 tons lujd bean Bent oversea, and 3,185,000 sold hut not yet shipped. The Government, had now extended tho guarantee to 4i, per bushel for the. farmers' 1918-19 crop. Tho repatriation scheme involv-; ed an expenditure of £32,000,000, £22,000,000 of which ib was proposed to raise by loans, tbo remainder by. tax I on incomes spread over a series of years. The same facilities for land settlement: would bo given British, and Australian soldiers. Tho Government intended to , follow the example of Britain in regard to the importation of luxuries. It would give effect to a policy to enable it to Keep the wealth of:the country within tho country end Empire . .- 1 Mr. Hughes concluded i "Many of our opponents, openly hostile to Britain, aro clamouring for a prematura peace, caring nothing but for their own selfish and narrow, interests."— Pross Association.. ,