THE SITUATION IN QUEENSLAND

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 136, 4 March 1919, Page 8

THE SITUATION IN QUEENSLAND

■ Sir,—Your issue.of Saturday last contains a long effusion from the per, of Mr. liandolph Bedford, politician and journalist, of a type not uncommon even in this part of the world. Mr. Bedford's tirade, as a piece of special pleading in defence of one of the worst Governments that has over held power in a British community, is unique ir.-its way,-and suggests tho futility of entering into argument with men whose stock answer to any statement in conflict with their ideas, or baring the /effect of exposing their methods, is, "It's a lie.'V I do not therefore intend to enter into any controversy with Mr. Bedford. I-have resided in Queensland for a quarter of a century, and, notwithstanding • absenco from its- bound? for a number' of years, I have by no means been out'of touch with the course of events in that country of wonderful potentialities.

Despite bad government, the progress flint has been made sufficiently attest' the fact that Queensland without doubt is one of the most valuable of British possession?.

My sources of information, therefore, enable me to corroborate in (he main the views enunciated by Mr. Poison as they Appeared in your issue of December 23 last. Before tnl;in t t leave of,the subject let me just refer to one i>r two points in the. correspondence. Mr. Bedford allude; to the constitution of the Tipper House, and gives the state of parties, as la to 34. Of the latter lie snys: "The 34 are not responsible to invbodv and represent the wreckage of the old parties defeated at. the.polls; yet they tinker and alter ali the measures which the olectors have t*"icn ratified." Passing over a question that might quite pertinently be n s ked: To whom are th« noble and patriotic Li /responsible? I proceed to say that the remarks mioted are a gross libel on n section of (the Legislative. Council, comprising men who, in a. truly ropresentiH<-« son=e. stand for all that inak'") tor the general advancement of the country; men who have borne the heat aiyi burden of the dav, uaving the way for such as Mr. Bedford and th». body of iiTcsponsibles with whom ho is associated, and have iiow the courage to resist measures that have in some instances savoured of repudiation and nbsolulo violation of honourable obligation. T may add. that in traducing the Legislative Council, or that, portion of it with which he is not identified, Jlr. Bedford slanders the great majority of Hie people of his State, who, by referendum submitted to them not so very long ago. pronounced nvcnvb"lmingly against abolition of the r".,iinv House, thus at the same timo emt>W!(vil]v eii(lnv;iinr the action of Hie Council in resolutely' refusing to ratify proposals calculated to make the Pfn'e a venroach and a by-word amongst civilised nations.

Xnw. as to tb° suprar question. Mr. P>°dfnrd say:: ''Mr. Poison's remarks about cane-ct'.Hers pre as unreliable as any others of hi*. There lmi nevr been less industrial trouble in tho 'ields fl»d never a- belter cb>:- of labour." A sufficient answer io all this rodomontade is the Press menage cabled from Brishnno under date March 1: "A meeting of the Susflr Producers' pass, ed a resolution asking the Coinmnnwealtli Government to lake full control of the industry." That will illustrate more than anything I can say the si raits the sugar grower is placed in by the exactions of c!e"s Government.

There is something sublimely audacious —if I may so put it—in Mr. Bedford's claim that "Queensland o£ all countries

«in the world is doing the most, and Ihfl moot honest, work in the repatriation or tho returned soldier," when we remember how strenuously the Government now in power in that State opposed and blocked tho efforts made to render whole-hearted assistance in the prosecution of the war. Of course it would, in Mr. opinion, be a lie to suggest that any political significance or solicitude for votes attaches to this move on the part of the Government of which he is such an ard'. cut champion.—l am, etc.,

A. MACINTOSH. Wellington, March 3,

Sir,—l have read Mr. Randolph Bed< ford's effusion in your issue of March Is also 1 have read Mr. Poison's description of affairs in Queensland, and as one who has considerable interests in Queensland I may say that, Mr. Poison is quite correct in all his statements, and Mr. Bedford's statements are very misleading, I have lived in Queensland before Mr, Bedford was born, so I know what I am talking about, and I liavo no hesitation in saying that Queensland is the most disloyal State in the Commonwealth. Tho Government there did nothing to encourage voluntary enlistment when the Australian troops were being wiped out at the front, fighting for men like Mr. Bedford, when their battalions had to be reduced owing to no reinforcements being sent out to fill the gaps. I wish to.give all credit to those Queenslandcrs who went out voluntarily, especially tho Queensland Light Horse. . It was a Queensland regiment that was the first to land on the rugged shores of Gallipoli and perished almost to a man, and they have distinguished themselves in aH tho fighting in Egypt. But what steps'did the Queensland Government take to help them? The Federal Minister ofßecriiiting was sent up to Queensland, and ths Premier was persuaded much against his will to agree to raise a thousand men' —the same as Captain Carmiehael did'in New. South Wales. But what, did he 'do to attain this objective? Nothing. He never raised a man, but flew off to Perth to attend a large meeting of the Labour unions, .where some of the most objectionable resolutions wore passed detrimental to the winning of the war. One resolution was that a deputation of three or four Labourites should proceed to Germany to interview the Kaiser. Another was that no steps should ba taken to forward;reinforcements, but if men liked to go they, could do so. I think I have said enough to show the Government's attitude towards beating Germany. •. ; Now liov have tho crowd that Mr. Bedford belongs to' treated the returned soldiers? Why, a. returned soldier over there is afraid to wear his honourable badge, or he is set upon by the slackers who would not tight. Mr. Bedford says "Patriotism is love of country—love of your own country, not- the other fellow's." Where does England come in? Where, would Australia have been if the other fellows from Great Britain and our inen.had not fought together? It would have been under the German flag. It is a pity we could not send Mr. Bedford and others like him there for a while. Mr. Bedford talks about the majority the. Labour-Party got to put them in power; but lie does not say anything about them getting a block vote from the German settlers, who number several thousands. They knew their friends and helped to put them .in. Mr. Bedford says: "We seek to abolish the Upper House," of which he is a member.- Fortunately for - the country this has twicosbeen thrown out by big majorities. If there were no Upper House to check their hasty and unpatriotic legislation they would ruin tho country in ono act. They have tried to tear up some of the Acts in regard to the pastoraL leases, just the same as the Germans did with Belgium, but the Upper Housa checked them. The members of tho Lower House were getting .£3OO pen", annummore than they ever earned in their lives before—but. not satisfied with that thev voted themselves another ,£2OO last, session. Then he talks about the State meat shops, quoting the prices at which, meat, is sold, but he does not tell us how they got the meat. They compelled the freezing companies to supply them with twelve thousand tons of beef and mutton at 3Jd. • and BJd. per lb. for allowing them tho privilege of supplying the Imperial Government with meat at 4('d. per ib.-so that our; soldiers and sailors nnd the French nation who were fighting, for their yery existence' were, compelled to pay these prices, whilst the disloyal wharf lumpers were loafing about the Brisbane, wharves, and would not load tho 6hips. with meat or coal. These were the men that wero being fed up'with the cheap meat. * r Why, it was only a few days ago (hat they diverted 1800 tons of meat that was ready for shipment by the steamer Port Darwin to be kept back for their State butcher shops—and at the same time they were consigning truck loads of fat cattle from the State stations to the public saleyards in Brisbane, where beef was soiling up to 555. per lOOlb.-over GJd. per lb. Mr. Bedford then talks about the State "pubberics" built at a cost of .£17.000 each. An orgy of drunkenness set in when these were opened, and the results can bo seen to-day in the riots that have taken place at Townsville, Hugenden, and Port Darwin—where the Administrator, Mr v Gilruth (an exNew Zealand official), was lucky to get away without losing his life. The Bolshevists are very numerous at Port Darwin, and pretty well take charge of tho place. They are mostly llussians and Greeks. Because the captain of one of the Dutch steamers would not apologise to them for some trifling thing they refused to work his' boat; and he. had (o carry the cargo on to Melbourne. Mr. B?dford talks about State enterprise. I will admit thnt some of their undertakings have been a success—such as insurance—but their .sawmilling and fish businesses have shown a big loss. As to the personality of some of the members of I the Cabinet and tho Upper House it would not do to say too much, for, liko our own Parliament, a few of them havo been entertained by tho Government at various times. Mr. Poison's plain facts I are quite true, but do not meet with tho I approval of men. like Mv. Bedford, [ whoso appointment' to >tlie Upper House I was-looked upon as''the. joke of tho sea-son.—l-am, etc., I ■-' . '•■•'. G.J.B. . Gisbor'ne. .