ALL PRICE CONTROLS BEING DROPPED BY GOVERNMENT

Grey River Argus, 2 June 1948, Page 5

ALL PRICE CONTROLS BEING DROPPED BY GOVERNMENT

Referendum Vote Given Full Effect

(Rec 10.30 p.m.) CANBERRA, June 1. Following on the referendum vote, against Federal price control, the Prime Minister. Rt. Hon. J. B. Chifiey, has announced that Federal Cabinet has decided to relinquish all control of house rents,, within two months. The Prime Minister further stated that the Federal Government will give up all fixing of prices within three months. Mr Chifiey added that Cabinet likewise has decided to relinquish all control of land sales within three months. Mr Chifiey says that now the State Governments will be invited to set up machinery for assuming all of these controls. He states tnat the Commonwealth staffs will give the States all possible administrative assistance. “No” MajorityOver 660,000 SYDNEY, May 31. Further counting in the rents and prices referendum has . increased the Commonwealth majority for the negative to 618,551. No improvement of the affirmative position is now expected, as the counting has shown that the negative is forging further ahead in all States. The votes now outstanding are absentee and postal. The mparities for the negative in all States are as follows: — New South Wales .... 216,303 Victoria 110,755 Queensland 15!).u>-» South Australia 48,776 Western Australia ... ■ 44,664 Tasmania 38,013 The decisive deleat in Saturday’s referendum of the Federal Government’s bid for permanent control over prices, rents, and charges is being interpreted by both sides as a vote against bureaucracy rather than against the Labour Government. Even the most optimistic Liberal supporter is not prepared to believe that the citizens voted on party lines. The general feeling was expressed by Mr E. J. Holloway, Federal Minister of Labour, who, scorning the .recriminations and challenges indulged in by other Labour leaders, said: “This overwhelming vote shows the deep-seated hostility of the man in the street to peace-time control by any Government. The people seem to prefer the risk of exploitation, rather than submit to continued controls’’. B-J,-. A constitutional lawyer, Dr Frank Louat, said: “The referendum figures are the Chifiey Government’s second chance to learn a lesson which it failed to grasp from the Victorian election. This flat refusal by the people means that Australians have already had as much socialism as they are prepared to stand. To-day there is a sharpening world-wide issue between the defenders of individual freedom and those who believe in the herd management of human beings. There is no half-way house between these two ways of living, and the figures show that Australians have made up their minds where they stand”. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr R. G. Menzies) commented: “The resultexhibits three things: (1) growing dissatisfaction with Canberra control of our daily lives; (2) rising hostility to the Chifiey Government; (3) determination that while certain controls are needed now they should not be a permanent feature of Australian administration. The people have said plainly enough that the general responsibility for all these matters should rest with the State Parliaments”.

(Rec. 11.10). SYDNEY, May 31. The majority for “no” in the referendum has increased to 669,811. Chifley Net Complaining (Rec. 10.40). CANBERRA, June 1. The Prime Minister to-day commented on the referendum before Cabinet held a meeting. Mr Chifley said: “I have no complaints! I think that it was an unwise decision from the point of view of the maintenance of economic stability. A very simple question was submitted to the people, who have given a most decisive answer”. Will Government Continue Subsidies ? & (Rec. 11.55). CANBERRA, June 1. Referring to the Cabinet’s decisions on the referendum, Mi- Chifley said a Cabinet sub-committee would be set up to consider the subsidies that are being paid by the Government of the Commonwealth for various commodities. During the referendum campaign, Rt. Hon. Mr Chifley had said that it would not be reasonable to expect that the Commonwealth Government should continue to pay price, subsidies on goods and commodities while the Government was having no right of seeking any check on the prices that have to be paid by the consumers.