POLITICS IN N.S.W.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 January 1921, Page 1

POLITICS IN N.S.W.

, LABOUR PROPOSALS. SYDNEY, Dec. 29. The masters of the New South Wales Ministry, the members of the Australian Labour Party, are preparing for their annual conference, which takes place in March. Every ‘‘captain, crank and colonel,” who has paid his entrance fee seems to have a right to take a hand in shaping the policy of the A.L.P., judging from the agenda paper; and wliat they sav would be of the smallest consequence were it not for the fact that Mr Storey and his colleagues are hound to keep their ears keenly bent forward to hear what the A.L.P. wishes them to do. Here, for example, is one of the proposals to lie discussed by the conference: —“That in future the State Labour Premier and Ministers should he elected by the A.L.P conference. ‘‘That is to say, that this irresponsible body should be allowed impudently to usurp to itself one of the essential functions of government, conferred by the constitution as the right of the people of the State, who return their representatives to Par Lament for that purpose. Here is another propsal from one of the branches, which is a very good example of the wild nonsense often talked by people who knew nothing, and care less, for the elementary principles of political economy: “That no man he allowed to accumulate a fortune of over £10,009 annually, and that then he must stop earning.” Supposing, for the sake of argument, that it were possible to put this absurdity into law, and that any man who had made £IO,OOO was obliged to retire from business. in such event- .would become of the workmen dependent upon his business for their living? Possibly the man who framed this proposal has an idea that lie would then seize it. and run it himself, or that the employees would run it for him. Tn a week it would be upon Hie rocks. Another proposal is that the income tax exemption should bo raised to £SOO. The working man, now that the basic wage principle has •.riven him higher pay, is feeling with the rest of the community the extra turn of the screw of tin’s taxation, hut lie desires to pass his share oil to the other fellow.

O'rio' proposal which is likely to win considerable support at the conference is that those who were expelled for their advocacy of conscription should lie readmitted to the party. For some time, the chances ot this reconciliation have been talked of: and probably the saner members of the party who witnessed able men driven from its ranks at that crisis in its history, with the result that its destines came largely under the control of hare-brained extremists, will heartily welcome their return. Tbit since expulsion is regarded by some as an artifice too valuable to be lightly abandoned, there is this fresh recommendation from one of its branches: —“That any member of the A.L.P. accepting a title from the British government should be expelled from the Labour movement.’' If the movement is allowed to go much further in the direction in which some of the extremists would take it. there need he no apprehension of any necessity for this threat being enforced .