The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1926. DEFEATED PROPOSALS.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 September 1926, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1926. DEFEATED PROPOSALS.

Tm: referendum proposals in the Ct>_nmonwealth at the poll on Saturday uppear to have been soundly defeated. When the final figures are available, no doubt the polling will prove to be heavy as the voting is compulsory. The inegative majority is growing and will reach apparently a very substantial amount. The appeal to the electors was in legard to an extension of the constitutional powers, so as to extend thp Federal control in the industrial sphere. The Government asked for larger powers to enable the central authority to grapple effectively with such a crisis as a general strike. The people have had plenty of experience in regard to strikes in Australia, and it was for them to say whether there was a genuine need for the increased power or not. The trend of the voting is decidedly to negative the carrying of the issues. There is a certain amount of industrial chaos in the Commonwealth, due to the relations, between the Federal and State Governments. It would appear that the Federal Government lacks the supreme power of a central authority, and in the impasse which results there is chaos, leading to a lack of finality. Mr Bruce, the Prime Minister. when making an appeal to the business people of Sydney asked them to face the facts of their experiences

with industrial troubles. He argued Unit there must lie a warrant from the people of tlio Commonwealth to proteet them in a crisis, not when civil war seems imminent, and troops have to he called but, but. in the early days of trouble, when the stitch in time may save a whole rent garment. He asked also that there must he an extension of control where corporations arc concerned, not to their hurt or unfairly to fetter them, hut again for the general welfare. The people of Australia should he capable of electing Governments ready to do justice in the sphere of all corporate activities; and to this end they must vote ‘‘Yes” for an amendment of the Constitution which will give the Commonwealth as much as the States now possess—no more. Tin’s was the burden of the speaker's message when urging the adoption of the affirmative, ft- was felt at one period that the personality of the Prime Minister would achieve success at the polls, more particularly as there was a division in the ranks of the Labor party. Even the Labor Federal lender was with Mr Bruce on one of the issues, an attitude which he will have to account for to his masters in due season. But the political sections were so generally divided that from an early anticipation of the possible result, defeat was being predicted. Mr Lang, the Labor Premier of New South Wales, was an uncompromising opponent of the referendum proposals, and has expressed satisfaction at the result. Mr Charlton (Federal Labor Leader) has expressed the bone the decision of the bo people would nol prove unwise. It must be accepted. Tint in bis opinion. Australia could not adequately protect the people’s rights without greater powers. Mr Bruce is at sea, and at the time of writing his views on the proliable result of the poll are not known. Speaking during the campaign he said the power to take national action to protect essential services in the event of a national upheaval, was a power that needs no commendation. The power which enabled the British Government to cope with the recent disaster in the old country was one which the Australian people could not afford to let its national Parliament be without. It was a. power which might be used in any one of a number of conceivable catastrophes, not all of them due to any human agency ; hut he made no apology for declaring that if it was human action, whether the action of employers or employees, which threatened Australia .with paralysis, then the Commonwealth Government should have bad power to protect the interests of the whole nation. Asked by an opponent what action lie intended to take, in view of the present industrial situation, if the referendum proposals were not carried, the Prime Minister said he was pleased to note that his opponent admitted that the present industrial situation was unsatisfactory. He would deplore the position if the people did not give him the full powers under the Constitution. Nevertheless his Government would do its best- with the present limited powers to earn- out its pledge to deal immediately with the industrial situation. When asked how the Commonwealth, if given the powers asked for, would deal with the conflicting sets of wages and conditions existing in the different States now, Mr Bruce said that any State award, even at the present time, could be overridden by a Federal award if there was a conflict. The powers, if granted, would be used primarily for purposes of co-ordination. In the system which would lie set up. the central Court would be kept to deal with fundamental questions such as. the basic wage. The more localised questions would be loft to State tribunals.