FEDERAL POLITICS

Hokitika Guardian, 19 February 1931, Page 6

FEDERAL POLITICS

PRESS COMMENT. (Australian Press Association.) SYDNEY, February 18. Following Doctor Earl Page’s speech in favour of a new State agitation, cabled yesterday, “The Sun,” to-day features an article hinting that within a fortnight a most sensational move for the creation of a new State will be undertaken, the area comprised in the session movement being a hundred thousand square miles embracing provinces north and northwest of Tamworth, with a population of four hundred thousand. The “Sun” says.— “The breaking movement has gone beyond the stage of words. It is expected a conference of new State leaguers, meeting at the end of the month will make vital decisions which will probably be led to an immediate announcement of secession from NewSouth Wales. Well-informed people, however, point out that there are constitutional difficulties in the way of any sudden secession. N.S.W. CENSURE MOTION. SYDNEY, February. 18.. The censure motion against the Government in the Legislative Assembly, as cabled yesterday, was .launched by Mr Bavin to-day, but it had not gone far when the closure was applied, the motion for which was agreed to on a strictly party division. The House was in an uproar for many minutes. Mr Bavin exclaimed that the Government’s action in stifling discussion on such an important question as proposed repudiation of national obligations would be properly appraise# by the people of New South Wales.

HOPES IN THREE-YEAR. PLAN. ADELAIDE, February 18. On his return from Canberra to-day, the Premier of South Australia, MiHill, said that the position of Australia, particularly regarding finance, was obscure at the moment, but he saw a gleam of hope. He believed that u'hoii the Premiers met at Melbourne next week, the plans which would be evolved in the deliberations there would depend entirely on the result of the conference between the Prime Minister and iMr Theodore and the Commonwealth Bank Board, when the threeyear plan would he discussed.