POWER OF SENATE

Hokitika Guardian, 6 January 1932, Page 7

POWER OF SENATE

EVOLUTION IN POLITICS. METHODS IN AUSTRALIA. CHRISTCHURCH, January 5. That the Senate will in time become the all-powerful body in Australian, politics is the opinion of Sir Mark Sheldon, a Sydney business man who is managing director or' Dalton Bros., Sydney, and chairman of directors ot Anthony Hordern, Ltd. Sir Mark, who has been Australian Commissioner in the United States and has attendee 1 meetings of the League of Nations at a time when Sir >.Francis Bell was New Zealand's representative, is at present in Christchurch. He will spend a month in New Zealand on business. “One of tlie most interesting features in Australia, is the evolution that is going on in politics,” stated Sir Mark in an interview. “The machinery ol the Australian Constitution is much the same as that of the United States, and in its working it is having similar results. In my opinion the Senate is going to be an all-powerful body in Australian politics.

“Ruling Body in America.” “In the United States, as in Australia, the House of Representatives is in charge of the financial Bills, but one knows that in practice the United States Senate is the ruling body. The last Federal Parliament in Australia has shown the Senate for the first time asserting itself with deadly effect. Although a party flushed with victory Whs in charge, of the Lower House, the Senate threw out measures which were pot popular in tile country.. The actio?} of the Senate was Confirmed in the recent Federal election.” Sir Mark said that, with that example before it, the Senate was likely to use its powers much more freely than inul been, the case in the last thirty years. During the last Parliament a man whose name did not appear frequently in the Press, and who was not heard on public platforms, had been the controlling power. He was Senator George Pearce, originally a Labour Senator from Western Australia who had followed Mr Hughes on to the other side on the conscription issue. Senator Pearce never appeared very prominently before the public, but those who knew him and the inside situation attributed to him the best political intellect in AustrlaiaV” Revolutionary Measures. New South Wales could not be said to have been ruled by a Parliamentary Government in the last twelve months. There had been no discussion at all on any measure in the Lower House; in fact, momentous Bills of a revolutionary character had passed their three readings in the course of a few hours. Such measures ns the Transport Bill and the Arbitration Bill were voluminous documents- ■of far-reaching effect. Those Bills had been held up in the Upper House, but as that House haci been swamped with Labour nominees the tendency was for Bills to be rushed through without due consideration. “The rest of the world has no idea of the revolutionary and Soviet idea prevailing behind some of these measure*, especially the Arbitration Bid, which practically floes away with nil arbitration except what union secretaries provide,” declared Sir Mark. “Under the Bid it would be necessary for employers as well as employees to be connected with a union of some sort. Yet a measure like that is nov. even discussed by the Minister introducing it. “The real governing body is a hand of union secretaries outside of Parliament, who are not, responsible to the people. A few of them sought seats in the Federal Parliament, with disastrous results to themselves, [f a vote Were taken to-day in New South Wales Mr Lang would suffer as did his confreres in the .Federal election.” Trade Drawn Away. Dealing with trade. Sir Mark stated that of the Australian States Queensland was in the best position. A good deal of manufacturing trade had been attracted to Victoria, through the resistance of the Lang Government and its legislation and enactments, which precluded employers from taking advantage of any of the Federal Arbitration awards. The basic wage in New South Wales to-day was £4 os. In Victoria it was £3 los, and in other States from £3 10s to £3 9s. Jn addition, the Public Service and workers under awards in New South Wales had a forty-four hour week, while in the other States it was forty-eight. Naturally, trade had been drawn away from New South Wales for those reasons.