AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 128, 8 September 1910, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

PREMIER STANDS FIRM. ! ! By Ca-j.e.—Press Association. —Copyright I Melbourne, September 7. j In the Federal House of Representatives during the land tax. debate the; ; whole of the sitting members of the Opposition are reiterating last week's arguments. 1 ■Mr. Edwards said the men would bei taxed out of their property. Hcj designated it wholesale robbery and under correction substituted injustice. The States would be forced into unification as they gradually had their revenue; taken from them. I The debate was adjourned. "j A deputation to Mr. Fisher, rcpre-. 6enting pastoralists, farmers and financial institutions, protested against the tax. Members argued that it was foijnd that the land tax drove money out o|. New Zealand. It was stated that one Melbourne street would yield £40,000revenue, and a biff estate the speaker' knew of would yield £5500 more thap,. the income. Mr. Fisher, in renlv, said that irr»e sponsible people could make any estimates they pleased. The tax wa* not excessive, and landowners should pay for I defence. ■ I ' THE-COMMONWEALTH. MR. FISHER'S BUDGET. REPAYMENT TO falE STATES. Received September 7, 6.5 p.m. ' Melbourne, September 7. • In the House of Representatives, Mr. Fisher delivered ! fiis Budget. The 'revenue for the year endinsr- June 13, 1911, is estimated' at £16,841,629, whereof the Custom® and , excise is expected to yield £11,700,000; Posts and Telegraph, £3,856,000; land tax. £1,000,000; coinage, £150,000. The estimated expenditure, which absorbs the whole revenue, includ.es £'5,261,000 surplus repayable to States, £441,832 advanced from trust funds, £2,070,000 old age pensions, £573,000 sugar bounties, £42,000; iron bounties, £16,300 other bounties, £IOO,OOO for taking census, £1.499,750 defence, £2,324,000 for new works, including defence equipment. The last-named, item included £850.000 towards the fleet unit, £200,000 for military stores (including field and machine guns'), £50,000 . for uniforms, £'lo,ooo towards cost of , the military college, £58,000 for small arms and cordite factories. £45,000 towhrrl® Federal capital, £150,000 for wireless telegraphy, and £673,000 for telegraphs and telephones. ■ ' > The revenue last year was £5.538,440, and the Commonwealth expenditure £7,497,466, the amount returned to the States being £8,492,406. It is estimated' that the actual Commonwealth expenditure for the > current years shows an increase of £572,670, while the amounts repayable to the various States will be: New South Wales £1,850,870; Victoria, £1,479,804; Queensland, £650,672; South Australia, £488,847; Westralia, £572,064;' Tasmania. £216,243. The c e figures allow for a special payment to Westralia of £200,000. The difference between the amounts repaid to the States is accounted for by the Commonwealth faking over the payment of did age pensions. ■Mr. Fisher (Premier) stated that when £4,284,000 had- been returned to the States, the Commonwealth would be free as regards the Braddon Clause. With a view to the heavy liabilities to be met, the Treasury during the first six months of the financial year proposed to ask Parliament to authorise the use of £1,500,000 trust funds, which would be repaid from the revenue before June 30 next. \ . THE DEBATE ADJOURNED. * I ' —— Received September 8, 12.55 a.ir). i Melbourne, September ,7. The Budget debate was adjourned. -Mr. Fisher stated that until Parliament decided on another 'site the Government would proceed with the capital at Yasscanberra. EFFICIENT DEFENCE , PENNY POSTAGE. Received September 7, 8.16' p.m. • * Melbourne,' September 7'. "The Budget estimated the defence expenditure at 12» B%d per head of the population. , The Government intended to make the expenditure such as would enable the Defence Department to say it had enough to provide an efficient land jand sea defence. All the equipment for jthe defence services would be made lo- ' cally. Horse-breeding stations formed [part of the Government's policy. The naval policy would be announced later. Old age pensions would be provided, and invalid pensions, together with a reduction of women pensioners' age to sixtv. Postal expenditure represented 19s 9 1 /od per capita, an increase of 4s per capita. Arrangements would be made for penny postage to begin within Australia and elsewhere on May 1' next. For all practical purposes this meant penny postage to all over the world. Uniform postage throughout the Commonwealth would operate from January 1. Another important matter was in reference to the All-Red' cable. A through line ricrht through the Empire was desirable, and should be attempted. Tenders would be called for the Vancouver mail service. Regarding the proposed large expenditure on lighthouses, he thought we should make the Australian coast the best protected coast in the world. Touching the note issue, satisfactory interim arrangements had been made to. iprint on the forms of the various banks, land it was proposed to commence the

i issue on December 1. He intended to introduce a Bill giving the Federal Parliament power to prevent and settle indusf trial disputes, which were' confined to one State. It was also proposed to deal with the question of the nationalisation of monopolies, and to seek power to prevent trusts and' combines in the restraint ' °f trade. He suggested a referendum iof the people on these questions. An i early endeavor would be made to give relief as regards tariff anomalies. The i Government intended' to face the' question of the Northern Territory as early as possible. The expenditure, including the Transcontinental railway, was enormous.