AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 53, 20 July 1912, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

( ___ THE REFERENDUM ACT. SEVERE PENALTIES. By Cable —Press Association—Copyright Melbourne, July 10. A Pill to amend the Referendum Act has been introduced. It provides for the abolition of postal voting and that organisations spending money in support of the opposition to the lav submitted to a referendum must make a return of such expenditure. Similarly .newspapers must make returns of advertisements anil articles intended and calculated to affect the result of the referendum, with the jiayinents received for them. The penalties for untrue returns or failure to make returns vary from €SO to £SOO. with the alternative of six months' imprisonment. All articles commenting on the issues involved must be signed. For supplying material inducements to influence votes or giving or receiving bribes a penalty of £2OO is imposed, with the alternative of a year's imprisonment. FEDERAL PARLIAMENT ADJOURNED. Received 20. 12.45 a.m. Melbourne, July 19. The House and Senate had not finished discussing the Trades Marks and Navigation Bills, and have adjourned until Tuesday. ON THE ROOF. Perth July 19. The Legislative Council, by 10 votes to 5, carried an amendment to the Ad-dress-in-Reply, condemning the Government" for expending money unconstitutionally, without Parliamentary authority, and ignoring the Council's right by assuming that the only ratification required was an Assembly vote.