THE COMMONWEALTH ELECTIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 3, 4 June 1913, Page 4

THE COMMONWEALTH ELECTIONS.

The Commonwealth elections this year have been fraught with special interest as it was easily recognised that there would be a close and bitter fight between the Labor Party and the Liberals, and that whichever way the States went the .balance of power would be extremely light. This is the fifth general election since the Constitution of the Commonwealth, and the Labor Party came into office in 1910, the 75 seats in the House of Representatives being divided into 44 Labor, 29 Coalition and 2 Independent. The Party since then has steadily declined in popular favor, not the least of its unpopular activities being the ridiculous legislation demanding that all newspaper articles should be signed. But its general political arrogance has, it seems, met its reward, for there is every appearance that in the new House of Representatives the Liberals will have a small majority. On the other hand, it looks as if the Senate will have a Labor majority, and the clash of interests will produce a unique political situation. This makes the constitutional position of particular interest. The Senate consists of 3!> members, six for each original State, directly chosen by the people of the State voting as one electorate (though Queensland lias a power to divide the State into divisions) for a term of six years. The Senate cannot originate or amend Bills, 'appropriate revenue or moneys, as is the case with our own Legislative Council, lmt in other respects it has equal-powers with the House of Bcpresentatives. If the Senate rejects a Hill that has been throe times passed by the House of Representatives or insists upon making amendments disapproved of by the other House, the Gov-

crnor-General may dissolve both the Senate and the Ho'use. In the event of a disagreement after the dissolution the Governor-General lias power to convene a joint sitting of the members of the two Houses to vote together and decide the point or points at issue. The House of Representatives consists of 75 members; directly elected by the people for a term of three years, its number being as near as practicable twice that of the Senate. Of these members New South Wales has 27, Viotoria 22, Queensland 9, South Australia 7, Western Australia 5 and Tasmania 5. The Federal Parliament has power to make laws affecting trade, taxation, counties, borrowing, military matters, currency, banking, divorce, marriage, old age pensions, immigration and emigration, etc., but no amendment of the Constitution can be effected unless the amending Bill, after passing both Houses by an absolute majority, has been submitted to a referendum and approved both by a majority ot all the electors and the Commonwealth, and a majority of electors in a majority of States. The State Parliaments retain legislative authority in regard to all matters not transferred to the Federal Parliament. With regard to the referendum proposals which are at present exercising the electors, and which overshadow even th 6 inter-' est inevitably, attaching, to the .individual elections, their general;purpose is to give .the Federal Government power to control industries. If they are carried, the new Government will have administrative authority along definite lines to fix wages, fix tlie price of goods produced by private industry, and also to nationalise any industry after it has been declared a monopoly by a majority of both. Houses. This, of"course, has been prompted by the dissatisfaction of the Labor Party with several judicial decisions touching trusts and combines, and implies a mistrust of the judicature. Apart from this, so far as the Labor policy is concerned, its principal planks are the initiative with the referendum, the establishment of a Commonwealth .line of steamers, and a Commonwealth Insurance Department on the lines of the New Zealand Department. The Liberals place a "White Australia" in the forefront of their campaign, to be attended, by immigration and emigration proposals: On the question of trusts they steer a middle course, objecting to nationalisation in the belief that monopolies can be controlled without increasing the existing Federal powers. They advocate co-operation in production and distribution, and the establishment of a national insurance fund covering, sickness, accident maternity, widowhood and unemployment. A Federal Agricultural Bureau is another plank of their platform, while in Defence they stand for •Imperial, whilst the Labor holds out Australian nationalisation, with the ultimate end of absorbing New Zealand. Recognising that Protection has come to stay neither party proposes to interfere with the existing fiscal system. It will thus be seen that there are all the elements of a strenuous political battle even after the elections are completed, and we may look for lively times in Australian politics for the next few months, at any rate.