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Queensland Parliamentary Debates [Hansard] Legislative Assembly WEDNESDAY, 4 AUGUST 1926 Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy

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Page 1: Legislative Assembly Hansard 1926 - Queensland … · Legislative Assembly . WEDNESDAY, ... bran. and pollard at the NHl of each ... schedule time probably the woC~:an's life

Queensland

Parliamentary Debates [Hansard]

Legislative Assembly

WEDNESDAY, 4 AUGUST 1926

Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy

Page 2: Legislative Assembly Hansard 1926 - Queensland … · Legislative Assembly . WEDNESDAY, ... bran. and pollard at the NHl of each ... schedule time probably the woC~:an's life

Questir s

WEDNESDAY, 4 AUGUST, 1926.

The SPE.\KER (Hon. vY. Bcrtram . • liaru) iDok the chair at 10.30 a.m.

QUESTIONS. l'mCES PAID FOR FLOUR, BR.u;-, A)."O POLLARD.

l\lr .. KERR (J.,"nor;gera) askPd the· Secr~­:tnry for Public \\..-orks--

" "What was the price fixed for flour. bran. and pollard at the NHl of each quartcr of 1925 and for the two quartcrs ended 30th June, 1926 ?''

The SECRETARY FOR l'UBLIC \VORKS {Hon. M. J. Kirwan, BriHbane) replied-

" There were no fixed prire<J for flour, bran, and pollard at tho end of each quart<>r of 1925. For the quarter endect 31st :March, 1926, the fixed prices for flour, bran, and pollard were as indicated he1·eunder :-

Flour~

'' \Vnuu:~.\LE. ~f!LL~'_H:--' l'UI1 ':--,

Ex mill, Hri;-";Lanc Or ciPli\·ered to rail ]w"uL

Bri'"ba11c: whar\·c~, Bri::;­bane; or ~to res or bclke­housc::; within a radius of three rnilcs of thP Gen,__•ral Post Office, Bri.-bane (·,,·hidl­P\"81' i::' the }oy·y('r pi-i('(')

71

J; s. rl. 15 10 0

15 15 0 (,(..:-\ discount of 1_~ per ccut ~hall bn

allovved on uboYe pric 0•· on a H account;--; paid withi11 :->P\"('11 day:-. of dnu• {'f in-YOi"P.)

Bran-In 25-ton lot:-.

bane

In 5-ton lots. bane

In 1-ton lots, lJtlllP

Less than Bt1~ban•:

Pollard--In i-..5-ton lot

baiH'

In 5-tnll lot ba~;<·

'" mill. llri.;-

ex mill. Bri--

f'X mill. Bri,.

1on. ('X mill.

PX mill. Bri~-

('""'( mill. Bn:-;-

Tn 1-ton lot~. •·x 1nill. Bri~-

Pc•r ,on. ~:2 .'!. d .

8 15 0

9 0 0

9 5 0

9 10 0

10 0 0

10 5 0

baHc 10 10 0

Le.;" tL<.Ill 1 tolL t "C milL Brl:-:-l>iUll' 10 15 Q

·· L\ di:-:colUit of 1~ lH'l' cent. shall be al~'--''·''cd n~1 abon_• priecs. for br<-~11 and po\ianL on all account paid within

··Yl'll dn\·, of dnil' ot invoice.)

'· Un tlu• 24th :\lny. 1926, Jhe fi"<ed price for ln';l!J. a11cl pollard -..-;en; anuull{•(1.

·· For th,_· t•ndt•d 30ih June, 1920, 1-hc \\ price of Hour vva~ fix0d a 1 "-t:l6 5:-;. per ton. f'X rui11. Bri~­bane. or £16 10~. 1;cr ton, .cleli.verod. 1rhich0Yer iR the lower pricP, le•,-; discount of 14 per cent. on accounts paid 1vithin ~eyen da.vs of dlC' date of inyoice.''

CoAL·LOADlNG :::iTAGE .\T :1IAYX'. JuxcTJOX.

Mr. KERR (F:nO(J{I' ra) asked tlH' SPcro­t.ary for Railways-··

"1. \Vhen wa~ the C'oal-loadiug ~ta~~-e conuncnc('l.d <tt }.layne ,Junction?

"2. WheJt 1v1~ it finished'! "3. \Yl.at. \Y~L3 tlw e~t in1ah:•d CO;\t and

the actual cost ·:

"4. Is it in u~w or ha~ it CTC'r been used?"

The SECRETARY FOR RAIL"VYAYS (Hon. J. Lareomhc. 1(, ppe!) replie<:l-

"1. Nonmber. 1923. "2. It 'vill be completed and brought

into use in Dc(•ernb0r next.. \York 11 'as BuspendPd fol' some time.

" 3. Ef:t~rnated cost. £7.896; CO;';t to 12th June, 1926. £6.826.

"4. See Xo. 2."

Page 3: Legislative Assembly Hansard 1926 - Queensland … · Legislative Assembly . WEDNESDAY, ... bran. and pollard at the NHl of each ... schedule time probably the woC~:an's life

72 (Juc:sU:ons. [ASS El\IBL Y.] QtF stion,.

Sc·nooLs .\-'D ScnooL UEsmE:-:tT·• 1:-: GnEATEH BmsBAxr AREA.

:\lr. KElUc (Enoguel':l) a keel the Secre­tary for J'nblie Instruction-

" 1. IIow manv schools arc there in t}w Grt'ater Brisbane urea?

" 2. How many of the mastero con­"''rncd·arc supplied with State residencc­llow many aee not supplied?

'· 3. I-1ow n1uch prr annu1n is paid as rent. in the art)U. n1cntioncd? ''

The SECRETAHY FOTC PCBLIC 11\'­STRCCTIOX !lion. T. Wilson. Fortitude r.d1r'y) replied~

'· 1. ?\incty-cight. .. 2. (u) Twellly-fiyc: (/1) 'CYC'Jd.y thrc•c. '· 3. £2~598 per annun1."

PRICES PAm FOR SnnnLLS .<xn l'LA:>TS .\T

Y.\RRA}IAN CHEEK .\ND FRASER 1SLA:>D.

l\Ir. XOTT (Stanl,y) asked the ::Hinister in CJ1urge of State Enterprise<;:,-

·• 'Vill he give the full details of price paid for sawmills and plant, at Yarra­Hwn Crc•ck and at Fraser I~land? "

The SECHETARY FOl't PGBLI\' 'VORKS (Hon. :i\1. J. Kirwan, JJri,banc). for Hon. D. A. Glcdscm (Iz,slci,.h), replied·--

·• This 1natter does 110t con1e withju the jurisdiction of the Minis! er for State Ent0rprisc:~. ''

Lo.\x~ TO Co·OPERATJ\'E GRot•PR OF FAn:mms FOR 'rRA::\JLlNE~.

:Mr. CORSEH (Burnt//), for ::Ylr. Swayne (J/imni), asked the S<>crctary for Agriculture and Stock-

" 1. Is there any Act of Parliament Pnabling co-operative groups of farmen to obtain loans for the eonetruction of tra'.nlines for the purpose of conveying then~ sngar-cnne or other produce to 1narket?

"2. If so. what is the maximum amount that can be borrowed for such purpose? "

The SECRETARY FOR AGHICULTURE (HoB. W. Forgan Smith, J!aclcay) replied-

" 1 and 2. No. It is the function of sugar-milling companies to pro,-idc tram­lines. Loans may be granted to co-opera­tlYP eornpan1es fol' purposvs set out in the Act."

::VliLEAGE AKD CosT oF RAILWAY CoxsTnrcTION FRO:U 1ST JANcARY, 1915.

Mr. CORSER (B111·nctt). for :'.Ir. Swavnc (J!irani). asked the Secretary for Hailways­

" 1. \Yhat is the total mileage of rail­way construction completed and hand<:cl

oY<>r to the i raflic branch between 1st January. 1915, and elate?

"2. What is the total cost of the smne.

The ;-;RCRETARY FOR RAILWAYS (Hon. J. LurcombP. llcppel) replied-

.. The infol'Ination is being compiled."

ST.\TE STAUJOXS-SERVICE A;.ID FEES.

:\Ir. DEACO?\ (Cunninglu1m) asked the :"c~rctar. · for Agriculture and Stock-

" 1. How many mares were serYed bv 0ach S1 ate ~tal) ion during the sea soil 1925 •)

"2. \Vhat urnount of fees were received on account of each stallion in 1925 9

·' 3. \Vhat "'""' the expenditure on each ;dd]lion in 1925?

" 4. \\'hat was the tot a 1 expemliturc to· 31st December. 1925?

" 5. 'Yhat was the total reYenuc to 31st December, 1925 '!

" 6. \Vhat was the amount of outstand­ing accounts to same date, if any?

"' 7. '\'hat was the number of foals ,.,,parted by each stallion in 1925?

" 8. \Yhat was the total number of foals by each stallion 9 "

The SECRETARY FOR AGRIC'CLTURE: (Ilon. W. For1:(an Smith, J.Iackap) replied-

·• 1.-

Stallion. l Jist.ritt. \ Xo. of 1 :\fares.

--~- ---·--------:----General Wallace Bold Wyllie Premier Again Glenalla ..

.. : J,aidley .. 1

1

.. ')Iurgon .. ••

1 Cunningh~llJ1

.. 'Crow's X est .. 1

74 :)5 70 57

"2. Bold Wyllie General \\' allace t ~ lena lla PrPmlt:'r Again

Total 256

£ 8. d. 115 10 0 155 8 0

73 10 (} 37 16 0

£382 4 0 " 3. The total payments on account of

all stallions in 1925 was £1,110 lls. 4d., which gives an average of £277 12s. 10d. for each stallion.

·' 4. Total cxpencliturc to 31st Decem­ber, 1925-£7,379 Os. 3d.

'' 5. Total revenue to 31st December, 1925-£2.063 5s. 6d.

•' 6. No accounts outstanding for ser­vices at 31st December, 1925. Department liabilit: outstanding at 31st December, 1925-;!;;143 9s. 4d.

''7.-

Xumber of Total ::\fares XumbPr

Stallion. District. Reported Acc·mn1ted

--------~·~----------------: -·-\Varwick La(l .. Pren1irr Again .. Fabric':-; Heir General Wallacc Baron Again Glen alia Bold w,·Jiie Prospr('tur

1 ~Iar)' Vallt·)' , \\' allumllilla

{'ro'\Y's Xrst i Laidlt•y .. · BNutdPSPlt , . . . · Taboo ba and Rose\\·ood · Chin('hilla .. ; l'nunjngham

Total

1:; ~]

111 ;,n ID :;4 ~~

to lw not. for. in Foal.

----------J:l :2() 10 :Jl :28 H ]J ;:J 20 ~30 ~s fj•)

H 41 ,,s G+

18;} :JSO

Page 4: Legislative Assembly Hansard 1926 - Queensland … · Legislative Assembly . WEDNESDAY, ... bran. and pollard at the NHl of each ... schedule time probably the woC~:an's life

Questions. [ 4 Aum.:sT.] rating, GenL,.al Election. 73

"P. l\o figures er( available regarding the number of foals, but the total number of rnarr's reported to be in foal by each stallion arc as followc :-

Stdlion.

Prt'rnicr .c\gain Clonal! a General vV D !lace Fabric's I-Ic·it· Bold vYyllic Baron Again vVanick Lad Prospector

Total

No. of Mares Heported

to be in Foal.

45 58 87 40 63 33 11

6

343"

DECJ~IO~ WITH RERPEO'f TO REQUESTS FRO:\! RIDGELANDS SOLDIER SETTLEn!EKT.

:\'Ir. PETER SON (N ormanby) asked tho SeNetai·y for Public Lands-

" L vVhat decision has he come to with respect to the request o submitted months ago by a deputation representing the Ridge lands Soldier Settlement"

"2. vVill he be prepared to lay on the table of the House all papers in eonnec­tion therewith"''

The SECRETARY FOH PUBLIC L.\)JDS (Hon. T. Dunstan, G!Jmpif') rcplic'd-

" 1 and 2 .. \n inspection for the pur­pas~" of investigating the f'onditions and requirements of set1lors on RidgAands and Rossmoya Soldi<•r SettlPnwnts has been made, 'and tlw mport and ·recom­mendations submitted in comwetion there­with arc no\v being considered."

LATI: RCKKIXG OF TOWXSVILLE :\LIIL TRAIX.

Mr. PETERSON (:rormanby). without notice. ask the Secretary for Railways-

" Has his attention been drawn to a report in this morning's press that the Townsville mail train arrived at Rock­hampton fhe hours late. and that a woman taken on boa·rd at StLx, near Rockhampton, died on the way 'to Rock· ham9ton? If the train had rnn on schedule time probably the woC~:an's life would have been saved."

The SECRETARY FOR RAILWAYS (Hon. J. Larcombe, Krppd) replied-

" I would like to point out that there are approximatelv 1,000 miles of single lillc behveon Cairns and Bl'isbanp, o.nd that is a tremendous handicap. Delays at the present time are inevitable because of the drought conditions cans· ing an enorn1ous tax upon enginPs, due 1o the removal of sheep fro:n the Central. W0st and North.\Vest to the South­\Vest. Those factors have an imporhtnt hf'aring upon the running uf the Northf'rn n1ail."

~\lr. FLrERSOK: .. AhYa_y s the ~an10 ex­cuse.

~Tr. CoBSEH: I bPlievc the C'ngiur­broke, down.

The SECH!i:T.\RY FOR HAIL\rAYS: '' Thost' faclor3 haYP also a bearing on tht' raihvuy ~CJ'Yi~c throughout the State.

The Rgil\nt.~· Dep3rtment is end*--'aYour­jng- to ·rtnl the trains accord-ing t~1 tinle­te bin C\'Pn nndcr 1lw phenomenal difficul­t ic·, 1 hat a',, prevailing. I would like to point ont to hon. n1en1bers tlr"tt. \Yhcn d1e boat" ::;prvic~ onlv ·was in operation, the pas>eu,.as were" frequently held np. not for £lye hours. but for tPil hours and E'YL'n twenty-four hours, ·without nnv conl­JJluint !win~ 1uade bv ·ban. nu:·mhcr;-:; opposite.'' ··

PAPERS. TlH' followiug papers wcr0 laid <.'n the

taLl0. and orderc•d to be printed:-

Sceond annual report of the Prickly-pea.r Land Commission for the year ended 30th June, 1926.

Ciiy of Brisbane Ordinanccs­

ProccPdings. business, and officers of the Council.

Public tl'e.nsportation and public corn· n1uni< ,tt.ion.

To\vn 1)1anning.

Dis('OUilt· on rate""·

Hating. Exemption of the Council from tlw

liabi!it ies, duties, obligations, and responsibilities imposed by stctlon 59 of tlw Local Authorities Ado. 1902-1925.

Train\Yay;.;;.

Rcg·ulatiow' nnllc•r the Health Acts, 1900 to 1922.

AtnPndnu•ut. of the Nurse~ RPgi:;;tration Regu 1 at ion-<, 1925.

~\uwndmPnt of the Poison Hegulations of 1924.

The Sanitar"· Conveniences and Night­soil Dispo,al Regulations of 1926.

Amendment of the Food a.nd Drn;.i Regulations of 1925.

VALUE OF PRIVILEGES TO RAIL\VAY EMPLOYEES.

:\lr. :\IOHCL\'\ (Jiurilla): I beg to move-

" Thai n rl'turn be pr<•pared and laid lltlon the tabl~ of the House showing the value 01' approximate value of all privi­lege' allO\YPd to raihvay employees dur­ing the financial ,·oar ended 30th June, 1926. indnding-

(a) Ft·e<• railw 1y passes used within ·:hP State and outside the State;

(1!) Concessions on all g·oods conveyed by railway;

(c) Railway freight on furniture, &c. ;

(rl) A 11 other eo nee>' ions.''

Que~tion put and pas:::cd.

A'\ALYSIR ()F VCYfi);G AT UE)JERAL ELECTIO'\.

:Ylr. ROBEHTS (F:a·.t l'oo,·oomba): I beg to move-

" That there be laid upon the t .ble of the House a recurn showing tlw dPbiled results of the voting at the ' nious poll­ing hoo:.hs throughout the Statl' at tho rceent general C'lccUon."

Question }lllt and pa,~:od.

Page 5: Legislative Assembly Hansard 1926 - Queensland … · Legislative Assembly . WEDNESDAY, ... bran. and pollard at the NHl of each ... schedule time probably the woC~:an's life

74

~\DDRESS IX REl'L ¥.

lh::3LT.\Il TJO:\ Oi: DEB.\.TE-SECOi\D _\LLOTlTV DAY.

~lr. DEACO:::\ (Cunn-inui,tun 1: \Yho wa" received ~,·ith Oppc~iti•.Jn chL't'l'S, ~aid: 1 wa . .; \ t•rv r:..~ueh di~appuint( d wnh all thP speaker;; Oll ~the Govc:·1unent .side of the 1-Ioust.•. ~nithcr hou. nu·Inbcrs on t.hi:-; side v£ the liou~o r::or HlY~el:i have evt~r bt'Cil ]lard on the GovLT11lTI·_'tlL ~ In fact, th~ Opposition ha \"0

lJ: (~ll 'tuu h•uiciH to tbellL ()pposrnox ~llE)IBERS: I-Ie<:U'

1 hear~

:Vh. DEACO:'\": \Yo lwYc always giYon tho 11inJ~t..,r:; a:::~cl -,.heir department::; fair play. '.Y c ha vo done uur bL•st to gi ,~e them good ad\rieP, arHl, if that aclYire vi·hich has l>ten offered on nLnv oc ns1ons had iwPn lil'tened to, t.he t·oulltr.Y ~'!uuld havl' boC'H saved a good {lcal of IllGl!C'y, while thp Go ~rnn~ent would ha Ye al~o been ..,ay~ d front r;etilng Into n1unv ·u-. k~.:,·ard po::->ition~. ThP Governrnent \HJufd ltaYc b .. :·en in a n1uch beu·.~r positi-on to-day had they listc1,ed to the a{h-ice of the Oppos=~ ion. J-foweYer. they ha YC alway:c; failed t.o profit. by good adYic(' ' nd ~how n_o ::-iC!.n.s of iinpl'OYrnwnt. ErPll 110w the Opposl­ti;Jll are e,~~.Y iYith th ..... ·m a:-. reg·ards .any <·hargc:::; n1ade again· t dlPlll duri11g the Address in R{'ply. \Y l' ha YP done I!othing· nnrcason.ablc1 • ThP Premic'r. in h!"' reply to the leader of the Opposition. l·Yac1ctl eycry­thing of any consequ0nce P:x.c-cpt ju;:;;t one point--tllP Itn.lirtu :-:.ituation-alld tht• hon. gcnilcm.an ·cl'J his best to dodgP round ihut. 'I'h:r~ is the ir11prc~ .ion he gLt n' In('. and l lll~dcr:<and i.hat is th8 in1pres~ion he gavo to f'\"('l'Vboc]y fill thj~ :-o:idP. rrhe holl. gcutlPITlHTl ctid 1lcr f--~t: .. · 1H' would do anything·. 11<' ~illlpl~ adrnitt0d that the position was a ypry :->eriou:-; f\Tif'.

.It ]:; v:dl t:no...,,·n th 1t Y01'Y ~- rl.ons tronbll··; ar~..~ ah~..·;H~ --\f th,· l·rlltllPu~. )lini:-.tt.'r·; 1nn..:t lw ~\V:Jl'!.' of -difll:.::u',"'1 at:d ."honld Lwt• tn np"' h an 1 t 'll riH' 1 iU.llt r ho1\· thP\' I io -..oh c thf.'rn unc1 ho\\ the·-int'~ll·Ll to r .. trr en for the T1~xt three yearS. Tlw G~JYll':"tl('Ht tw_Ll not f<:ar ·::hat t1w Opposit~on will Laras~ tlwrn unnc•cc•ssarily. ··'.Yc> are h"'i'C to help the GoYPl'Jlllll'llt, and it h~,_:-:: al\:'<tYi=' bPt 11 our cndcaYonr to help the GovornmC.ut for thP brnPilt of the countrv. \Yhatever \Vf' ha n' donP cl urine: ('l·rction tin),. ha~ .:dv:(l'.-·"' lwl"'rt fair, but tho~""'e ·~aclic;;; havP not. b0en. returne-d in tlw sanH' spirit. \Ye ha,rc donP nut be-st to put he-fore tbc pC'op]e tb ~ituation a~ it exjsts.

The Premier dealt with the Itnlian citna­-; ivn, and '"ent 1·) a. 1\)t of trnubh.•. to sho\Y the ('all'\' of exi:::ting diffirultiPf-', stating that thf' Ihli"n' bought land at a v0ry high pricf>, .thcr-ebv precluding· thf'ir n1aklng tlH' land nay. The ItaliHne arc not tlw only ones who have paid too hig-h a priN' for land.

;\lr. KERR: \Yhat o bout th0 l'i'turncd soldi0rs?

Mr. IlE.-\COX: "t\ot onlv 1he returned Foldi0::;. Look at. hon. nl·0mbers of th(? GovC'rlHHC'i!l ; t hev have hC'cn b~u.llv takr-n do\vn in tho buyi!Jg of land and ha~~0 tnadt.' an awful me" of it. ?-1othim; th0 Halians have done has bo0n anvt.hing· like as bad .a:-: the transaC'tions of th(' Governrn0nt in buving 51tations. They 'YPre easy· rnark:.::J and ~vert~ taken down on cycrv occasion. The onlv difftTf'n:'c bct";een thP Italians buvinrr at toO J-:ligh a nriC'e 1a.nd th.o buying of the 'Govprn-11lent ;, tbat the Italians ha'"" to do the nay­ing- vrhilc the Gon.;>rnn1en: shove the. pajririg

f 'lf1·. Deacon.

on 10 cth ~r 11eople. (Oppo::'ition laughter.) 'i lH: du 1!01 hayp to fo0t thL" bill on any {)(_;C"fi~:0:1,

Th(· u;gg-c ·t clif11cu!ty f 'GjllJ tht~ GoYCl'll­

lllC'llt at prc-.3r:nL j;;, the ('Xi:-3ting fiuancial i_l< )irion. It i~; diq·1r.· Jy b' t1. I wunld not Ji 1

, f.' 10 hardl<:: jt lllY:-{C·lf Ol' to Le~ in the r~o::-ition of the Gon.:rrln1r·nt. I v;onl{l like to l1car fton1 thP Trca:-3urcr a fair and frank .c'xplan<.:.tiou of his difficulties and ho·w he pn,po:-:.0" to 1n::et th0n1.

"\ lot of our difficulri< s ha YC bean brought ;1 bout h:,· the railway~, and the only thing the PremiPr <'oulcl '" lV about that yestc:rday was that he could no't muln" the rlll•n "\vorfc It shoulrl bP an easy matter for the Secretary for l{ailwa~'s or for an'" othrr· n11.1nber of the ::\Iini~rry t~o :make the n1en work. Tht•y ;:;hould vvcccl out tho n1Pn \vho rcfnse to \York. That ;_., tht> solution of the difficult:Y. They can do L lU t at anv tinw. 'l'lwrc should be 110 rlifficnltv at an:,, time in dealing with a Inan YlhO refused 'to \York. I was .sorry to hear the PrerniL'r Jnake that confe3sion, .as there i~ no hope of rcclcerning the situation s.o far as the railwa vs are con('erncd so long as he takes up that attitude. The Premier said that, if man wdl not work, he cannot rnak0 thcrn \York.

;\Ir. WRJGHT: IIc did not say that.

::Vlr. DEACOX: liE• did say that. 1 heard hin1 ~ .Lv so vP:-:tcrdav. and h~c is rcport0d in all the' dail3-: pap0rs' this nlorning us llaving ~aid ~o. lie hus not clPDied it.

:,\Jr. FAHRELL : U c was 11ot referring to the raihYaY.-3 at all. I1o \Y~ls rt~fPrritl? to t}u_• Italiar; ~ituatlon.

::VIr. WnrcHr: ''Yhy uot be f:1ir:

Mr. DEACO::\: I am rrh.-ays fair. and I an1 trvi11g· to help the Govennnent. ThP best ":ay· to help thu:n i, to tdl them th<' tntih. ThP trouble with th1' Trblsnn'r and w1th th,' Lubonr part:~· i~ that thP;· ah.ay& o·;crspPlHL In a HlOf:.t pro~ year they ~J>,'lld lllOn' than th0Y 1t doe::. not n\attt'l" \\"bat 1"t:'YC'nu8 i:'. f('ccivPc1. there i~ ahv. "1:1 an execf"~ of £'xnenditun.~ fer thC' ::oar. Acco.rding to the rnorlth's fi.gu:t·c·~ that were publi"'hed the clay b('for<' ycstcrda~v, the ~itnHtion at the present tin1o is much. \vorsc tban ever it was. I went throug·h lhe figures. and it appears to me that at the eml of the n·~u· the TrE>:'surpr i~ going to be about ·£2.DCJ.OC0 to the bad. Of conrs<'. hon. 1nen1h<'_·"' on thP GoYernnlent siclo never achnit it but it ahva'" . .: eo1nc~ ant so at the end of the ,\car. La~t ;;f'_al~, \Y!Ien ~ve were dealin£t with th·~ !inrtllCHll s1tuahon, we pointc'd out to tho Tn•nsurer that his esti­nJatc~ wen' altogether \vrong, and th-ey have bPen ]HOYPd to be half a rnillion wrong.

Hon. \Y. IT. BAR:\Ec;: Ho should cu.ll in the Sonctarv for \Yorks to solve the labour problem. ·

Mr. IlEA COX: I y;-ould not care Yvhom he culled 1 n ~o long a:; he callPd in sornebody 1-vho would deed with the ~ituation.

The po~ition in thP count:·y generally_ is not iNOd. \Ye ]wye had a bad year 111 the fannillg indn·try. and the l>ro~pect~ for ne~t yoar are not good. It is ioo dry. Thoro 1s no certainty of a v.-heut crop, as "\YO havP only got the pL:.1nts above ground, ar~d _\VP crrn nrcttv wPll be sure that tlw dtnrymg indus'trv 1~. not going to bP nro·,pcrous for thE' ne,;_t six months. \V c all knov; that the pastoml industry is also faeed yvith a. very had tinw and when all these p'.runary industries' are h'aving a bad ti1nc. all other

Page 6: Legislative Assembly Hansard 1926 - Queensland … · Legislative Assembly . WEDNESDAY, ... bran. and pollard at the NHl of each ... schedule time probably the woC~:an's life

ltnL.J . l'!t'~ :n,, ill!.:.', tlJ'

n·Yt·n ·lC'

u L:u1 1~ ('{ 1-r••nwd, i;

f:n· ;'\ \.'1'. lliilll O!l tlH•

('ll.t

to l ,,

Tb' 1 ATt YOt{ ~\.GIUCTLTIT.E: You ar'' }H~aking" for yollr-elf.

lit·. DEACOX: I tun Jtc,t :-;~;t>ah.iH~-! for lllY~t·li: l t~l!l ~peaking gt>H0ra!12··. I kilO\\.

tha' 111v fo1· tht' next Yt .d' 'l't'

likPly tO IH"{•t1y h'a11. 1\t <tu:· rl.ue. at a tirnv 1-vh 11 l"'YCI'.Y priH1ary iudu· tr.v i::; faced ·with n. dif1icnlt tinH' uud short retul'IH, '-,·hen Pn·rv lH<tii on 1hc land is in tl'ouble and knuv~·ing that he wilL not ha,·c t-.o IllnC'h to sparp by the <•11d vf the yt~al·, the Gov• rn­Hwnt c:nrnc along and inlj)O•"~l' extra tax;~tioll. Thr; inciea:-;t' in the rai~\Yay freight:-; and fan~~. for in~1auce, is h11 PX1l'a burdf'n of 10 11er C('Dt. on the fanner. awJ he has uot {Jil1,V to ]Hty the extra 10 1wr l't.'Ht. iucreas~· in fn~ight on ltis own produc(" but he will lwvH to help to pay the 10 per ct>nt.. increasP that other indu~tr!ef' have to pay, and \vhieh i:' pthsPd on. That applies io e\·cry pri1nary indn:;tr.·. Th:~ primar:v industries have• to pav th<• lot. bcc<tusp t>vt>niuallv it is all passed on to ilw man on tlw lar;d. It must bt1 1)assed on. because thf'rp i~ no oiht~r way of g·etting it except out of the produru of the {·otmtry. It is pr.1ctical1.v iwpossibl" for the nu1n on th0 land tu Jhtss on the iucrpased <·har,c;cs to an:·oue c]~c or to get any relief frorn his shnr:~, of the burden. liP ha~ to lla_v his O\VD incrC'asc and that of nll the other3 a~ we:L The dfeet of that i' bmn:d to bP felt in councetion with the rt'Vl'l1lH~ of the <·oun­trv. Tlu~ Treasurer \rill int'vitablv find out tll,at over-tftxat1on will Lad';v :tffl, t 1th,. r0YC1lUC ol thP conntrY. "\YP J~HlY nut ou a

1ax "\vhich i~ pstinuttcci to bring i'n a eert.till n_.turn. bLd thP hon. _gcntleinHn 1nu ... t bonr in 1nind that lh,·rp \Yill bt' a c-Prt in mnouet { f l(J".:-l cau:.:.etl bv the hnr:-'hllf's."' oi his OWl!

nu·--, -un'. Ti i~ 'irnpos.::ibl:..• to ct~rry on the' prlrnt!.n; industriP-< of thP l'OllH1T~· la t1li' far·E~ of this inrrea~cd tax;_d.:on. Pt·ol·lueers '1il1 not be abll' to carrv on thei1· opC'l'ation:-. if the GoYCl'IllllC'nt arf', going to put ll10l'l'

difficulties in their way.

There is one rnethod of ta'\:ation \\hich ha' haJ "' bad pffect in the eountrv. and -th~.t is tho land tax. Tht• hon. nH'rnber for Herbert vestenlav stai< d thut the Oppo,ition

<l<d not give the· Government credit for tlw .Pxcmntiom which the,· had p:iv.-1!. Thl' h011.

nwn1ber is neYer tc'o srrnpl.tlou:.:- in hi~ tigui·t:~.-I do not say he is un.-.crnpulou~. but he does net take the c:ne that he should do in cherkinu· his figure>~ rrnd making thmn accurate. IIe::;forgot to sny thnt l110 (i-oycrn­ment put the "~hole of thP land tax on in the tirst place, and it took "~~ven yl'ars of bar­ntckino· from this side of the HousP before' we got them to give a small concl"sion to the farmer. The effect of the land t<,x on the fnrmers has been to C'ripplc their finances. T1w hon. member for Eacham said ycster· tlay. and it is quite true. that the main rlifficulty the farmer has is with regard to fmance. · The land tax has a bad 0ffect on finanrP.

A GovERXMENT ME:IIB•ER: Do vou sav thE' .,;mall farmc·r is handicapped by the· land -tax?

Mr. DEACOX : vVhether \1(> pays it or tcot, he is hRndicappcd in this way: 'fhere ar(c la:rg-e arP::1s of land "' .. vhid1 have to pay a kavv land tax ar>d thllt reduces their value'. 'Y\.,.hr ~l the fg~·{ner seeks financial aP~istanc

75

fl'Oln his l .l the nw.nag0r, }-:,fon• lH• n1ake~ au adntrH'l'. al'xays take..::. iuto account th\~ l :rgc> qctanil1~' of land -w11ich is for ~~1lf• at hrw pril'( ..:. It ha~ cri}lplvd th_P fanner 111

that \Ya v, \\bother he p.1.y~ tax [11 a.Jn.] O'-' not. 'b(', ·1nse tht1 YahH' of his

li:.I~d :has been cnt· do\\"ll a::; CL

rC1"tdt. of the cifc>ct of th,• p:lyDlPnt of tax lJy o1h0r pcoplP. Even th(· GoYernn1ent ...\~~Tit'u..ltural Bank tak(•:;; tl-w.t f:_\ct. into :tl'L'Otlilt. und nl'Yer allow:-; HlOl'e toan tlu' nHtrkc-t y;dnP of land \dlC'n nwking an ad\·;, J1('C'. -:\'ot o~dv ~o, but the land tax i!'\ 11as;,;~ d on to th0 far1nf'l' in sornc cases. LL•tau--e llf' htt:-. to rwy part of it on big bnsi­nc~:-; propprties \YhoRe tJroducts bP has t_o bu:v through the• tax bcin: adrled to the pnce hP has to pa)·. He ha' not only to face t~w br0akiug do\Yll thP value of hi'· lan.d by tnc UoY('fHn1e>nt, but the b.rnks Ul'l' at hun to cut do1Yn his o,·crchaft. if h(' is dr·pPHcling. 011

finunc·0 by ~t banker. It does not. n1attcr ~f a n1<1.11 i~ so1id. cnongh to do his own financing-. Lut the 1 lOOl' n1an-th0 rnan who haR to de­pend on the hankcr-·is hanclicapped b.v thP Qnc•cnsland land tax. \Yheu you can buy to~day at £2 an acrn land whi<·h used to cost £8 a;1 acre, hon. n1Pn1bc·rs c1.n ~eP the dYect on tht~ br:..nk0rs' ndYanc0-;;. !t means th~t ev' !'Y banke1· tnust f:H'f' the alter0d condl­ti:-r< b0for(' hP start:-; to lend u1oney: he mmt fac, rlw fact that the ""curity has depre~ ciatcd if he has aln,aclv l0nt n1oney. ::u1el he rnu~t sut out to g-et. the ~overdraft baC'k. Hon. r:tcnlllC'1':> op1wgite ~a:v that. \1~t~ should havP Uw pPrpe1 u:d lea -,.,hold if:-n urP. :\o, b!n1ker will l0Hd ~~ ('0YH 011 a pCl'}JPt.unl lP-tSCllOHL

:\lr. C. J. Rn,; : \Yhat about the- Agri-

'ir 1)1~ :\.CO'\· The .io·l·l0ultura.l Bank \':{li ~~ot ~{~~ it. - ri'he hon ..... _L~H~;nbcr will find tliat (Jllt jf lP-:.. ~ot·~ to the lJank v,·it·h a pcl'­lJ~'itwl l··a~('hol~l and flf;ks ho~.\· .!l~uC'h the~· \Yil1 lPJ~d on ir. Tt \·:111 l\:nd nothing·. what­t'Y('l on tllL' la!ld. It. ·"·jll l0nd :40lJt0tlnn~ on th'' itnrH'o\'f'lll(•tib hL' ]J1it..; Oil it. rflh0 bauk lt•Ild"- no1ltiw.;· on tht..' valne of th" land beld lntdci· JH'l']lf'tnal l{~lSC' brcan~0 it i·- 110t \Yorth auYtlting ~ llywhere nntil iruprovcments are pul on it. Thu v~lu~ is ~reatPd by the irunn.r.~c, .. ra'llts. rutd It 1:::. on that YahH' that dH~ } ..tnk 1en<h. 'Tlw Agrirult.nra_l !3ank. li];,, nNv otlwr bt1nk. doe-s thut-lt 1s the nnl~· :'afc.' ~,a': of 1ooki! ,z; ut the quc··tion. Can nnv hon." na•1nb0r on thP other side say tlwt th;, ,\<Ticnltnral Bank 'xill lond on a nit·{'·" (lf btncl lwfore th.-.. l~'~J~f'e doL;;;; a11Y­ihing? T1lPrC' 1~ no reply frotn hon. lncrn?er:-> oppo~it~ nov: .. 1.'hey know Hwt the i\gncul­tnral Ban];- wlll not lend n1oney on a bare pPrpPtua l leasPlwhl sC'lect_ion on "-~lieh no~ h­i no· ha~ bN•n clotcc·. It m1ght bo taken down. ni~1 it 'Yill not advanc(\ a shilling- exeept against the imlwovemcnts. Under those con· ditions, ho\'\. is a tnan without n1uch money to C<<'t financ<'? Under the freehold syste"!'. if he took up a c''lection. finance was avall­ablt' with the title. Even bank does ~ha~. and will lend him 'omc-thing more 1f It rises in value. Most of the farmers rn Queensland hav0 Lec-n able to g<'t a start because th0v were able to get money-not becamP the~· had money to start. with, but l1ecansc theY t;(ot the benefit of the value of the rise in ·tl!e valu<' of the land. and ~hev were able to borrow on that. P~cnous Governments gave the farmer sompthmg on which lw could borrow money.

I am dealing now principally >vith farming !nnrls. and I should li!m to deal with what. the h(m. member for Chillagoe said about the

Mr. Deacon.}

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76 [ASSE:\IBL Y.]

maize pool. Ho seemed to be under the imprc•,,wn that the Govcmmcnt intended to force a pool on the Southern farmers w]wthcr thcv liked it or not. 1 think the hon. nie{nlw~ rnust haYP b0en under a. rnisappro~ JH::nsion.

Mr. C . .J. Rn;;: He die! not make any snch ,.,b~ten1f··11t.

Mr. DEACO:'\ : Although I am not a believer in a maize pool brought about under those oonclit.ioiis, I believe that organimtion -which gin"' marketing control-must come. Jt i·· absolute!~· useless to attempt to force it on t~lC· fannc·r;-; ''"hen they do 1:ot dcciro it.

l\lr. '"· CoOPEH: ThP•· hav<' the r;ght to a brdlot.

Mr. DEACO:'\ : The hon. member for Chillag·oe had the idea that it was going to be forced on thorn whether they liked it or not.

Mr. C. J. RY.\X: I made 110 sueh ,tate, ment.

The SPEAKER : Order !

l\Ir. DEACO:c\: Ewn if the farmers do secure the control of rnarketiug there arc~ then increased costs in the vvay of taxa, tion, freightf', farf''\ and the increased \vagcs thet haYe to bP fact'd, and the farm<'rs are not in a po~ition to get lcn::l. The rc.t1cdy suggested for such a position i;; control of n1arketing. In sorno in.:-tance-; v;o have market col!trol. 'Ye have it EO far as we are able to obtain it in connection with t.ho 1nannfacturo of our butter; but even thl"rC' \Y_c are not rc('oiYiJJ,g a bottc•r price than vyc dtd ten year~ ago. as \1'(' are burdened \Vith all the additional co,is, amounting to one hnndre·l per ccm.

Mr. HARTLEY: The consmnci' 1s being chnrgecl mon\ for the butter.

Mr. DEACOX: The supplier is Pot getting any more from the factory. The only thing that is pa;;scd on is the incroa' eel cost of manufacture and distribution. The increased cost of handling by the ;;torekocper wust always be passed on.

The SECHETARY FOR PuBI,IC \Y ORKS : ~Who is paying for all the extensions to the butter factories'?

1\h-. DEACOX: E,-cntuall~· t.ho farmer \Yill !ut v-c to pay.

The SECHET.IHY FOR PCBLIC \\'onKs: H0 is in a position to pay. He could not do that befme.

Mr. DEACO:'\: Ho is not in a position to pay.

lVIr. HARTLEY: Thl' consume;- will hav0 tu pay.

Mr. DEAC:OK: The cream suppliers hav0 no~ bc:n ab!" to sPcure any better effective pr1ce !01' their prorlucL but they have been able to pr~vcnt their position becoming any worse. W hot her the system is right or wr?ng, lVt~ 1nnst haYo control of n1a.rketing. It J& only by that moans that we can prevent the position becoming worse. \Ye are faced 'vith increased cost.s being continually pass0d on to us anrl adclcd to the cost of production. and wo are told !hat the farmer can organise and get it all back. \Yho is going to be any better off after all? Is the vYorking man to be any !Icttor off then he was before? \Ye are all chasing one another to g0t that little hit back; that is what it amounts to. I -:annat see any hope of the Government he]p. i'I<£ anybody. One section might get some

[Mr, Deacon.

a~~i-~tur:ct", but it i~ onl.\· tt\1uporary a:-:si~._­ancc. Th~ value of thejr laLuur is incn~ased. and that incrc·1ses the Yaluo of the labou;· t'lS(~whr re nllrl so on; and we are told that­. he circle cou!d he completed by the pri1nary producer r.tising· the ndue of his labour. It lhat could, be dOne, 've wonld be in the smne position. but the trouLlo is t.hat it uannot be donP. T;h0 prinuny producer cannot raise the Yalue of hi" labour sufticiontly to kcnp I0Y0l -with the l'tf'l'nal all~round incccaso in costs.

l\lr. IlAHTLEY: .It is their fa tilt. =\lr. DEACOX: You ea n sec the effect in.

t'\·erv cnuntrv to\\ n. There is not one· ('oun:-try tuwn~ that is either increasing in population or starhng any industry. They :tro Ut· a. st•.ndstill, and all banking insti­Lutions look \Yith suspicion upon any enter· prise c· trthlishecl or mooted in a country town because it is apparent to them that the burdens on the country producer are going to incrc"se, \\-hile they c'Ln also see that 1 he position of the man on the land is going to become more difiioult. The consequence is that thc,e institutions arc further tighten· i 11 p; up the limits of t.hcir overdrafts.

The SEcHETARY FOR AGRICTJLTURE: Your stJCecli y;ill not help the producer out of ms troubks.

:.\Ir. Cosn:u.o : The,· arc th•· fact,.

:'vir. DEACO?\: It is no use dodging thG i'>llC. Tho~c are things which we arc called 1l)lOll to face. and. if the Government had faced them before proceeding w far, it \Yould have n'sultcd in advantages all round. The l\1inistcr knows that, and he also knows in his own mind that I am right. It is only for ilw sake of his party that he ques, tions my statement. but I am sure that, ''·hen he is la !king in caucus. he proceeds along I•IY lino of argument. (Laug-hter.) I know l.he ~Iinistor very well. When you rnect hin1 off the rrrca'surv bench he is a 'Onsibll' man. (Renewed Li:ughter.) It is a pity that he will not always be so.

There is onP matter upon which I can congratulate the Government-we like to gi,-e them credit whenever we can. Tho credit I wish to give them is on being t·he worst miners in the world. Thev have spent millions of money without any -hope of any return, but they have realised now that it i~ no use carrying on somo of their mining operations any longer.

An 0PPOSITIOK :\1Kl!BEH : Thev arc not a blo to ,'arry them on. '

1Ir. DEACON: We can give the Govern­ment credit for being seized of the neces· sity of ceasing those mining operati-ons. 1 hope that thev will not start them again. I aJ~o hr IJC that be foro con1moncing any further such Pntcrprises thev will not list-en to the hon. member for i-Ierbert and hi·, diet nm that such enterprises should be carried on rcgn.rdless of cost. The trouble· with tho Government has been the adoption of that. policv all through-doing everything rcc;ardlcss of cost.

ThP programme of l0gi,lation submit.ted to rhis Home in the Speech of the Lieutonant­GoYcrnor lookR nll right on napcr, but vv-hal is 1 he good of it if the Government ar<' not able h pay for it? Most of th~e legislation forehadmn'!d is in the nature of taxation measures. but there arc in addition rnea~ures which propose to relieve certain section,;, of the community. \Ve should do those things, but, when the Gm·ernment are-

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[4 Auc:usT.] A.ddres,· in Reply. 77

-:on .inu.iur on t hP prlnciplt' of doing every-hir~g- l'f'ga~·d!f'-..., of co·t, incurring further

t''.:}ll'lJdil ure t·\·P:I if it is only ~ p~)Ulld whf~_ll lht'l'l' i:, 11ot a pound to pay for 1t, \vhat 1s rll1: 11:-.(' uf Gothering about their pi·ograrnrne,

·ltich will cu:~t DlO!lty;

Jf t!H' GoYPl'lin1C'llt l't?lH'ef'cnt an:· section at· th··)-· l't'!HC:·;cnt the worki11g n1a.n, and

nwiH object is to rai.;;e tho standards t!I'' workiiJg IYHllJ. \Y 0 hn q~ the sarne

in vie\\. h wunld par '" all to help 1lu fu.nning jntlu:.,try. unr1 :•e d1:1t. it is made HlOJ'C Jll'O::..lJt'ron:::. If t1u• farniing iuclustry fail \\e fail too.

::\lr. FERl1-Il:s:s: Th~1: i . ., <1 doctrin0 io \\·hich :' u~t ~ub2crihcd only very l'CCt:'ni!y.

:\Ir. DEAC'O'\: The lton. momlv:t \Yill :ma 1 tatcd dw,l heliof ·\'"·hen I fir~t ontcr<:J thi~ llouse. Thlv gri"Yance> is that ncidif'l' then nor no•.".- Lav0 thP (;;1-oycrnmcnt done ;IHYfliHg- thn: will be of lasting benefit to · hC. working rnan. Tlwy ha Yf~ had ten :vcars in which to d\ a1 1vith the \\·orkl11g n1an's tJi·obl0n1~ t hoY lwY(' had ('\-ery op}1ortnnity iulcl u free lwnd, and to~day we find that ; !!0 \rorking n1u.11 is handicapped in eyery -va,\". lf ht' hn pp ens to bo a little on the --lo1r side he canllot g,:-t a job fli" all. Then~ i~ more_, UiF~mployn1c•nt in 1-hP Stctto of (~ut'C>ll"land 1JO',Y thnn ovc:1· \Ya.s the caso iH'I'Yious1y. ..c\t no tirnc \Yero Tho pro:Spccts A the unPn1p~oy0d woi~c than they now are.

H ,, mnn has anv money ta invest, would he co:mc_. t.u (2uP0nsJ3nd to· ~tnrt an indu.-:.1 r .,

:\h. H.\RTLEY : y CS.

I·l r. DASH : \Yhy not?

:dr. DEACOJ\:: Look at the posi!'o·1 in ::\Iackov. Because some Italiam paid too much for their land the Australian \Vorkers' Cnion say they should be suppressed.

::\Ir. \Y. CooPER: :!\Jow you are coming to ~·uu1· policy.

Mr. DEACON: They say the same to any man \Yho offends in any way. If a man ·darts n business, he must not be master of lL Tho unions come in and say, "You lwYc t-o do as we tell you, or we shall withdraw your mon and boycott you." Be­for<' a man slarted in Queensland he would have to considc<' that. and ho would be a foolish man to start an industry in Queens­lane! which im-olvcd che employment of a !a.J'g-c lHlnlhPr of n1en. The "\Vorking man to-day is just on a "\vage, and cannot g-ot out nf t.ho rut. At one time it used to be the ambition of thP working man ta be indepen­dent-to b" able to give himself a job and 1t1Ul1ag·e his ov;n businf's.;;. rrhat is still the am hition of a lot of men, lmt there are no prospects nnclcr the policv of thi, Govern~ nwnt to nchif'YP that· ambition. TlH workin~· mon is kqot down. and, if he tries ta g0t out of th0 rut. the· unions n1ako a set at l1irn. There is a rcmeclv for that. It takPs a ln1·ge fln1ount of ll10JH~:-.-· no\vada~vs for any Juan or an-:: bodv of 1ncn to f:.t.art an indus~ try. \Y0 11~avo a'llr nurnh0l' of "\vorking rnou :n Qncc•nslnnd -who coui"~ ~ta:rt· indn"trirs on ('0-opcrntiYf' lin0s-goocl n1on "\Vho would m a k0 a ~ne<'C ::;s of tl1os{' indu h·it ~-and tnc GcTCl'L ;Tl('nt should asRist su('h n1rn n~ it has

•li~terl primB.ry producing bo(1 ic~. That has ah:ays hu•n iho policy of the Opposition.

:~o"Y\' l0i- lllP l'f'·fer to th0 rnih-;;ay trouble. rrhc Pl'f'll110r ~aid he f'Onld not rilakc rnf'n 1vnrk. nd "\\"P :dl know ihAt tlw Comrnis~ ~ionr>r s iu a Rinti1nr position, and alJ the 1't\spons b1c officer~ of tho dcpartrnent arc

inn si1uilar position. If thuy gi-.;e an ordPr to ;-1. rnan. he CJn 1C>1l tiH'Ill to c,:> to blaze;;. :tnd the•:: cannot sr.ck ]Jilrl.

:\Jr. \VH.lGHT: 'fh0..,. dn JJot go.

:\h. DE~\CO:\: The,- do not lml tlwv h -t •:C' tu :'\YaJlcnr the inSult. It. liar b:, dif:.cult to gPt ant of such u 110:-'Itiou. \Vha1 i . ..; tlH:- good of pa,ying a. n1an 1vho is not rnaki11g- all honc~t at.tL\lnpt to do his \York-~ The bulk of tlw railway HH'll >ti'<' l10Hl'.'d:. and ~hl'\" kuov.- ( h(• .t ronhl~·. in 1hc dep:n1"11H'll"t. Thi·\· know thc:l'e i~ <~ pl·oportion llH'It \dlO. \vi[i 1:0t do their ::-;hare'. uud he:!;-, <tll t'f~', d- on dw nL 11 1.d1o i..::. '' illiug to do hi·· lwn'. f1<· ne.: li1..:f~ to ~l'C' other tt1·'ll l~tndi:1g· hirn tluill!.!' nu~hing- v.hil

h(• i:-: giYiug- <llt dtr ·· ~ \Hnk for hi . ..; moiH.'\·. T!1a1 ('8JH.!ition cf alf'aiJ":-i t'-....:i.o;t~ ail O\Tl' 1-1JC S:atP. .Anv railv.av nwa yuu talk to '·ill tL•Jl YOU that. it j~ ~.); :.tlld ~Ltdl IHC'tl

uttlllUl Ut~ c.lisHti ··wd. ( alluor be put UlHl('t' di ,cip11n(_', becau~c. any n~:.po~3ibh: o.licer took any :::h'ps 10 kct'p U!l:V particulal' JlWil tt•) to }Ji.~ iob. i1 \Yill IJOl be the n1au '"' ho i:-;' in dun_Q·Cl· of 1o . ..:.iJJ!.t }!i"' j 1b but thP [;.,_;;.

The SEOllET.\TIY FOR AG!lllTLTl.l(E: "\bsol1tb' nonsense!

l\lr. JJEACO:\ .1.. I told th, ~1Iini ter a little whil0 ago. that i . ..., 1:ot 1lw he: 1 alk .. in eauen~. ThP hon. IllClllLJCl' to hr>- Scl-rPtarv fol' I?uL1ie \Yot'ks, and he did 1ri~ be::;.i ,_,h;'ll he: \Yu:-; in thP \York., D(•parl­InenL lie foUlH.l out. i:hc.• condition of tl1ing-s Pxi:·ding. and he did h;~ lwf;t 10 alter it. and I thinh he did lrnprove lll8.tters to a gn~at extent. 1-Ic n:-.ocl 10 bL~ u rnastcr hint­:c1f and cn1ulovcd n1f'n and T a1u ~uro hP .1\·l~uld not l~aYC (\rnplo;,'·ed a man ;'-ho did Pot do a fair dav's work. But he talks thC' ,;ther way nmY. because he knows it will lw n'portc·d ·to the unions. Tlw unions arc hi,; bo.,c~. and he knowe it: he would not cl re ro offend them. That is tho trouble. 'TherP ar(" efficient nlBn in thC' n.aihY<I)' Department who knmY th0ir jobs. and they could makP a beltor 'howing of the railway< if they werP gi,·en a frpc hnnd, aud if they had thn backing of the :\1inister and the party. The 1Toubl0 is th0y know the;.r c, ... nnot get the hacking- of th"c party. EYen the JHinister himself cannot gd the baektng of the party, and he has to giYe in.

I ban' dealt verY fair!;. \Yith tho Govern­ment. "\!though thev ar<' not C'nti,·oly bad, the-v ar(' a long way fron1 be1ng good. (La~ughter.) ThPrc i~ an1ple ro~n1 . for irnprovpmc-nt. \Y P ha \'C done our Dt·:-:t to irnprove them. and. :-:-o far as I arn \'Oll­

ct'rnc·tl, I will keep np tho effort. I havP hren doing wy hE'st for fiye years 110' . lH~t. I notice YPr'· little irnprO\'PlllCnt. It 1~ ret!.TE'ttab]e to~ sr'f' that the (ioyernlHC'llt do llOt shn'."' alP? d0sirP for iul))J'OYC')llf..'nt or to st.rai! .. !.:'h1"0n Ol~t the u·itical po:-;ition of affairs no·"- 'cxi:-;tiiJg in the Stat<""•.

:\h. \Y. COOPER ( l/osr wood) : 1 han' li~tc·ned with a certain aillOllllt cf inh'rf' t to the 'Jlecrh clcliv''l'Nl bv the hon. m,,mbc-r for fiunningltfllll. Like the spcf'dH'" deliYol·ed bv other hem. DlPrr1b0r . .;; oppo,~ilP. it has b(~cn a~ wail ag·ain;:t lho GnvernlltPnt-a rriticisn1 with ver~ litllP in it. \V c ha Hl had hon. n1cntL0r~ ~ oppo.sit0 clwitnlng· ihat rho Govcrn­ll101lt haYe fRilf'd in their dut.'7 bccau~o of tlw d1·ift to the citic· b, men fl'otn the land. \Vc .are in the po.sitio'n in Q.lf'"nslanrl to~dny of f'ndPa,~ouring to bring nbou.t a greater population, amr i+ is to the intcrc 't of every

M1'. W. Cooper.]

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78

hon. lllClnber to Lring about a. greater popu­lation in Quscnsland ,, nd to place rnen jn some employment >vhich will be quite satis­factory to then1sl'lvcs and to Queensland as a whole. Tho fallacy has g·ot abroad that there is too much drift to the cities. I think there cannot b•• too much drift to the cities. because of the fact that Queensland to-clay is over-producing in rc?:ard to prin1ary pro­ducts. If we >vere not. we should no't have to export butter and other prima rv products overseas. If I had my w::ty, I ~vould put millions of people in the cities of Queens­land and establish secondan• industries, giv­ing the workmen fair and reasonable wages, and by that means we would be able to put the primary producer in a position to enable him to make a !i.-elihood for his wife and children.

Mr. MooRE: \Vhat will you have to pay your debts with?

Mr. W. COOPER: If you had 25.000,000 people in Queensland you would not want to borrow money from overseas.

Mr. J\IooRE: But we ha,-e had to borrow.

Mr. \V. COOPER: Yes. and you >mule! be able to pav your deht by seiling to your local consumer, a~ vou have to pay your debt by eL•nding st.uff oversea" to Groat Britain. You pay your debt b:v what you produce, and Qqeensland is in the san1e posi­tion collectively as an individual.

'\Yith regard to land settlement, hon. mem­bers opposite say that the Go,-ernrnent ha.-e not done everything possible to place lllCD on the land, but Wf' have to-dav IllOl'C ITJC'll on the land than ur0 r('allv noC'E'"' ,,lJ'v to ~ecure a f:~jl~ m:; cl r~a -on able 1vage for 'tho~e 1nPn. VVhat v:ill the inunigratinn polic~- of the Con1nl011'\Ycalth Go\·ern1nun tnnount ·t·o? It '\vill nJ.can that wr~ arc goiuf,!: io :::.-cttlo a lot of DH'H on tho land to crltPr into competition with the men ,]t·pad,- th('l'l'. That seems to bo ·'-' foolish policy. ~

l\Ir. ELPI:Il~STO::\'E: tT0w an_~ Y0tl going -:- 1

popnlat" Queensland otherwis0?

:\h. \\'. COOPER Quc·"ll .1 n J by cectnl>li: tries. and the n1mnent prim~ry product.~ \Yt! gcr rncn to ~·n on the land.

".\Ir. ELPHI1\t5TOXE: \Vil1 vou n .:>n to ccmo DlH.l start induf::tl'ic~ her0

:3Ir. '\Y .. COOPI,~It: x-c,, and thr. import r ha"':c ·:he ],nd that the'.'. should ha,,·o. let of r:1mplnint~ 111 (de a~·ainst n1~1 nt of placing ~nlpcdilnr·nb ln tlH~ \Y[l~' of th~ on the land. Th0 1nent t.hf' t.ti~ndc of tl-w ing- n hir.:oJ1 of intr>r: ~.ding ::::clr'.ctor."' nr0 ,'Edcarouring- j-o nut .:-tn exi.;;t• 1·c ~or their ,,,.i,-c~ and childre-n. ThPl ' 1 a diffcrC'l1Cf>; of ? 1 ne•· c·nt lwt Y."N'n thr- cll;:rfl't1 c1 bv H-." -A~gi:icul·-_-J.ral Bank on <lnd thnt charged by orrl1n.a.r~~ privntP bn~;k·.:. \~-111 anYolle tell lllt' that it. i;;:; a fair thing to chnrg0.?& per c0nt. intcre~t t:) m0n who brnTO\Y a f0·w hnndr0d pounds nr (1 \'Cn £2 000 or £3.0"0? Do ~urh hcnYv rhar:'P"'· onable th0n1 to ~tav on the land an~l n1:dtP a. liYin5:',·? I saY ·~he,~ do not. That i." vi· here w0 should put· our foot down. If the Commomvcalth Bank had functioned in thP mann0r it \YW-1 intended to fundion, we '\You1d not have had that state of affairs to-drn·. It is all wry "'ell to say that "he position is created by this Government. It is not. It

[Mr. TV. Coop~r.

i~ c~xu~cd b" the cxccssiYc intcn=-~t ch:~rged tn n1en wh~ are endca\·ouring· to .maKe a li\·ing on their selections.

:,[r. ELPHIXSTOXE: \Yhat do ~ ihc Public Curator ehargo?

·::-,rr. 11:. COOPER · The PLlblic Curator 1.s

tlw custodian of public mone:vs, and lw io; c·mnpcllcd to get hate.-er interest it i>

possible to get, and he is not [11.30 a.m.] being- cont1·olled by the Govern-

ment. If anybody places money in the hands of the Publin Curator, he l'Xjwcts him naturally to get the highest po~~ibic rat0 of interest.

:\fr . .ELPHlXSTOKE: He is under the same sort of control as the Commonwealth Bank.

:\lr. \V. COOP EH: ~o; the Common­wealth Bank is controlled purely and simply lJY the Commonwealth Government, and not b~- its officers.

~fr. ELPHIX~TOKE: Xot at all. 3-Ir. W. COOPER : I would like to say

something now about the elections. My own electorate has been mentioned and the name of my opponent and his attitude and practically his past career has been dragged up in tl1f' House. I had nothing to do with t ho selection of my opponent, and when I \Vas on the platform I gave hirn a. fair and reasonable dcol. I T ever mentioned his name. I asked the electors from every plat­fonn to o:ivf' hin1 the sarne fair and reason­a blc' hca1~iug that they \Vere giving to me.

Th" SPEAKER : Order!

::\ir. \Y. COOPER: If he '"as selected be­ea us£' of hi~ origin. that ''a~ a n1istake.

:Jh·. :-room:: You know he was sdectcd by a ple1Ji~cite.

:1Ir. \\'. COOPER: I know he was selected h~, :1 pl(•bi-..;ritf'. but. if he \vas selected lJPCau~;· of tl1r fact of his origin, it \VHs thu ' rc'at·':--1- rni...::tak0 tlw::;e solrctors DYer nwdc. iH'C';l"!.bP I bf lie,-~ tlwt the people ~of C-itTman

t hr• Hosf:' ··nod eLf'tnr~. 1·r, :1 re fair did not cor,siJci' -Pl(' 1 e-lection;

Con!·:::q ucntly I \YOll

·r,·e lla,·e hPard a great Cippo:--ition L0':au.c- t1H':V did

11i1t' \Yonld cxpc"t i hf·In to 1-. .\t T ucv~·r had anv f1'a.r, and I

J~o do!JLlL"" abOLlt 1he l'C''mlf:s of tl;e la:-t ('\'cT;O!l.

'J.I•·. Btn~;f): Yc:n kll0\\. nll abonT ;::JldT,d ro1h t:nrl ~- 1':..lff~-~rl C'l et )l',"L·;.

:\Il'. \Y. C()Ol_1 EJl: Yl'~. Ulhl J k~LO'X ll '' hout the hon. nu'lnbcr, and, if hi'3 had 110i" hatJlWlH·d to be in the \Y!1ich he 1;·a~, thl' Lon. Y"":lClllLer oulJ be her.' I:u,·iug thiB dcbatG on thn .\ddr the nccchcs of hon. nww b!'l'" ( b0eD a v ail lx~r::tus2 c1f t!H· by their opponents on

~.ho I~cnv _', So far as the RosP-. is co'-_cerned, cvcryth;ng wa;

_b;;· r11 J nbo\·cLoard. I arn g(;ing to f<Jll' to m:v oppo!H''1t. and ::J.y that he did

n .t ~ n\·thing· of \'. hich I could cornvlaiu -nr, he· did,· it did not con1e 1o n1v- car . .::; -ror did I f.av an-:thin~ of that kind'about h1m. But I ~ln r~ot \\;ant it. to b;~ under­Ftood that the fight in the Ro3c~.-,·ood elec­torate 1.vas "\VOll or Jo.._t 0:1 nationtlitv and not on politics. It \Yas fought upon pO'itjcf-.

:J!r. MooRE: The Premier did not -ay so.

Mr. \V. COOPEH: What the Pn'mier said was that some of the .'\"ationalists in

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Toowoomba ''ere asking the electors tho quc:3tion, ·· \Vhich flag are you going to r ?rYe under?" but. that had nothing whatever to do with me, and each and evcrv one of the :.\'ationalist party or the Count"r,. part::· knovYs perfectly \Yell that \Ve can serve under no flarr but one. I sa~,~ \Yithout anv he ita~ tion that \YC can serve under only ~one fiag -the Union Jack, There arc just as many, '''Hl JWrhaps more, io; ,d to the Union Jack on this side of the House as on the other side, I have no time for the man who flies the flag· too high. Mr. Speaker·, have you CYei~ noti<'ed that \vith anv nu1n who raises the flag too high, whethe;- it be a Labour flag or whether it be a ""ationalist flag, y~:n.1 are always quite safe in mistrusting .fum? Do not be too sure about his genuineness in that regard ! , To-day in Queensland it is absolutely Imperative tha-:; we give senous consideration to the motor traffic, which in the very near future will enter into keen competition with our railways,

Jl,'[r, ELPHDlSTONE: The railways are doomed because of the mot<Jr traffic.

Mr. \Y, COOPER: That is not what the hon, gen'olcman said last session. He said that motor transport was going out of use, and that in Melbourne they were returning to the horse transport system.

Mr, ELPHI'ISTO)[E: Do you say that I said so?

Mr. W, COOPEH: Yes, I can produce that from "IIansard."

l\·1r. ELPHIXSTOSE: No wondC'r you \\'On the las'o elections,

J\.1r. J3RAXD : ·y· ou aro ·wrong.

Mr. \Y. COOPEH: I am not wrong. I c1n proJ.uce the statenu~nt fron1 "Iian;;:ard.~­To-day v .._, hav.j n1otor tran:;port cntorino· kcenl:v· intn cmnpotition \Yiih our raihvay~~ and the hon. 1ncn1bcr for Ox]cv ;~&vs that out· railwayi' tn··o doomed because ·Df {hat. I do not know w·hcthcJ' hP i~ par~icularly elcYatC'd at such ;: prospect! but I would like to rwint out to h-in1 th tt the raihnlJS of Qnccndand are a n:-:tio:n -j undortak-in~. They be!o1Jo· to the people, anJ rue b~'lng. paid ~for bv

0

th· peop\L'. T f \\ ~~ pr,:;·tnit fo~:cjgn companlc;, to lnYtHW f'ur:en~1UT:<t, .-) nd. IY• 1nP.· ns of 1not'ir tl'ar ''·POl·t, f~lJtT!' into <'Ornllctition ·with oul· :aihY~lys. thc:n we •ttr/2 . . sn~~thing that 1.;; contra r:.~ to o~u· nab on spu·1t. I hope~ that t!w hoJL ""'mlwr for Oxlt'v will be patr>. ... t~c en }Ug-h to 11. JP us in that: rC'gcnd.

~~Ir. =\IOORE: Thr> "\Vllolc troub1c i~ tlL1t the railw...1~~~ have nn~ b~cn paid for.

;\h. W. COOPEH: \\' c arc ro>ponsiLle for the pa;vment of the railways, and cyentuall:~ we slull have to p1y. The enormous debt that. ha~ bcC'n jncurrcd in conlWf'tion with the r ih·ays hos been the rr,ult of building hu!~drc·ds and hundrec~s of mills of line bY hon. rnetnbcr~ opposite fol' their fri~~nds, ar1~l built to districts whore there was never anv hope of ~_hPrn b0coming a paying prcpositior;.

~lr. Fnv: \Yhnt have yen to say about the Mount Is~t Railway? · -

ThP SPEAVEH.: Qpflpr ~ I ask the hon. nwmhcr to addr0sR the Ch,ir.

Mr. Yl. COOPER. : The Mount Isa Rail­way ha' only just been completed, but it YYill b0 .imt as payable as any railway ~on­~truct.0d by hen. rnembcrs opposit-0, 'Yhen tlH•y '''f're in power.

The SPKc\KER: Order !

7[)

:\fr. W. COOJ:·ER: :\o doubt the losses 011 ·:he railway.:' have been grcat 7 but that i::; uct a r..._,-;ult uf rnismanag;onH:nt, bqt because the Governruetot have been faced with a ~e1·jcs of droucllts eve1· since 1915. and have b~:..en called upon to give concr~.sions eo t.ho woolgrow:~rs and other prirnary producers in nrcas served by tho railways. The only fair way to bear the !o,ses is to place them upon the shoulders of the \Yhole of the people, and not upon a sect ion of the people such as the users of the raihYnv i-c'.'Stcnl. \:Ye ::ihould not L·xpect people in "on; centre to b''ar the \d!Oio burden of the eo"t •of the railway to that particular coutre. The Gm·crnment lost no less a mm than £3,000.000 by the repeal of the Act providing for guarantees for the construction of railwavs. If this Government had not done that, some L:m. members oppo­~ite would have had au .al'gument to use abont men being forced off t:rc land,

Within the last three or four years the grE:atest droughts that have ever devastated Queensland have occurred, and the Govern­ment are compelled to meet those .droug-hts in the way that they should be met-that is, without putting- any undue burden upon the users of our railways, Consequently, time ,tfter time we have been called upon to make reductions in freights and fares to permit of stan-ing stock being transferred from the drought-stricken areas to more favourably situated area.s, Starving stock have been carried fot· almost nothing, yet we find hon. 1nembcrs opposite squealing and criticising hoc mso of th0 losses incurred hy the rail­ways, Tho:v do not ihink anything of the point I have referred to, because ihc real object th('y ain1 at is a reduction of wages. ThL'rc ar.~ o1Jy hvo wa5·s of 111aking the rai1v:ays p~y. One if' by rcduring the wages of ti1e railway crnployce.s, and the other is by increasing fares and freights. Untll recently the GoYernrnent haYc takrn a -very lenient Yic'" ot the situation, and ha-ve lately only incJ·c·ascd and fr:)]g'hts. Thnt was done b,··c u~P r•ihYa:'r·:-:, ''-·ere going so rnuch b'-hind. no person with any comrnon d~:cn1t ' 1 ould object >) p. ying- rca;:;onnbh' far···, and freight,,

\Ye h 1Ye list( ~1e:d to critici~nl leycllcd at the land tax and prqvtni:.ll l0o.~ehold as <lp.: '1nf't fre ho]d tenur0. In rn.v opinion, thPn~ i" 1101 a partidP of r1iH~_ bet"\vcen the- pcrpd·tud lu:~rhold and frc tenure::-:.

:vir. :\Iooh ~: Gnl.v in 1ht; s .~nrity.

:\Ir. \Y. COOPEI<. : Tilcro " Hot one p.lrtidc of d~fi'<:rcn-cc in the security.

::.lr. ::,loonE: Of couL:e there: ie. 3tlr. \Y. {'()QPEI~: Tl•(• ho11. s~f'ntlP!l~tlll

rnay say so, ·but I arn p:oing to pro\-~e, n.s far a;:; it is possih1c for HIP to do ~o, thnt then~ is not a 'Particle of diffcrenc J ciO far as the tenure is concerned.

~'\Ir. ::dooRE: You go to any ba11k and sec.

11r. "'.Y. COOPER: The Cro,Yn at any pnr­tirular t.i.rne C'nB put into ('ffect th~ resULlp­tion cl"'"cs in the L.~nd Act and tako a"·ay freehold on nayrnent of con1pcnsation.

:\1r. ::\100RE: By payment, yes.

'\h. W. COOPER: That is all that can be done in regarrl to lorrsehold. I will put it this way: There is a man with £1,000 'vantin,;;, to buy a piece of land. Ho goes to the Crcnvn and sa:;-s. "You 11aYe a. piece of fr0chold bnd; I wili give :vou £LOOO for it." \Vhnt has that man got after he has pur­chased the land? He has that piece of iand r:c an n set for the £1,000 he has

Jir. W. Cooper.]

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80 _lddress in Reply. [ASSK\IBLY.] Add?'<'·' in Rruly.

expended. That is all that he has, and at any iimo when that land may be required for public purpo3es it can be l'esttmcd. He has no absolute right or title to it.

:Ylr. BRAND: Can von tell nw v.·hy all Labour members prefer hcchold to lec.sc­hold tenure?

:\'fr. HARTDEY: Th•~y dun't. br'c LLSL' they have not got it.

:Mr. IN. COO PE!{: I eannut g·ive the lwn. 1nea1ber who has interjL•(·ted ioltelligence. l can assure 'him: thongh. tLa1. when he ~a~ .. -~ all Labour n1t)InL _I''; Y\·an· frc'_'holJ, lh' is ·wrong. Tht·:,· do 1101. .Pt rpetnal lease-hold is the casic~t a11d eh~ apt :11cthod Gy

hi eh any 1nan < '111 i ukc up n -.:e of land. Supposing that yon \Yantcd tu Luy u.. vice· of land that \Yas fn_'choL1 alld ~.-ou lwtl £1.000. You put that lllOlH' do\nl, aud in n.:turn haYc the l<L Hl (lll u:-~Pt. If ~;ou

i;:llH'UYC' th:) you hn Ye to g~ tu and 1h~:-..n~ yc'--t rnav bortO\\-.

td 7.; 1JC'l' l··-·nt. ~'!-ou tJH~. r.•, to p8.Y £?./[ lv, iutr·rc:-:t ,Wl'

if :.·oil took up a ]J"rpctual hold, vou \\:ould han: £1,000 1n tht• Lank. · ancl "~.Tou could i'Ut £500 into i~n .. )l'QVf"llCllt·-~ dld Ul <HlY timt' could_ ~CC'Ul'"

n acll--•.r:c~~ on those inlp;·o\T!Ut'tlt:-; at 3~ pL·l' cent.. alwaYs havin~; thf: balant'e of soul' lllOIH--.-l n ~dbblc ~l1 thL' baLk. You get: L,_ncl ab~o1utely fol' notlling-. and still have your £500 in the LLtnk. It i~ all ver~· We'll to say rhar 1hP Agricultural Da1lk will 11ot lend 1norwy oH pL'rpetnill loa·--c. :\'o 0110 will lend rnoncv 011 H1JYthiuli thDt >tloes not belong to a. pc'i:2on, anCi no~-;orl.Y bllt a fool

ould a:;k fv1· ~u"h a loatJ. All tl!a1 YOU ca11

expect is an adYancc 011 ~ Ollr im1n·o\;Cll1Cllt

The hon. HH::lnber for C'unJJingharn n1adc a ~taternent a bvut the Pl'f",Pllt day t-~f-ficienc7 o_ workers. \Ve know that all iilC'll have not the same ability, and that all n1011 do not work alike. It would not. do. If l ycrybody vyas like his neiz-hbour, it would rncan that one man vvould \\ant another nHtn's ·wife, and so on. The chargh made against work­ing ITH'll so far as their abibty and 'villing­ness to \York since the ach'ent of the Labour GovernnH~nt is concerned cannot ,be sus­tained. I hayo seen no chang·o in the hu1nan race sine<> I have been ahl> to go about and understand. I think the human race just us prone to loaf to-day if they get the oppor­tunity as they were when our friends oppo­site were on this side of the House. I had the opportunity of working for at least two Governn1ents, on0 Labour and one Tory. !Laughter.) If you like to put it that way. I do not know what Tory me:ms except that it means somebody who \Yanted to get five timh as much work out of vou for one-fifth of th<> money paid by a I,abour Government.

JIIIr. CoRSER: A man who is not a Com­Jnunist?

:i'Ir. \V. COOPER: ::Yh friend. the hon. Inc-:rnber for Burneit, is a Comn1unist bocausp he tried to cDmmandeN something I had vhen we were away on the Public \Vorks Commission. I will not tell what it was. (Laughter.) There is no difference between the working man of t·o-day and the working n1an of flft·-~en or t-wenty years ago. So1ne people think that because thoro happens to b~ in power a Government that is sympa­thetic to them, they can do as they like. It is not th'· Government, but their mates working with them. 1vho prevent them from loafing. If I were out in a rowing boat

["~11·. W. Cooper.

to-morww with any member of the Opposi­tion, Jo YOU think I would sit in the stern of th". bo"at 1\'hilc lw did all the work? Of ccurs' not. He would make me do my share, and (.ho same thing applies to men working in a railway cutting. \Vherever they may be working you can rost assured men are not going to allow too much loafing by other nH:-n. Tho \Yorker, to some extent, has now come into his own. Under this Cioven1ment he has received legislation which h: .. a l all m·ents, forced the exploiting em­pl.;ycl· 1-o pny hi1n u fair and reasonable rate ()£ \YU>C',

..\h. :\loom:: Allll clcsed up many indus­tt ·c-- t·Jo.

:\lr. \'\. COOl'ER: Any industry that will <t f :ir liYillg rato of wages to the

iu that iHdtLtry .l!ould bo cloood conditions \Yu·e pennittod to go on

way our frio11ds opposite desire, you ~;et rnen con1i116' along and " scab­on t·heir mate·', doing the work and cheaper until we got down to

the ~lute of things uxi3ting in India., \Vhere the,,· haYo black labom practically withg.ut c· 't. \\ t' woultl not tolerate that condition of affail'."i i11 Quef'n·,land. \Ve a.re an t'nlig·ltL~nf'd race, a11d \YD do not ,,-ant that.

l fe(•1 that at thi:-) tirnc, Queensland 1S lll

a ::-late ,, lwre C'VOl':VtLing rnight be cua­-..idercd.

:OJL En\V.\TIDS: llnng up ov··r the salary 1ncn·a -t~.

:\Jr. W. COOPEH: It is not hung up O\TJ' tllL -;1lary iJlcrea:-<r• .. A good deal of c·onur1r·nt ha3 rppc"_rcd in i!-w 1)ress in rcga1·d to t lw attitude of thi" part~· in connection \\·1t )J \Yhat the prC'f3' has bc\:-n p:t'asC'cl to c' ll th\' "8a1arv Grab." I a.m not too suro \\het her t~1r~ pr ''-" :"'hon!d SU\' yerv rnuf'h ttl',;ut grabbing-. ..At ouc tirnc"~ L :VCH~ ~ould go do,, n ihP :-treot and buv t.ho '" Dailv l\1ail" or the '·Courier" for "ld., but to~day you lwY0 to pay 2d. for either of tlw ·e paper8. 1 ··honld like to point out that the onlv peopie who have m-ade a hue and cry abo~t the ]Jroposed raising of salaries have been the press.

;'vlr. CLAYTOli : ·what do you pay for tlto .. Standard " '!

:\h. IV. COOPER: What it is worth. :\lr. CLAYTO~; 2d.

::\lr. W. COOPER: The '·Standard," to my friend over thore, would be worth 6d. if he swallowed all that was in it. We know that hon. members opposite only read ono side on political questions. If they road both sides as st.ated in the '' Standard," they would got a very fair Yiew of the situation.

Tlw SPEAKER: Order!

::\fr. W. COOPER: I am not going behind the door abuut my attitude towards tho ~alar,v increasr~, because I do not think I hayc been pai-d enough for the work I have ·rlniw. If any hon. n1ernber opposite think:-; that £500 a yeat is too much. there is nothing \\Tong in his refusiug to take i't. IIcnvove1, hP is re -pon:~ible £or placinf"" his O\\ n Yaluo upm· his 0\'Yll s:n·vic.::s. If he does not con­sidnr his SPrvices worth n1ore than £500, be would be dishonest in taking any more than £500. and I am not going to daim to be> dishonest.

Mr. MooRE: Do you let the Governnwnt employee~ appraise the value of their servi~es?

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Address in Reply. [4 AUGUST.] Address in Reply. 81

Yir. W COOPER: We have submitted their case to arbitration, and I am prepared to submit thic case to arbitration, in which m·ent I am sa:isfied we would get more than the anticipatc·d increase in salary. The "Courier" and "Daily Mail" say we only work four months in the yc·ar. That was stated in new,paper articles lately.

An OPPOSITION :MEMBER : They meant four­teen. (Laughter.)

Mr. W. COOPER: \Ve know they often say things they do not mean, and they often blunder. \Vhilc I am going to vote for rais­ing the salary, I have no hesitation in saying that thoro is not one of my electors who does not consider me worth more than £500 a year. If they were compelled to pay me by direct ·taxation out of their own pockets, each elector would have to pay me about ls. 9~d. per year. Is that a large sum of money to pay for being represented in the Legislative Assembly in Queensland? The comment in the papers has no doubt been brought about by their policy of propaganda. They do not care whether we get the increase in salary or no~, but they want to bring about a dis­turbance among·t the unions. We know it is all political propaganda. We have editors of newspapers sitting in their editorial chairs and very often iu tears because they have to write those articles. They say, " This is the policy of the paper, but we do no~ believe in it " ; but they are compelled to write those articles to save their own jobs. I regret that the papers have taken up this stand, because I do not think ~hat either the •• Courier'' or the "Daily Mail," bad as they may be, were ever advocates for wage reduction until they commenced to attack the " Salary Grab," as they are pleased to call it. I think their attioude is deplorable. At the same time they say that a judge of the Supremo Court does not get adequately paid for the services he renders. A judge of the Supreme Court gets £2,000 a year and all expenses regardless of where he may go ; yFt the rank and file of member·· of Parlia­ment, and even Ministers, arc ~alled upon for donations to football clubs, tennis clubs, hockeY dubs, basket-ball clubs. and no doubt the Johnsonian Club, if they think fit. They are compelled to put their hands into their pockets. and assist every man who comes and :• sks for help and says he is not going ·to work unless he gets some money. At the end of twelve months a member of Parlia­ment has nothing left; he has not even enough to buy a whisky. (Laughter.) I have no hesitation in saying what my opinions are, and I sincerely hope that Labour will take up a very different attitude towards the salary increase.

Mr. CLAYTO::-f (Wide Bay): I am not gomg to deal at any longth with the speech

•which the hon. member for Rosewood ha:a just delivered, with respect, particularly, to the salariH question; but, considering the

quantity of work I have to do [12 noon] and the travelling which is

entailed. I can assure hon. mem­bers that the amount I receive does not allow me to show any credit ·balance at the end of the vear. I do not know whether my position 'is different from that of other members, but at the same time, whilst the -conditions of the finances of Queensland are as they are-brought about by the mal­administration of the present Government­! do not know that we would be justified in increasing our salaries and refusing an

1926-G

increase to the men who are now keeping large families on the basic wage, or to give them some greater consideration than they arc getting at present. Althoug·h I agree with some of the ar.guments which have been brought forward, I would not be one to bring about an increase in salaries when the finances of Queensland are in such a deplor­able condition.

With other speakers, I take the oppor­tunity of congratulating you, Mr . .Speaker, upon your appointment, and I am sure that new members in this Chamber will have cause to feel, as I did when I came here Grst, the great kindnec-> which you extend to men in mch a po.,ition. I believe they will appreciate your efforts in that regard as they ought to be appreciated. (Hear, hear!)

I would like also to congratulate the mover and the seconder of the Address in Roply. I listened attentively to their speeches, and I was inclined to think that, as they remain here for some time and especially as they get a g-reater share of the re,ponsibility of the management of Queens­land's affairs, their speeches will be very different from those which they have delivered on this occasion. I am inclined to think that, if at any time they reach the front bench, they will feel the responsibilities of office, and that feeling will make their utterance' under those circumstances very different from those to which we have listened during this debate.

The Speech of His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor was listened to with interest. I notice that the legislation to be introduced during this session is to a great extent o£ an amending nature, showing that the contentions of the Oppositwn in the past have been borne out by events, and that the Government, who have on many occasions prevented members from fully discussing Bills which come before the House, now see the n<><::ecsity of amending such measures so as 1o make them more workable. I think that the Government should give greater opportunity for discussing Bills than they have done in the past. So far as we know, the legislation with which we arc to deal is not of a very important nature, but I am inclined to think that pressure will be brought to bear on the Government, and that before the se,sion concludes they will be forced to introduce some of the measures adopted at the Southport Convention. I do not know whether Ministers feel inclined to introduce such legislation, but, if the com­rades of Government members-the men out­side, who will be the dictators on this occasion-can bring sufficient influence to bear on caucus, and their cupporters in caucus are in a majority. they will see that such legislation is introduced and will pay no regard whatever to the financial effect on Queensland. At Southport it was decided that a Child Endowment Bill should be introduced, and the present Premier said that, if Mr. Bruce did not move very soon in connection with child endowment, he would take the oportunity during this session of bringing the scheme into effect.

The SECRETARY FOR AGRICULTURE: That is not true. You cannot quote that statement.

Mr. CLAYTON: I can. I am quoting from the "Daily Standard."

The SECRETARY FOR AGRICULTURE : You are not quoting from the "Daily Standard."

JJ1r. Clayton.]

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82 Address in Reply. I ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

Mr. CLAYTON: He said that, if the Prime lVlinister did not make child endow­ment a national question, he would introduce legislation in this I:Iouse.

The SECREJ'ARY FOR AGR:cc:LTcRE: You said " this sc~ . .,ion."

Mr. CLAYTO~: That is an admission that tho pre'eili Premier made, and ho mado it also in hi' policy speech.

The SECRETARY FOR AGRJCcLTURE: Xot in that fonn.

Mr. CLAYTON: He said he would take the cppodunit,· of introducing it.

:\h. PEASE: It will b· introduced, too. -.,.-r. CLAYTOX: I an1 pleased to have the

assurance of the hon. mcmbei· for Herbert that it will bo introduced.

The SECRETARY r~oR ~\GRICCLl"CRE: Do you snggcst that ?.Tr. Drnce has repudiated his pn;-c1ection pron1isc in r:ot going ahead with child endowment?

Mr. CLA YTO"\: }fr. Bruco has no inten­tion of repudiating any promises he has n1 ,de. Th-- ljrimc 3-Iinister said that it 'vo:-dd b(~ in tho interests of Australia for "ll the State's to agree to make it a national question, and I beii~Ye that is how the matter should be dealt :ith. If the intention of rn n1bcrs of cauC' 1s 's carried out of institut~ ing a :~2·~lcnle child PY!do·, ·rr.ent in C'uecns-laT!d ti1oiJ:>, indn,,try is to be t1xcd to fln n{'C lhc schcn1:. then industry v;ill be ~nbjcct to mc::t nnju tif-:iabl57 haras~ing condi­tion:-". If the Coven1~ncnt favour child cndown1('Dt, then it :is their duty to 1nrrke it nat:o,. c:! question a it ,-ould Le clis:lS· trous to attc·mpt to inh·oduce a scheme for Queensland alone.

Very little mention is made in the Speech delivered bv the Liout enant-Gov<;c·nor in connection ,~,ith finance. 'fhc Government wore ,-er:; glad to slip over that subject; but it. is very regrettable indeed to find that they h11Yo a record deficit of £554.685 for the past financial year. QucP!lslnnd can look onlv for aclclitio:wl taxation during the cor11ing year. \Y c all rccollcc the prt'sent Premier and his prcclc<"c<~or, the Hen. Mr. Thcoclore, saying that taxation had reached its limit in Queensland. ·what ' ill be the result of addi­tional taxation on the industries of Queens­land? vYill it have the effect of stifling industry or of bailding up industry? Inves­tors will shy clear of Queensland. and will im·est their monev in tho States where taxa­tion is not so he a ;y, and where the harassing restrictions placed upon employers are not oo severe. vVe know that great progress has been made in secondarv industries in the Southern Statf's, especially in Victoria, and we know that wo are not progressing to the same ext~nt. That is clue largelY to the fact that investors have no confidence in the gentlemen in charge of the Treasurv benches in Queensland. It is regrettable, especially whon 1ve consjder the great amount of raw materia! that is sent from Queensland to the Southern States to be manufactured into the finished article and returned to this State which produced tho mw product, I, as ~ Queenslancler, trust that this Government will give g-reater consideration and every assistance to men who are prepared to come into ~hi~ State and ir;vest their money in est.abhshmg secondary mdustries. That step will tend to increase our population. which will mean increased consumption and greater production, and place us in a better financial position than we are in now.

[Mr. Glayto11.

It is pleasing to note from the Speech that the Government do not intend to engage any further in St?.te enterprises. State enter­prisccs ha vo been a costly experience. W c have had the spectacle of men with no com­mercial experience d.tbbling in those con­ccr'1s. They have simply squandered our rnoncy in thcn1, and, although it i? pleasing to learn that the Government Intend ~o refrain from eng;aging any further in them, it i-. ne\·crthcl.css regrettable to know that \\C arc beino' taxed vr-r;,r heavilv for the c·,<pcrit nee gain~cl by these people who· on;~tg-cd in a gigantic manner in the, .... - c~·~er­rrl ·'~. It '" ·1S only last year that "\V.-- Wlped .£ vS QQQ cff the Jc cSeS that had been made in this direction. I am pleased to kEow that the Govcrnnunt arc g·oing to bo a Govern­l11('nt that ·will gov.rrn-I hope not mit:'::··overn -and will not trade to the extent the,- have trach•d Jn·cvious!y. .

I regL't that no mention is. made in the Sneech. or in the election pobcy sp._·cch of ~.he Pron1ier, \vith respcC"t to the repeal of the Hmpitals Act. I know that the greatest po:, :blc pro: cUre has btcn brought to boar on the Sr-crctarv for Agriculture and others through the loc.al producers' association~ to· dn ~ornething in connection with t"bat legisla­tion.

Tho SECRET_\RY POR AGRIClfLTL:"RE: I hn, Ye net lwcn approached.

1\1r. CLAYTON: Thr: SccJ·etl_r? for }_._gri­culturc is president of the Counc:l of Agriculture.

The SECRET\RY FOR AGRICULTCRE: hayo not been approached once.

~\Ir. CLA YTO::\: Then as prnident of thnt body you aro n{)t doing your job. _

The~ SECHE'f·.\TIY FOR PuBLIC VV'ORKS: You obicct on on0 occasion to the :Nlinister usjn~

n·~,. i1Jflncncc. but no",- you con1pla.in because h,· has not done so. Yon do not know ;,-hat :·ou arc talking ab-out.

M>. CLAYTO:\': The majority of the local produ('i"'l's' associations in my clcctorate have carrif'd resolutions ''7 1lirh have been con­vevecl to the District Council opposing the taX in connt'ction vrith hospitals on the nTound that it is a direct t3-x on land. These ;otions have bct•n conve:vccl to tho District COlm~il, and from the District Council to the Council of Agriculture.

The SECRETARY FOR AGRICULJ'UR~: What did the:• clrcicle?

::'dr. CLAYTON: Thcv want the tax to be made a tax on income, and not on land.

The SECRETARY FOR AGRICULTURE: \'Vhat did the Council of Agriculture decide • Don't misrepresent me. You said pressure had been brought to bear on me, and I told you that I had never been approached. vVhy can't you speak the truth?

1\ir. GLA YTON: I am speaking the truth, because pressure has been brought to bear on the Council of Agriculture, and the Ministe1' has been requested by the .District Council to use his influence as president of the Council of Agriculture and as a mem­ber of the Cabinet to induce t.te Government to rPpeal this legislation.

The SECRETARY FOR AGRICULTURE: I h:.tve neYer been approached.

Mr. GLA YTON: I contend that. if you have not then you have not been doing your job. (Government laughter.)

The SPEAKER : Order ! Order !

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:lddress in Reply. [4 AuausT.] Address in Reply. 86

Mr. CLAYTON: You are not taking the interest in pnmary producers that you infer

•you take. The SPEAKER: Order ! Order ! I ask

the hon. member for Wide Bay to address, the Chair. .. Mr CLAYTON: I repeat that the Min­:ister ·has not been doing his duty in not ·bringing- proposals before the Cabmet when ;requested to do so. . The SECRETARY FOR AGRICULTURE: I tell you that no representations have been made ·:to me on the matter.

. Mr. CLA Y'TON · It is beeommg a very hur;ing question m IJ'!V district and throurrh­:out those centres m Queensland wh~re n9 spital districts ~ave been orea~ed, and I .trust that the Mnnster vnll use h1s mfl uence 'on behalf of the primary producer and do <~verything be possibly c_an to institute a new .basis as a means of ra1smg revenue for the ·!;lpkeep of our hospitals. · Regarding the dairying industry, the Lieutenant-Governor's Speech contams this iiltatement

"The dairying industry has made satisfactorv progress throughout the State, and th0 opening for settlement of Crown lands in the Upper Burnett a"d Daws.on Valley will result in the <:reating of important dairying centres in those districts''

.r contend that, in spite of the efforts of t-he ~cunei! of Agriculture. the position of the r~l!tairying industry in Queensland is a pre-

. Ious one. The men engae-ed in that stry are not receiving a fan return for hours of labour they and their families in. Wit-h the price of butter at about

4d. or ls. 5d. a lb. dairymen are not t~ng a fair return, and it cannot be said

industry is flourishing when dairymen being underpaid for their labour. Som.e

go Mr. Ferry, the then Commissioner :£7ices, announced that the cost of pro­tJon of butter was ls: 7 d. a lb. If the ryman receives only ls. 4d. a lb., t-he ustry is in a languishing condition.

. the Government bring in legislation IS House whereby the worker in the city ranted a 44-hour week and a basic

of £4 5s. per week, greater considera­must be given to dairymen, because they working longer hours. The Secretary Agnculture. when at Yungaburra,

• " I stand for t-he standard parity 1 on cost of production." If the hon. eman is prepared to stand up to that g1ve t~e dairymen the cost of pro­

on, he 1s gomg to put a very big tax e consumer. I understand the Aus­

Workers' Union have filed a claim in

kArbitration Court for an award for

r ers 1ll rural industries. If we have pay the people engaged in rural indus­

es the basic wage and employ ·them only t.y.four hoclrs a week with time and a-

on Saturdays and double time on ays, I do not know what the cost of production of a pound of butter will T~e ~;reducers are entitled to the cost ~0 uetron, and it will be interesting to

0 what extent the Minister assists in htiOn with getting the award as filed

0 Australian Workers' Union. I am ~p. Opposed to the award as presented

aJrvmen are given the cost of pro­on and sufficient to allow them to pay Wages. At present, with the industry

in such a bad state, any additional haras­sing restrictions will bring ab-out a state" of stagnation in the industry. I trust that by the creation of butter pools, the stabilisa­tion scheme, and the work of the Federal Dairy Export Control Board, dairymen will be placed in the future in a better position than they are at present or have been in the past.

Although we on this side opposed the appointment ·of Government representatives· on the butter pools and commodity boa·rds, my opinion is that, if we have a board of farmers elected in a democratic way to con­trol these pools, they should have the assistance of men who have had commercial training in the handling of butter. It is all veu well to elect a certain number of farmers who have shown considerab1e amount of and have worked in the interest& d hut they should bo allowed to as one of their members a corn-

man who won!d guide them in con­with the disposal of their product.

essential, in connection with the dis­of their prcduce, that they should have

advice of a man wi1o has had a com­mercial training, and it would be in the interests of our producers, when these boards ue formed, if they were given the assistance of a man with commercial training.

The SECRETARY FOR AGRICULTURE: Your argued in favour of no other being

to a noo l boa rcl than a bona fide of the commodity.

Mr. CLAYTON: I do not want to con­tradict the Minister, but we opposed Go­vernment interference.

The SECRETARY FOR AGRICULTURE: You are twisting now.

Mr. CLAYTON : We said we could trust the primary producers, .and I am prepa·red, ''"hen the board is elected. to allc,w the board to engage a commercial man to assist them in connection with their business.

'I'he SECRETARY FOR AGRICULTURE: What do you think of the pcr<onnel of the Federal Dairy Export Control Board?

Mr. CLAYTON: I think the Federal Government have done excellent work in connection vtith the Dairy Export Control Act. We know that the Minister and the Council of Agriculture strenuously opposed that measure when it was going through the Federal Parliament. The Federal Go,·ern­ment have done excellent work in connection with that Act, and the hon. gentleman will be pleased to know that we have two mem­bers on that board who are supporters of the Country party. It is very pleasing to know that, and from what the member for Cooroora tells me, splendid progress is being made in connection with the export of our butter. They have already secured reductions in freight and insurance rates. They have established a brand for Aus­tralian butter, ·and only the choicest butter is allowed to be exported under that brand. Previously onr butter was exported under a hundred different brands, and, when it got to Great Britain, it lost its identity. Now we have an established brand on the London market, and our butter is taking its right place there. A great deal has been done to cut out the speculator who was picking up our butter overseas and trading in it. I hope that the efforts of this board will mean that we shall have greater facilities

Mr. Clayton.]

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84 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

in regard to the sale of our products over­seas. Owing to our climatic conditions we vo on the London market for a part of the year and then we go off it again. We have no continuity of supplies, which means that we are not in a position to keep our cus­tomers over there continuously supplied, the same as Denma,rk does. By the holding of butter in cold storage here and under similar conditions on the other side, we shall have more regular supplies. It is regrettable to think that the Southern States are sending such a greater proportion of choice butter over thNe than we are from Queensland. I do not know whether the Minister has seen the figures in connection with the pro­portion of choice butters sent over, but, if not he can get the figures from the hon. me1'nber for Cooroora, showing that Queens­land is in a bad state in that regard. Queens­land is down to 26 per cent., while Victoria is somewhere near 80 per cent. That is something the Minister should look into. If he has not got the information, the hon. member for Cooroora will be pleased to supply it to him. I am not !5oing to deal any further with the dairymg industry, because I understand that the hon. member for Cooroora will address himself to the subject at some length, and he may be able to combat some of the statements made by the hon. member for Eacham, who quoted cream at ls. 4d. a lb., and did not seem to know the difference between cream and butter.

Mr. C. J. RYAN: You are a liar.

The SPEAKER: Order ! The hen. mem­ber for Eacham must withdraw the expres­sion.

Mr. C. J. RYAN: I withdraw the expres­sion, but the hon. member has made a mis­statement.

Mr. CLAYTON: I leave to hon. members on this side to say whether I have made a misstatement. Certainly the hon. member for Eacham made the statement, but he cor­rected himself after his attention had been -d~awn to the mistake he had made by the hon. member for Cooroora.

The hon. member for Eacham, and also the hon. member for Chillagoe, had a good deal to say ,about the maize question. I am entirely in agreement with the Council of Agriculture and hon. members on this side in the opinion that we should have some form of organisation with regard to the dis­posal of our maize. The position of the maize-growers, both in North and South Queensland, has been a precarious one, and the time has arrived when we must go into the matter of organising the marketing of that product. I was at Atherton during the by-election.

Mr. C. J. RYAN: We know that-you helped us.

Mr. CLAYTON: If that is so, I do not think I am to be complimented on helping to bring the hon. member here. While I agree that we should have pools or assistance in marketing, I was entirely disappointed with the state of affairs at Atherton in con­nection with the maize pool. In the first place, I do not think the people in the Eacham electorate are altogether satisfied with the state of affairs there. Instead of erecting silos at Cairns at the water front, where they could handle maize for export to the South, they erected one lot of silos ,at Tolga, another lot at Atherton, and another

[Mr. Clayton.

lot at Kairi. That means inconvenienci"' in connection with handling. They have a: drying nlant at Atherton, ,but I saw none a~ Tolga or Kairi. They are a~king no~ for a further advance of .£20,000, m additiot\: to the £69,000 already lent, to place dryer§; at the two other places. Having to plac.;, dryers there will increase the cost to the maize-growers of having three staffs at this work when one could have attended to the· whole thing at one central place. It is unfor, tunate that that state of affairs should exist. We were told that the second-grade maize, was being stored at Atherton, and the first~; class grade at the other places. We had an opportunity of going through the Atherton silos, and I must say that the maize that we saw there was not of good quality. In fact it was in such a state that they could not place it on the market, and they had to crack it and sell it as silo-treated maize.

Mr. C. J. RYAN: Where did they crack itt

Mr. CLAYTON: At the silo at Atherton. We were there watching the cracker at work.

Mr. C. J. RYAN: You .went through the silo?

Mr. CLAYTON: Yes. Mr. C. J. RYAN: How did you come out? Mr. CLAYTON: I do not know what you

would look like if you went through a pig factory.

The SPEAKER: Order! The hon. mem­ber is making a statement of a kind which he must know is disorderly.

Mr. CLAYTON: I do not want to reflect on the hon. member, but if he wiJI keep quiet, I think my speech will go on very nicely. That maize was in a deplorable con­dition. I am not going to say that I saw a live weevil in it, but it had been distinctly

riddled, and it was necessary to [12.30 p.m.] crack it and sell it as silo-treated

maize. It was so bad that they had to have a fan on top of the maize-cracker in order to blow down the dust which had been created by the weevils, and the mem­bers who were with me will bear me out when I say that there was dust an inch thick on the floor of the silo. That is wihat hap­nened there, and it is unfortunate, and I think that the reason why the maize pool was defeated in the South is to be found in the statements which have come from the North. I never made one utterance regard­ing the state of the Atherton Maize Pool until after the poll here, because people would have said that I was prejudiced, but afterwards I took the opportunity of making the statement which I have made this morn­ing. , If the Government wish to establish a maize pool in Southern Queensland, we can profit by the experience of the Northerners, because I contend that if the Northern people cannot get from 5s. a bushel upwards through the pool at Atherton, then the maize industry is going to die out on the Tableland. It is absolutely necessary that the pro­,ducers there should receive nothing less than 5s. A man with a family at Atherton who has under crop 60 acres of maize, with an average return of 40 bushels, or £10 per acre, will receive £600 as his gross income. Ottt of that he has to keep his family, pay all costs of running his farm, and also bear his share of the interest and redemption on £69,000 of expenditure which has already been incurred. I am inclined to think that the dairying industry will take the place of the maize industry in the Atherton district.

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Address in Reply. [4 AuausT.] Address in Reply. 85

~Zc th land is eminently suited for dairying, ~,,<:! !£ I were a farmer settlmg there I would '~a,~ 1 e in that industry in preference to that ';!{g~~ize cultivation. In the South they have ~&ecicled that they do not want a pool, and fit is unfortunate that they have. no proper ~system of marketing here. I thmk a gre~t d<lal of good could be done in the South If the Department of Agriculture woul~ make 'it known through the CounCil of Agncultu~e t'hllct the Government w1ll assist. farl?ers m ~the purchase of tanks, so that m times of g}lit they can tank thetr ma;tze on the farms, ciind~ so be enabled to put 1t on the market at a favourable time. I know that city tfierchants have made large sums of money f;rom the tanking of maize. I myself as a farmer on many occasions when the /nark et has not been favourable have tanked maize and ma·de a good profit out of 1t, and .I hope 'the Minister will do everythmg posstble to, 'assist the farmers in that respect.

A statement has been made to the effect iihat muoh of the Kingaroy maize was being $'ilrlt to the North, principally to the Babinda :distriet. The man who was responsible for ~getting a lot of orders for maize for that 'g}strict was the hon. member for Herbert. lie went to the hon. member for N anango ~n this House and asked for a list of the 1\:ingaroy growers who had maize for sale. ;T1w hon. member for Nanango, true to his .oonsistcnt efforts in the interest of the maize­

.j:J:owers, supplied the hon. member for ;i!iferbert with a list, and the hon. member Zj(Ji: Herhert forwarded this 'list to a firm in • which he is interested in Townsville, and .,th~t firm purchased a very large quantity o£ R)ngaroy maize to the detriment of the

·growers on the Atherton Tableland. Mr. PEASE: It was 6d. a bushel cheaper.

• ~Mr. CLAYTON: The hon. member says qt was 6d. a bushel cheaper. I am surprised .t!lat a man like the hon. member for Her­'.h'Ctt should desire to reduce the income of ·•the .farmer, and at the same time advocate cai) mcrease in his own salary.

Mr. EDWARDS: It was good maize. Mr. PEASE: I was trying to induce them

~o. foTm a pool in their own interests. They were very foolish in not doing so. ·.· Mr. CLAYTON : The hon. member for Chillagoe deplored the action of the Govern­m~ent in dosing the Mungana mines. He .:::lso state-d that pnvate enterprise was mak­Ing·. a success in a mining show, and that the Sta.te had closed down. That sounds rather strange, coming from a man who advocates State enterprises and State control. I have he1'e a report from the "Northern Miner" '.~Wder date 6th July, which states- '

" A good deal of consternation was felt by_ the employees at the Mungana State mmes when it beeame known that the mmes are going to be closed down within a few weeks. A meeting of the A.W.U. :'as held, and delegates appointed to mternew the general manager (Mr. P.fL Goddard), and ask him for definite m. ormat10n on the matter .and to confer With him if he would' favour some deyelopment work being done at these rrunes. But the result of the interview Was futile. Mr. Goddard pointed out that the mine would be closed within ~~r weeks. as there was insl!f!icie!'t ore­th Ies. to warrant the contmuahon of · e mmes ; and when asked if he would

entert!"m proposals to sink the shaft at the Gtrofla mine, he pointed out that the

last 700 tons of ore taken from the shaft averaged 10 per cent., -and cost £3 a ton to mine, and was worth only £1 a ton when landed at the smelters. When asked what prospects were in view at -the new mine at Redcap (recently purchased by the State), he sail;! it was poor, the ore averaging from 1 per cent. to 6 per cent.''

I do not know whether the Redcap mine was purchased prior to the elections, but it. is rather strange that the Government should purchase a new mine on the eve of tl·e closure of another mine. Tbe "Northern Miner" continues-

" So the outlook from a mining point of view is gloomy. Not being satisfied with the information received from 1he general manager, a pub1ic meeting was. held in the new State hall on Sund;ty, 4th instant, to discuss the impending closure of the mines, and to urge the Government to continue working them irrespective of the colossal loss they lnve been working at. Last year this enter­prise showed a deficiency of £29,000.''

I do not desire to read the whole article, hut the last paragraph is very interesting-

" It is quite noticeable that the powers that be did not see their way olear to cease operations before the vendors received their £40,000, the greater por­tion of which was paid on a royalty hasis.''

In view of the question that I asked to-day, it would be interesting to know who tha vendors of these mines were. We have not had full information concerning the vendors of the Mungana mines.

Mr. POLLOCK: It has been stated in the House on three occasions .

The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC WORKS: The papers were there if you wanted to read them.

Mr. BRAND: The vendors' names did not appear on them.

Mr. CLAYTON: There are not many occupations on the papers.

The following mention is made with •re!J1&rd to reafforestation in the Speech of the Lieu­tenant-Governor:

" The operations of the Provisional Forestry Board were continued during the year 1925, and resulted in gross receipts from all sources totallinr; £596,000."

The Premier. when Sec·retary for Public Lands. said that he took a very broad view of the question of reafforestation, as it was a national question. I find from the report of the Auditor-General last year unde·r tha heading of " Forestry Branch" that the revenue from receipts from timber sales, etc., is set down at £239,756 17s. lld., and the expenditure for the same period at £27,930. The expenditure from loan money, notwithstanding the fact that the Govern­ment received a revenue of £239,756 17s. lld. and expended only £27,930, was £32,611. That clearly shows that the Government, instead of treating the forestry question from a broad national viewpoint, were using it for the purpose of producing revenue.

An OPPOSITION MEMBER : 'I'o cover up their sins.

The SPEAKER: Order ! Order ! The hon. member has exhausted the time allowed him under the Standing Orders.

Mr. Clayton.]

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86 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

Mr. WRIGHT (Bulirnbrz) : I desire, in the first p:acc, to congratulate you, Mr. Speaker, on agam attaining the high position which you hold, As a new member coming into this House in 1923, I well remember the wurtesy and kindly considera­tion which were exten-ded to· me by yourself, and I am quite certain that the new mem­bers who have entered the House on this occasion will have the same experience at your hands.

I also desire to congratulate the mover and seconder uf the motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply on the very able speeches they made. I would also like to take the opportunity of congratulating those hon. members on both sides of the House who have made their maiden speeches during this debate.

I hea-rtily agree with the sentiments ·expressed by the hon. member for Ithaca with respect to the position of Governor. It cloes seem absurd in a continent like Australia, having one national Parliament and six State l'arliaments. that it should be necessary to appoint links between the ·seat of the Empire in the form of Governors in each of those States as well as a Governor­General of the Commonwealth. I believe with the hon. member for Ithaea. that the

·duties of State Governors could easily be undertaken by the Chief Justices in the various States. If that were done, it would mean a considerable saving of expense, and would not in any way weaken the link with -the Imperia.l authorities.

I listened quite attentively to the speech of the leader of the Opposition, and shall say a few words on one or two matters upon which he touched. I was very much sur­prised to hear the hon. member's reference 'to the legislation which it is proposed to place before the House this session, and particularly his reference to the question of amending legislation. I would like to ask the hon. rnembeT if he thinks in a State as pro­gressive as Queensland or in a country as progressive as the Commonwealth of Aus­tralia it is unnecessary from session to session to have amending legislation, I know the refenmce of the hon. member to this matter w.as to bolster up his argument for the restora­tion of the Legislative Council. The leader of the Opposition and hon. members of the ·Opposition generally placed this matter fully and frankly before the people of Queensland during the last election campaign. It was one of the main questions upon which they appealed to the people, and history shows that the people of Queensland are not desirous of the restor.a·tion of that Coljncil.

Mr. MoORE: It does not. There was over a two-thii·.ds majority in favour of the retention of the Legislativ·e Council.

Mr. WRIGHT : I admit that some years ago this question was placed before the people by referendum, and, because of the gulling tacti~s of friends of ·the members of the Legislative Council, an adverse ·decision was given. The Government had more foresight t~an the majority of the electors, :and .they d1d what I believe was a necessary thing to -do. \Ve have now been a number of years without a second 0hambllr in Queensland and 'if I were a gambling man, I would Ii,ke t~ gamble on the probability, if another refer­endum were taken. that there would be a big majority against the restoration of the •Council. Hon. members know that those

[Mr. Wright.

things which they said would happen on thell abolition of the Council have not happened:.:!

Mr. MooRE: They have happened. ;i Mr. WRIGHT: They have not, and honj

members know it full well. As regard~~ amending legislation, the reason why the:' Opposition cannot make political progress\ in this State is because they are standing' stili politically, and are not prepared to. move with the times andplace modern legis. lation on the statute-book. I ask the leader of the Opposition to read an e-ditorial which app3arcd in the "Gr.azier' Review" of June last, and he will there find what his OWl\ fTiends had to say abo1lt the Opposition and the hon. member's policy speech. I am sorrv I have not the article here to read for the ·benefit of the hon. member. I have taken the trouble to see how much amending l.egislation. went through th:s Chamber when there were two Houses, and it might interest hon. members opposite to know that over 50 per cent of the legislation which passed through this House and which went before the Legislative Council for the ten years prior to 1915 was amending legislation, which o-oes to prove the utter falla.cy of the .argu­;';,ent of the leader of the Opposition in try­ing to bolster up a case for the restoration 0f the Legislative Council. No matter what Government may be in power in Queenslan?, and no matter what Government may be m power in any part of the world to-day, con­·ditions change so rapidly that the Govern­ment will find, if they ar·e Q"oing to keep up with the times, that they will have a number of amending measures each session. and, if thev are not prepared to do that, ~he people will put them out of office and put in a Gov-ernment who are prepared to keep up to date.

I was much amused with some of the remarks made by Opposition members during the election campaign, and partiCu­la.rlv bv the remarks of the leader of the 0pnosition on this Legislative Council ques­tion. I pav more attention to the speeches of that gentleman than to the speeches of other members of the Opposition. knowing that he is the mouthpiece of the party. Before the electors the hon. member made out a nretty good case to prove that the Opposition generally were incompetent. Away out at Goondiwindi-well away from the centres of population-the hon. member stated that it was vitally necesoary to restore the Lee;islative Council to prevent hasty legislation.

lVTr. MOORE: I said that in Brisbane. You need not go away out to Goondiwindi for it.

Mr. WRIGHT: It is a good argument to nroVe that the leader of the Opposition and his party are incompetent.

Mr. MOORE: We were" gagged" 120 times in one session.

Mr. \VRIGHT: That ha.s not happened since 1923. The hon. member said to the people of Queensland, " Place me in charge of the Government, and I will restore the Legislative Council to prevent hasty legislation." I want to know who would pass the legislation if the leader of the Opposition were Premier of Queensland. Yet the hon. member said that if he were Premier of Queensland it wonld be .necessary to put a check on his work. as ·he would be likely to pass hasty legislation, and consequently it was necessary to have a Legislative Council.

Mr. MooRE: I do not claim to be infallible.

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Address in Reply. [4 AUGUST.] Address in Reply. 87

WRIGHT : I state in all seriousness members opposite put up very good

to show that they are incompetent deserve the support of the people

consequently the people accordingly and refused to put

"REDISTRIBUTION. " NEW ELECTORATES.

" AS YOU WERE. "MR. SHAW'S OPINION.

" A CASE OF AS YOU WERE. " WHAT WE LOSE ON THE SWINGS WE

GAIN ON THEl ROUNDABOUTS." there the candid opinion of the

the Nationalist organisation of who states that so far as redis­sea ts is concerned it is a case of

" What we lose on the swings on the roundabouts." Evidentlv

on the swings, and the roundabout's ·not working.

DEACON: We will be sure next time.

HT: The hon. member says sure next time. Anyone who

trouble to re<:d " Hansard " prior electron wrll find that quite a

of hon. members, particularly the for \V ynnum, the hon. member

Bay, and the hon. member for stated very deHnitely what was to

result of the election in 1923. CLAYTON : You were afraid of the

on the last occasion.

. WRIGHT: I received double my m~jority. The hon. member for sard at that time that the Govern­

wer!' an obsolete, die-hard Govern­whl~h . would hang on to office like

Srmrlar sentiments were expressed t~e last election. If we look up

and read the various speeches tes on the Address in Reply

we find that hon. members quite satisfied that they sweep the country at the

and that the redistribution . no~ enter into the matter

It Is trme that the Opposition that the people of Queensland are 2

:People a_fter alL 'and that before the polhn.g booth they give serious the questJOn of which is the better

support. They did that in 1915, and

they have done it repeatedly since then. Personally, I think it is going to be many years before the Labour party of this State loses the reins of Government, because the Opposition are lacking in leadership. I 'am not making a personal reference to the leader of the Onposition. (Laughter.) They are not only !~eking in leadership, but in politi8al ability, and the })Cople of Queensland were quite justified in refusing to give them a term of office. The hon. member for Burnett made a most dramatic speech, and tried to convince the House and the people of Queens­land that the Labour party owe their posi­tion here as the Government of the State to the fact that they have gulled the people.

Mr. CoRSER: They have misrepresented the facts.

l'vir. WRIGHT: If there is one hon. mem­ber in this House who attempts gulling tac­tics, it is the hon. member for Burnett him­self.

I desire now to make some reference to the question asked by the hon. member for

Murilla about the recent trip of [2 p.m.] the Minister in Charge of · State Enterprises, accompanied

b:" the hon. member for Merthyr, the hon. member for Buranda, and myself to North Queensland. The hon. member for Murilla asked whether the expenses of the members who went on that trip would be paid out of public funds, and the answer was that the usual procedure had been adopted. I am not so much concerned with that fact as I am with expressing my belief that it should be the duty of all Ministers when touring the State on official business to invite some mem­bers of Parliament to accompany them, because it is only by having the advantage of making trips of that nature that members of this House are able to learn a good deal a bout -different parts of the State. I know that Ministers have met with criticism from both sides of the House owing to the fact that members of particular electorates aTe not made fully aware of the nature of the investigations which those Ministers are undertaking or the business which they pro­pose to do, and I think the State would be well repaid for the expenditure of the small amount of monev which would be incurred in taking other members on tours of inspec­tion in connection with the business of their departments. I have no apology to make for accepting the invitation of the Minister for State Enterprises, and I assure any Minister that he will not need to ask me twice to accomparJy him on any trip to any part of Queensland, became I shall not be concerned at the small expense the State may be put to. I am quite satisfied that the State and the people of my electorate will be well repaid in view of the fact that my association with the Minister will tend to make me au fait with conditions as thev really are, and therefore better able to represent the people in this House as a result. As a matter of fact, last year the Premier·, when Secretary for Public Lands, took a very large party from both sides of the Chamber to Castle Creek, now called Theodorc, to view the situation and educate themselves as to the work which had been un de·rtaken in the Da wson V alley irrigation scheme. The hon. member for Murilla was one of that party, and on the return journey he took the opportunity of voicing his appre­ciation o.f the Minister's invitation, and expressed the view that I have expressed

Mr. Wright.]

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88 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

here this afternoon-that it was money well spent. Why then draw public attention to the fact that a Minister takes along with him some private members to assist him in carrying out ,his duties 1

I am pleased to note that the Speech delivered b:v the Lieutenant-Governor makes reference to the good progress being made in the construction of the South Brisbane­Kyogle-Grafton Railway. Two years ago I submitted a proposal in connection with that line for the consideration of the Govern­ment, and I understand that the Railway Department has given .some consideration to the matter, although nvthing definite so far has been announced. Immedrately that line is completed the Government will find it necessary to give serious consideration to my propos.al that a branch line should be constructed from somewhere near Cooper's Plains, running in an easterly direction to the deep water portions of the Bulimba Reach of the Brisbane River. When making that proposal I pointed out that on th•e completion of the line to South Brisbane there would be a considerable amount of traffic coming not only frQm the south-eastern r;:,riions o' th•· State but also from tbe norther:1 and north-western portions of :-Jew South Wales, Since making that prop.)sa1

I have had an opportunity of viaitit·g the riorth-we.stern nortion of New South Wales and I am firmly convinced that the people of that district are more impressed than the residents of the metropolitan areas of Bris­bane or Southern Queensland with the importance of linking-up Kyogle and South Brisbane. The people of New South Wales recognise that Brisbane should be their natural outlet and that their exportable produce should not be hauled the long dis­tance to Sydney. It assuredly follows that once the line is completed there will be a very he a v:v traffic in exportable produce w Brisbane, particularly from that portion of New South WaJ<es. If the Railway Depart­ment is to be able to handle the tremendous amount of produce such as wool, butter, frozen rabbits, and a considerable amount of other produce of a purely exportable nature that will pass over this line, then it is vita!iy necessarv that serious consideration should be given to my proposal. If it is found to be impracticable, then some other method should be adopted whereby this produce can be efficiently handled. One C'an readily recognise that, if something of that nature is not done, train load after train load of exportable products will be lying at the South Brisbane Railway Station, necessitating double handling, etc., before it reaches the overseas boats in the river. I hope the Secretary for Railways will go into the matter and see if it is not possible for something to be done along the lines that I have indicated. There is ample deep water accommodation in the Bulimba Reach of the river, and there is sufficient room for the largest oversea steamer to be navigated with ease.

I was also pleased to note that in the opinion of the Director of Agriculture the gain to the producers within the last two years, following on the policy of this Govern­ment in connection with organisation, is estimated at a minimum of not less than £500,000.

Mr. MOORE: Like the money left in· the pockets of the farmers because the railway freights were not raised.

[2!11._ Wright.

Mr. WRIGHT: Hon. members opposite ,have objected repeatedly to what they term Government interference in connection with this legislation which has been placed on the statute-book by this Government. I believe that most of the success obtained-and it has been obtained-as a result of that legisla­tion, is due to the- fact that Government representatives have occupied seats on the various commodity boards, etc. The hon. member for Toombul in his maiden speech yesterday went so far, according to the press this morning, as to make the definite state­ment-

" No one could imagine that the pre­sent Government ever had done anything to promote the real interests of the farmers, and those farmers who had sup­ported the Government would rue their action before very long."

Mr. MOORE: Are there any 1 I have not been able to find any.

Mr. WRIGHT: Let me give the hon. mem­ber for Toombul a little advice, and that is that before making a speech in this House he should make himself au fait with the subject about which he desires to talk.

Mr. MAXWELL: What about yourself?

Mr. WRIGHT: I always try to make an intelligent speech, but the same cannot be said for the hon. member for Toowong, who mostly relies on press propaganda, pamphlets, and matter of that kind to make his speech for him.

Mr. MAXWELL: You do not like it, anyway.

Mr. WRIGHT: I woul-d like to ask the hon. member for Toombul and the Opposition generally if they have heard of the Primary Producers' Organisation Act, the Primary Products Pools Act, the Fruit Marketing Act, the Co-operative Associations Act--

J\lr. MOORE: The Land Tax Act.

Mr. WRIGHT: And others too numerous to mention. Each of these Acts is without parallel. No Primary Producers' Organisa­tion Act or Primarv Products Pools Act is on any other statute-book in Australia.

Mr. MOORE: Are they worse off on that account?

Mr. \VRIGHT: I will come to that. As a matter of fact, t,he Co-operative Associations Act is being used as a model in other countries to-day.

Mr. MOORE: And the people here who come under it are trying to get out of it. Others are using it because they do not know anythirig about it.

Mr. 1

WRIGHT: Inquiries have been received from all the other States in Aus­tralia, and from New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa seeking information in connec­tion with those Acts.

Mr. MooRE: I do not blame them for trying to get information.

Mr. WRIGHT: The record of benefits accruing under this legislation to the primary producer is such that it redounds to the credit of the Government. Agriculturists through­out the State of Queensland have availed themselves very extensively: of this legisla­tion. To-day 28,000 out of 32,000 farmers in Queensland have been enrolled voluntarily under those Acts.

Mr. MOORE: Compulsorily, because they are compelled to pay the levies.

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Ad'?. ess in Reply. [4 AUGUST.] Addres.o in Reply. 89

Mr WRIGHT: Producers elsewhere have el<pr~ssed the greatest admiration for this ,legislation.

Mr. MOORE: The levies are compulsory.

Mr. WRIGHT: Those. primary I?roducers · have also expressed the wish that their respec­tive Governments will make similar legisla­tion available to them.

I want to say a few words in connection with the Meat Council, but before doing- so I desire to say again for the benefit of the hon. member for Toombul that as regards the marketing side of agricultural affairs, there are now thirteen boards operating in Queensland dealing with the marketing of maize and agricultural products, these corn· y:rrising butter, cheese, eggs, arrowroot, wheat, fruit, cotton, Northern n;>aize, Northern pigs, broom millet, sugar, cjtnary .seed, and even peanuts. The point I want to make is that all these boards are making good in their respective spheres of activity.

Mr. MoORE: Why should eggs be 4d. per dozen clearer in Sydney than they are here )!IQW?

Mr. WRIGHT: The hon. member for 'l'oombul has been an agent for the peanut board. Only the other day a poll was taken jn connection with the continuance or other­wise <>f the peanut board, and the voting resulted in a 90 per cent. majority in ~avour of its continuance.

Mr. MoORE: What was the ·result with regard to the banana pool?

Jl4r. WRIGHT: The officer in charge of flgn~mltural matters at the League of Nattons Conference after beino- furnished :wiph copies of the 'various Act;' passed by

. tht,s Government f~r the benefit of primary producers, made this statement:-

" W_e know of no oount·ry which has ·orgamsed its agriculturists in such a representative way."

"rhat refers to a Labour Government. Mark that! It is a wonderful tribute to the Queensland Labour Government for the work th~y have done in the interests of the primary p-roducers of Queensland.

· Mr. H. M. RUSSELL: The Government are only doing their duty, anyhow.

Mr. WRIGHT: The Government are doing phetr duty to every section of the community m ,Queensland, and that is the secret of thetr sucress at elections. The people of the lilctate recogmse that, while the GoYernment may h>;tve made mistakes, their beneficial lelislatwn more than counteracts those mis­;t.a des .. We admit we have made mistakes :t WI!l mah mistakes in future. We do . datm to be a perfect organisation or a ~~rdfect Government. _We recognise that any-

y Worth hrs 8alt IS bound to make mis­'.:h~es, and that the individual or Government

thdoes not make mistakes never does '!1-llYt mg.

i,· The :policy ?f the Government in connec­: ton With pnmary producers is in great W~thast to that of the Federal Government. .· ·· . ahe heard hon. members opposite laud­,;1~~- .t. e _Federal G&vernment for · their lwith1ths m. different spheres in oonnection 11il. . b e prtmary producers. Ask the hon. ;'Mem er for Murilla what happened to the :;·. eat Council; it has fallen down on its job. ~lrMr. MOORE: It was voted out of e1<istence ;;;'1. the pr<Xlucers themselves. 7}

Mr. WRIGHT: Because it did not get sympathetic consideration from the Bruce­Page Government.

Mr. MooRE: Not at all.

Mr. WRIGHT: And why didn't it? Mr. MooRE: It did. It got a £35,000

advance. Mr. WRIGHT: Because the Government

set out to prevent that sympathetic con­sideration being giyen. The council was voted out of e1<istence simply because it was manacled and thwarted and had obstacles thrown in its \Vay regarding any vital matter. Consequently it lias " gone bung." If I have time, I intend to quote from Federal " Hansard " in connection with the matter, giving the remarks of the Prime Minister himself in reply to a question. That Meat Council could have done plenty of beneficial work. I have here a small quotation taken from the daily press of yesterday in connection with meat e1<port. It reads-

" PRODUCERS HIT. "London, Friday.-' Nothing is more

discouraging than to hear Dominion people talk of being robbed,' said Mr. J. H. Thomas (Labour), in the House of Commons. ' An Australian deputation told me they were getting 4~d. a pound for meat which was sold at Smithfield for ls. 8d. and ls. lOd. a lb. The Govern. ment should ·require an authoritative explanation for such a thing.' "

The business of the Meat Council, if it was alive to the situation, was not to have died on the job. Irrespective of the lack of assist­ance from the Federal Government, it was its duty to its own people to keep the flag flying and. show the Government of Great Britain just what the trouble was. The hon. membe~ for Murilla knows as well as I do what the trouble is. He knows that our meat, after it reaches Great Britain, is handled by six or seven-what? Not si1< or seven consumers, but it is handled by si1< or seven agents before it reaches the consumers in Great Britain. Consequently the cost of handling by these agents sends the meat up to an enormous· price to the consumers in Great Britain, and robs the 'producer here of a fair price for his product. Why does the Meat Council not get to business and inform the British Go­vernment what the facts of the case are? In order to show the opinion of the Federal Government on the matter, an·d what they are prepared to do, I will quote from th~ Federal " Hansard." In the House or Representatives on 16th July last, Mr. Rodgcrs asked-

" Has the Prime Minister been notified of the decision of the graziers of Aus· tralia to permit the Meat Council to pass out of existence at the end of July because of the refusal of some of the States to pass legislation which will enable the council to function? As the Meat Council is the only medium by which the opinion of the meat interests. can be expressed in a national :way, and as it has negotiated important contracts with the Imperial Government, will the right honourable gentleman take steps, before effect is given to the decision of the graziers, to continu!", if .possible, the operations of this great organisation?" ·

Mr. Bruee replied as follows:-" Full information with regard to thfl

present position of the Australian Meat

Mr. Wright.1

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00 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBL Y.j Address in Reply.

Council has reached me, hut the facts are not as stated bv the hon. member. The decision to disband the council is not due to the failure of some of the States to pass enabling legislation. Such legis­lation was passed in Queensland and New South Wales and the Victorian Government was r~ady to submit it to Parliament. Moneys had actually been raised by levy; but by a recent poll the graziers of New South Wales pro­nounced overwhelmingly against the con­tinuance of the council, and, as there were indications of a similar opinion in Queensland, the council came to the con­dusion that it had no alternative but to wind uo its affairs. Representatives of the meat industry have interviewed me on several occasions. and sections of them have represented that the Government should take some action to organise the industry. I told them, as I have told all sections of producers, that the Govern­ment will not take steps to org-anise them, but will give every assistance if they will organise themselves. I agree with the lvm. member for Wannon (Mr. Rodgers) the t it is very desirable that an effort should be made to form an organi­sation to take the place of that which will shortly go out of existence."

The SPEAKER: Order! Order! The hon. member has exhausted the time allowed him under the Standing Orders.

Mr. FOLEY (Leichhcmit) : Apparently the complaints hy members of the Opposition, that the Government give them no oppor­tunity to criticise our administration and legislation, are not sincere. The Government have extended the time allowed for the debate on the Address in Reply to nine days, yet more than once already, had it not been for members on the Government side of the House speaking in order to give members of the Opposition an opportunity to prepare their speeches, the motion would have passed. Again and again members of the Opposition have complained that no oppor­tunity is given to them to criticise the Go­vernment, and now that the opportunity is given they are apparently not prepared to do so.

I wish to make a few remarks with regard to that portion. of the Lieu~enant-Governor's Speech dealing with the settlement of land. It has been pointed out that quite a large area of prickly-pear land has been selected since the inauguration of the Prickly Pear Land Commission, as a resug of the facilities given and the 1enient view taken by that Commission in encouraging settlers to cope with the prickly-pear pest. While I agree with that statement and recognise that ,a big impetus has been given ~o land settle­ment in that ·direction, I would refer to the need for careful watch being kept by the Secretarv for Public Lands with regard to the conditions of settl.ement of the 10,000,000 acres of sheep and pastorctl land falling due wi~hin the next few year,. We have recentlv had thrown open some 300.000 acres of land in the Capella district, and, although it was originally intended to throw the land open in very small areas and combine grazing with cotton-growing. it was eventually decided to throw it open in much larger areas, namely, in the vicinitv of 2 560 acres. I find on going among"' the residents in the Cape!la, Clermont, and Spring-sur·e districts that there is a universal comnlaint on the part of in­tending settlers against such small areas being

fMr. Wri(,)'ht.

thrown open in those districts. It is pointed out, and I feel rightly so. fr?m the inv:sGiga. tions I have made, that It IS not possible to make a living on anything less than 5,000 acres of good. sheep country in these par. ticular districts in the Central-West. The idea of combining co~ton-growing with oheep farming in those districts is not sound, and that has been proved during the last seven or eight yeara. Many settlers have endea­voured to grow cotton there and have failed. I hope that the Minister, when con­sidering the throwing open of much of the land in that district, will not be misguided by any of the officers of the Department of Agriculture, who claim that cotton can be grown in those areas successfully in conjunc­tion with sheep raising, and that he will see ~hat the ccuntry is cut up in suitable areas of not less than 5,000 acres of good she-ep country close to the railway, with a greater area according to the varying quality of the country and the distance away from the railway. If these lines are adopted, there will he every opportunity for successful closer settlement in that district.

Referring to the present drought conditions which exist in Queensland, it would be a very wise plan for the Secretary for Public Lands, when throwing open ar.eas of land for pastoral purposes in the future, carefully to consider the question of including in the con­ditions of lease some provision whereby a settler will be compelled '!;o cons·erve much of the grasses that are available for conserva­tion in good seasons. We have the spectacle on Pee,k Downs in my district of large areas of country just like a lawn or a wheat fie1d in good seasons, without a stick, rock, or ditch that could throw ou~ of gear a mowing or reaping machine; yet we find that within those districts, with hardly an exception, there is not one ounce of good conservable grass saved. The bulk of it goes to waste in the subsequent drv weather after the spring. and is very often burnt off because there is not sufficient stock to eat the grass in the p;ood season. The question arises as to whether it would be advisable to insist upon such a provision being inserted in the conditions of lease, owing to the fact that it would be very difficult for each selector on a small ,area 'of country to go in for the purchase of a suitable plant for reaping and also the enp;ap;ing of labour for the stacking of much of the fo·dcler that could be saved

in those districts. I .realise that it [2.30 n.m.J would be a difficult thin.,- for · ' many new settlers, but, if such

a clause were ins·erted in ,all future land a . .,-reements with new settlers, it would force thos~ settlers to combine and get a co-opera­tive; plant which would do the work much more cheaplv than if €ach individual .had to go to similar exPense. I think it is rec;og­nised by most pastoral men that the obJec!; is a desirable one, and I know of one or two men in .a bip; wny who arc now pur­chasinp; plants with tb'e intention of going in for -fodder conservotion along the lines I have outlined. I think the suggestion is ":Vel! worthy of the consideration of the Minister.

Mr. EDWARDS: More ~ompulsion!

Mr. FOLEY: Yes,' more compulsion, and I think hon. members generally will reco.,-­nise that compulsion is· necessary in the interests of the pastoral industry and the State. We have the spectacle in the drought which is in existence to-day of the Govern­ment arrnngiug for the Railwa.y Department

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Addre,?s in Reply. [4 AUGUST.] Address it~- Reply. 91

to carry, trucks of fodder from New South Wales into the Central and Western districts of the State at rate,. which mean that the fodder rcallv only p>tq its way from the borde1· to Gympie, while the rest of the cost is borne LY tho whole State. \Vhy continue t!-Iat pt· JCtico '"hen thou'"ltnds of tons of ;ood fodder could be stacked and \i .Jt!ld lD ~t indcfinit:-<v if conserved in that vvay in good seasons i'i1 those pastoral areas? I h..tYC a~ an i\ludration the case of a friend I m<>t the other day fr8m \Vestcrn Australia, who gave tn<' particulars of what he did with a few blackfcllow". lie got a few reaping hooks and put them on the job, with good rcsul ts.

An 0PPObi'l'IOX ::YIE}1BER: That is not fcasi: lo here.

JYh. I<OLEY: That method is not feasible hero. but it is just an illustration of what can Le done. The result was that, when a <lrought came, ho saved practically all his stock at a sn,all expenditure, whilst almost C'VCl'Y ncighbuuri :g solect,or lv::;t almost all his stock.

Mr. EDWARDS: The selector·· hero arc so her,vily taxed thrt they cannot afford to pay for stackin;;.

l\fr. FOLEY: rrho tax which the selectors in the. Wc't haYo to pay is such that they ar•· well able to bear it in good seasom.

A \V uter Bill is referred to in tho Lieu­tenant-Govemor's Speech. At this stage I . ftz:!:1 not in a position to know what conditions will be provided in the measure but I hope the 3.1inister will endeavoul' t~ include some scheme of water supply for new settlers in pa:·to-ral areas, quite apart from the supply of >vat er in the deep artesian belts.· I refer to a system somewhat similar to that in operatiou in the Burnett hll1ds scheme under which any selector can apply to th~ Settlement Board and ha Ye a bore or a w.ell put. down, the cost being advanced to h1m, \nth the understanding that, if the bore or well turns .out to be a failure, the whole of the cost will not fall on the settler concerned. One could quote hund-reds of illustratim1s in Western Queensland of what I mean. Only recently an old mate of mine, having drawn a well-grassed block, and therefore a good block from the surface point of view, spent £600 on a bore to pro­.curc water to feed any stock he might put upon it at a later date. So far he ha, been unsuccessful. The Secretary for Public Lands should fo-rmulate some scheme to provide that, when a now settler puts down a bore and is unsuccessful in striking \Vater, he should not be saddled with the cost of that Lore but that the cost should be borne out of a general fund provided for the purpose.

Very little reference to mining was made in the Speech delivered bv the Lieutenant­GovPrnor. Some reference" was ma·de to the Mount lsa min!ng district. Generally speak­ing, since the last Parliament there has been very little or no improvement in the mining indust-ry in Queensland. The price of tin has increased, consi~lorably, but whether pro­duct:on has oecn mcreased I am not in a position to say.

The s?-pphire mmmg industry at the present t1mo IS at a very low ebb, and one of the main reasons-in fact, the sole reason­why it is in such a poor position is because of the political and financial crisis in France during the last three or four years. France has not yet realised political and financial

stability, consequently it is not possible for merchant,s to import luxuries mto that country with a reasonable chance of diotribut­ing them to other European counb·j,·;;. For the last three ) earo we ha vc har1 a gem nool in operation, hoping each year that the fi;~an~ cial crisis would come to an end in FrJ.:ncn, but our hopes hrrve not baen reali,cd, with the result th:tt the sapphires purcha eel have ac··umulatod, and our sales on the other side of the vvorld have been very small in com­parison. Consf'q,nent1v. the TrP:1.surp.r has had to call a halt, and I hoYo no hult to find with his attitude in that respect. I agree with the Treasurer \Yhen he says that the sapphire 11ool will have to be conducted along busin£:;.J lines. That is a· sound axiom to be adopted.

::Yir. ::VIooRE: \Vhy did he not commence the pool on sound business lines?

Mr. FOLEY: He did. Although ''e have an accumulation of precious .stones, tho indEstr~v is in a much sounder position than 1 1any other industries in Queens! 'lld to-dav. The accumulated assets are a··.<cts tloat will be realisable at somo future date. Thev ntiount to somewhere in the virlnlt•.~ 0£ £60,000. A fr. w y<'ars ago the amount" sold year after veCJr in EuroDoan coun+:·i( -.! \vas ;nnch a bovc £60.000. I -am sorrv that the s~cretary for :L\iines is not hefc just .at present. I have d1scuc"~,cd with hi:n the ab"o~ Jnto need for a represcntati c of the GDYcrn­mrnt acting overseas in connection with the sale of sapphires produced in Quoewland . Some time ago \VC had JYir. Knowlcs as Govc·,·nment representative in London. Vvhile he was there there was an increase in the r:::ales. hut unfortunatol-v famihy matters compelled him to return to' Queen,·land. and s1nce then there has been no supervi~ion oYer the ftrm of Trefus Brothers, ·,1 ho wore tem­poraril:v appointed as agents. The result is that sales have gradually fallen off until during the last four months we have received no word of any sales. Consequently, we have no opportunity of assisting the miners on the sapphire field. It is very herd to say from here whether this firm which we havo apnointed as our sole agents is holding us up deliberately, or whether it is possible for some sales to be effected if an effnrt were made. The whole difficulty could be over­come by the Government arranging for Mr. Knowlcs to visit London again in an endeavour to check anv move that mav be made on the part of an3· agent that we have appointed to ere 1te a small monopoly for himself. rmd thereby limit the sale of sap­phires. thus reaping a big harvest in the way of inert ~1sed co1n1nission as a r8sult of increased prices to himself. I have discussod thi.< es>cct of the mbject with tho Secretary for Mines, and I think he recognises that it is utterly impossible to do business from Queensland by means of cabling the firm appointe-d DS sole agents in London.

Mr. MooRE: What about the Agent­General? Is he dead?

Mr. FOLEY: The hon. gentleman must recognise that the Agent-General is not in a position to devote t.he whole of his time to ne~otiations for the sale of sapphire;; with this firm. \Ye have used the Agent-General bv cable, and he has alwavs acted promptly in I'C'·pect of anything we have required him to do. The fact is that we require a man who knows something about the intricate business of selling sapphires. That man must have a knowledge o£ sapphires, in addition

111 r. 1i' oley.]

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92 Addmss in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

to a knowledge of the system in operation on the field producing them. He must also be a man who is able to reclassify sapphires when they arrive in London, in order that they may be prc,entable to the trade.

~Mr. M ORGAN: What about you taking up the job?

Mr. FOLEY: Had I the means to visit London and Europe, I would do so without any cost or charge to the miners or the Government. I would do so in order to get to the bottom of the matter. and find out whether it is possible to handle this question successfully or otherwise. I am not suggest­ing a trip to Europe or an appointment for myself, but I am suggesting that Mr. Knowles, who previously acted on behalf of the Government and did good work, should be sent overseas to act as a watch-dog, in an endeavour to evolve a system vvhereby we could successfully get rid of the total product of the Anakio sapphire field.

As a rco,ult of one or two interjections from the other side, I might mention that, a.lthough we haYe a debit to the Treasury in the vicinity of £60,000, which is represented by stocks of sapphires, we are in a much sounder position than many industries that are subsidised by the Federal Government, and in some instances bv the State Govern­ment. Let n1e give an iliustration. \Ve have a realisable asset, although for the time being, on account of the parlous state of Europe, it cannot be absorbed there. On the other hand, the cotton industry, to which hon. mcmhc ·s opposite are continually refer­ring- i 11 th0i r speeches, is being subsidised by this Government to the extent of £80,000 per annum, half of which amount I under­stand is paid by th•> Federal Government. ln other words, we give £40,000 to an industrr that has no hope of returning that money. On the other hand, with the sapphire industry 've have worked up to date on our merits, although at present we are in the unfortunate position that the market oYcrsu1s is rot too fayourable.

I wish ~o record my appreciation of the fact that mcluded in the proposed business of this session is a widov.s and orphans' pension scheme. It has bcf n generally recognised by hon. members that the old system of State aid has not worked as satis­factoril:~ as one \Vonld like, and. if the new Dill ""hen introduced is of a liberal nature and is not too st~ict in its application, it will pronde somethmg for our widows and orphans that has been badly needed for years. The Homo Secretary is to be con­gratulated upen forcing this matter before the Cabinet and oc~entually inducing them to adopt it.

\Vhilo on thi'3 subject I n'lay as w~~ll refer to the question of childhood endowment. During the election campaign, I, like many other l.o . mcmbo s. mentioned to my con­stituents the fact that the Government, if returned to power, would endeavour to intro­dnce a childhood endowment scheme. An e:ffort was made bv the last P<Lrliament to do something· along"' those lines. \Vhile recog­nising that it is impcssible for a Government to introduce ail its contmrrpiated measures in one se~s.ion and to proYide the necessary admin ish·q tion for those mea,ures, I hope this childhood er.dowmont scheme has not boon dropped. If the-re is one thing more than another that is needed for the average married worker in Queensland to compensate him for the extra responsibilities he has to

[illr. Foley.

carry, it is such a scheme. I understand that the late Chief Justice McCawloy had such views on this question that he was relucta:1t to increase the basic wage because he knew that everv increase he made gave a benefit to a section of the workers of the community which did not need that assistance as greatly as did the married section. I hope that during the -duration of this Parliament the Government will see their way clear to introduce some measure of childhood endow­ment, even though it may -be limited in its application.

Several hon. members opposite have inter­j ectad to various speakers . refer-ring to the proposed increase of salanes. Had It not been for those interjections it is probable the matter would have been left for dis­cussion until the proper time, when the measure was introduced to the House; but, as the question has been raised,_ I take this opportunity of stating very bnefly that It will have my whole-hearted support. Hon. members opposite have c_ondemned the rais­ing of salaries. I refer m particula1: to the hon. member for \Vide Bay, who said that, in view of the stat0 of our finances and also in view of the fart that the wage-earners required an increase more than. members of Parlia1nent he could not scP lus 'nty clear to Yote fm: thP measure. \Vhcn the basic wage proposal was before th~s. House t_hat hen. member voted in every divisiOn agamst thnt proposal. \Yhy take up an i~1sinccre attitude in this Chamber condcmmng the sucrrr("·tion to increase members' salaries. ~vhc

0

n, after the measure is passed, he vvill be one of the fi-rst to go along to the Treasurv and accept the increase? I claim that mernbers of this House haYe worked O!l a reduce,\ salarY too long. We have practi­cally br:c•n " scabbing" on ourselves throug_h not havinrr had the courage to deal With this question f;mg ago. It is all right for mem­bers of the Opposition-who make Parlia­ment a side line, having other busmesscs to which they give~ most of their attenti<_:m-to oppose such a measuTe.. As. a matter o~ fact. the attitude of the sectiOn that predommated in this Chamber for so many years was to keep down the salaries of members of Parliament in m·de1· to preyent repre­sentatives of the workers. entering Parlia­ment or prevent them being able to carry on if they we-re elected. I f?r _one haYo _ne a po]orrv to offer to anyone Inside or out ,,I de the CJ1amber for the "ttitude I mtend t.o take in supporting the measure when 1t comes before the House.

:\h. S\VA Y:\E (Jf irani) : I quite ympathis; with the hen. member .who has

ju>t resumed h•s seat when he deplores the bet that so many Government supporters have had to get up and speak on th1s ques­tion. A more misleading statement as to. the dfairs of our State could hardly be conceived th.m that which appears in the Speech that hi.' adviocrs put in the hands of ~hs Excel­kncv o:1 the opening day of Parliament. _I am "sure that, if we could have read Hrs Excellency's thoughts. it would b(: found that hJ himself felt sorn for the advisers he has at the present tim(,: It must be remembered that the great needs of Queensland to-day aro more people nnd more nloney-popula­tion and capital. Is there' a sing~c ite'? in that Speech that will tend to brmg 01ther canital or people to this St~te? vV c know that wo have one of the riChest countnes en the face of the earth to govern, yet at the

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Address in Reply, [4 AUGUST.] Address in Reply. 93

,present time unemployment is more rife than ever it has been before. T.hat one fact alone is sufficient to condemn the Government. I do not intend to read figures on this occa­sion. as I think the debate on the Financial Statement is a 1norc appropriate time, but there ;s one set of figures that I do think ohould bo brought under the notice of the people of our State-that is, the value of pro­-duction per head of the population in the different States in the years 1914 and 1924. We have to remember that all the money we rcauire for daily circulation, to pay inte•rest ·on· our debts, and for the ultimate payment of those debts, has to come out of production. I find that for the year 1914 Queensland topped the list in regard to production per head of population with £56.24, the average of all the States in that year being £42.22. In other words, Queensland occupied the premier position in 1914, producin« more value per head of population by £14.02 ab?ve the average for the Commonwealth. Commg to 1924. after this Government had been in powc1· ·for nearly ten years, we find that Queensland had fallen from the premier posi­tion to the lowest position. The average value of production in that year was £1.35 below the average value of the production ·of .~ustralia per head of population. I do not want to labour the subject, but I do not think there could be anything more impor­tctnt than that to show the position that Queensla.nd .has been brought to under the present regime.

The SECRETAHY FOR PcBLIC .WORKS: Did you read the table of imports and exports published in the '·Daily Mail" thi3 morning?

Mr. SW A YNE: If we take the speeches delivered by hon. members opposite, we tind they have nothing in them to indicate any possibility of improvement under the present control. They arc simply one long tirade against hon. members of the Opposition.

I noticed that, when th0 Premier was speak­ing, he was very severe in his remark3 about not making- any allusions to the past. He does not like any references to past rf'cords. I can quite understand that, after h<eving- been elm·cn years in office, the pre­sent Administration do not like any refer­<·nce to pa-,t actions on their part. To l"e the words of the Premier, we should let the past be done with and start afresh. But '' must remember that the past is the fore­cast of the future, and that history repeats itself.

The SECRETARY FOR PuBLIC \VORKS: That is the c "e with the Opposition all right.

Mr. SWAYNE: It forecasts insolvency if you remain in office. The people of Queens­land in judging the administration must take into consideration their faults. I do not wish to labour this questJon, as there will be other opportunities during the sej~ion to discuss it. and th ·re are other items I wish to speak on during- the limited time at my disposaL

Referring t<J the aspersions cast on the Opposition by hon. members opposite, I would like the public to consider how much better off Queensland would have been to­day if the party sitting on this side of the House were sitting on the opposite side to-da:;·. as it rightlv should be. We must rememb!'r that. taking the last election fig-ures in the aggregate, we had a majority of 2,000 votes, e,nd calculations made by the hon. member for Normanby show that, if 1.000 votes had been distributed over eight

electorates-an average of 125 votes per electorate-eight more seats would have been won bv u~ and our party would have been in power. I am rather surprised at ~he audacity of hon. members opposrte clarmmg any credit in winning these electorates, when \V8 remember the gerrymandering of electo­rates that has taken p!ltee during their term of office. The figures given by the hon. member for Normanby 'ne worthy of con­siJeration. I mention these facts to show that it "ould be just as wc!I for hon. mem­bers opposit0 to keep quiet with reference to the resLJlts of the last election.

The Southern European question has cropped up during this debate, and one hon. member opposite referred to me personally as having been concerned in it, and the Premier also made reference to me. I am

sorry that the hon. gentleman is [3 p.m.] not in his place this afternoon,

in order that he might hear what I have to say as to the introduction of th0se Southern Europeans and remind him of what members of his own party have said. Cant and hypocrisy characterise the attit-ude of the present Government on this question. An hon. member referred to me as one of the fomenters of the trouble. Anyone who says that I fomented that trouble is guilty of a falsehood. Such a state­ment is absurd and silly on the face of it.

The SECRETARY FOR PuBLIC WORKS: Have you not been " sooling" on the farmers up there?

Mr. S\Y A YNE: T~1e trouble arose in a quarter with which I do not think I can be accused of being in any way connected-the Australian ·workers' Union. By way of illustration of what I have said as to members of the party opposite being guilty of cant and hypocrisy on this matter, I am going to quote what they said last year. Evidently some members opposite have since gone cold on the question.

Mr. HYNES: You blow hot and cold always. :\Jr. SWAYNE: I think I am perfectly in

order in quoting an extract from " Hansard" of last ses·sion. On page 43, I find that the hon. member for Gregory said-

" Everybody knows that for the last twelve or eighteen months there has heen a veritable deluge of aliens into Queensland. No effort had been made by the Federal Government, which has complde control over all immigration to check that flow.

"Mr. Brand: There has. "Mr. Pollock: Not until the Queens·

land Labour Government entered its very vigorous protest against these aliens being allowed to land here indis­criminately and in such large numbers.

" Mr. Brand: When did they do that? "Mr. Pollock: On at least three oca-

sions." Later on the hon. member quotod the fol­lowing extract from the report of the Royal Commission on the subject-

" The Commonwealth Publicity Depart­ment advises that the number of Italian and Greek immigrants to Australia during the thirty years prior to 1901 averaged 150 per annum, a:nd that at 30th NoYcmber l<tst this rate had increased to 6,854 per annum. There has since been a still greater annual increase. The figures show that during the three and a-half years ended March,

Mr. S'wayne.]

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9t Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Add:e& in Reply.

192b. the immigration to Australia of Italians and Greeks has been greater than at any period during the last forty ye...t.rs."

The hon. member was evidently strongly averse to any introduction of these Italians.

The hon. member for South Brisbane said on the same question-

" I desire now to deal with the ques­tion ot i1nmigration from Southern £.:uropo. It is quite true, as tho hon. Inc1nbcr for Gregory has stated, .that hundreds of them have entramed JLriodicallv for thP northern part of Quc'nshnci. It appears that with every shinn1c:nt of Italians on every o-ccasion a hundred or so are dropped off at Fro· mant>, a hundred at Adelaide, another Hll'alwr at Mc}bournc, and another nurnber at Sydney, and thc~v are spread nll ov,.r the Commonwealth. But tho grC'~test agt;regation is in North Queens­land."

Further en he said-•· The apologists for the Federal Go­

Ycrnucnt s~v th'-~t the Eedernl Govern­utcnt acceptv no responsibility for this grent i11fi. x of Southern Europeans: I bcLcve thrd the Com1nonvvealth Govcrn­lr,cnt h~tvc connived at the arrival of tlwce nc,Ycomcrs bv hundreds in boat after boat." "

Ho u ,~cl the word " connived " as if the CornnlOU\Yealth Govern1nent -~\ere guilty of son1c n1aJpractice.

J notice that the P1·emier is here now, and I a1n YC:l'Y pleased that ho is. Speaking on the Addrc"" in Reply last year and deal­ing with the alien qup,tion in Que·ensland, I said-

. . . I do not think that it is a good thing, and I object to thon1 congregating in unduly largo numbers in the sugar industry. It seems to me tha~ all hope of gettiug a continuation of the tre;ctment we arc at present experiencing from the South will be largely minimised if the ~ugar indu~try is allowed to get in:o the hands of one class of alien owners."

I never for one moment proposed that the Italians who had alreadv inv-ested in the indu try should be interfered with in the slighte;t degree. I have all along spoken as much for their benefit as for the benefit of any one else. Hon. members opposite have become alarmed at the influx, but they were not game to deal with the matter at the time that it was dealt with. The ex~Premier, Mr. Thcodor·e, when speaking in Townsville on this quc'3tjon said-

" The difficulty was not that the Italians were coming in, but that there was a tendency for them to centre in ono di ··trict."

That is exactly what I s.aid. I pointed out that trouble had already arisen in the South .J ohnstone clistrict. I mentioned the matter before it became serious in my own electo~ rate. In opder to prove that hon. members opposite blow hot and cold and are pure opportuJCie·'., in connection with this matter, I wouJ.d like to quote the hon. membnr for Hcrbert. I am quoting from a circular which ho iesued at ·an election time. which circular was published in the Mackay "Mercury" of 7th May. The circular was printed in Italian. and was translated and published in the Mackay paper. It says-

[Mr. Swayne.

'·' The election of a representative ";o the Queen2land Parliament for this dis~ trict--Hcrbert-of which you are a voter will be held on 8th May, 1926. Your polling-booth will be at the State scl:ool at JYiorsdey. The present rcpr·osentatJVe, Percv Pease is a member of 'the Labour Govc~rntnent_:_tho present Government­which has done a gr·Cat deal of good, in fact cvcr2. thing for the sugar industry and fur the district generally."

I ' ill let that ~o at present. I ha;-e often pxpluded that b; ,,t. The circular continues-

" Pcrcv Pease has ahYa~Ys br;.en a good JnJn anti has alwavs wished to act for tho bcndit of the fta1ian.'! and in consc~ ouoncc of this has bean attacked by the l~c~· r;pqprr· and h;,J OPllC1cllt party '':hen he arranged that It~dians shou~d be g1ven. \York on the Oovern1ncnt rn1l•say~; and other Govcrnn1crrt ·work-:<, and those p:1p0rs hAYC beer:- against Per~,Y~ Pease. t.·_tlling th2 Ital;ans 'th~ ch11ard1 of Pease'."

Tl-:_C' cx-Pr('n1i0r. J.~r. G-illiPS 1 1nadc rofer­f'11CC to thi~ n•[1.ttcr Juring tlv~ recent Xow SoEth \Yalf:'s clc:-tlons :-

" I brLYC rrh·r~acl:v. on Saturday last" ,.-irecl to the Prime l\Iini,;tcr in the fol­lowlno; tcrrn:-: :-'In re the rccPnt influx of ali.Pn- into North Queenslan-d, I desire to c ,ll vonr in1mcdiate attention to the presg stRtcmcnts--that a \':rrrds arn being_ C'Yadcd bv m, thods difficult to deal ·with.'" V

Then, again, spe~1killg ut Tv.T~<~d I-Iea.ds, J.\r_'fr. Cillies is reported to have sard-

" The Labour party fayourcd ~n:.migra­tion of the right class. but obJected to the floodin<r of the counh·y ,vith the scum o·~ Europc.j-)

Mr. Gillic' at the time of making that state~ ment '"·as PrPmier <tr.d leader of the Labour party. He spoke of these in1migra~ts a_s thE' "scun1 of Europe." Xow, \vho 1s nght? !l1r. Gillics. on th<' on<' hand, speaks of them as the " ~cun1 of Europe." and at the same time the hon. mc·mber for Herbert speaks of them as " the children of Th1:r. Pease." Am I not perfcctlv justified in describing the atti~ tude of the Go,·ernment party on this subject as cant and hypocrisy?

The SECRET.\RY FOR PuBLIC 'NaRKS: Terrible ! Horrible !

Mr. SlY A YNE: I have never advocated that those Italians who arc alreadv in the industry should be interfered with. "Further~ more, I can say that many people of this nrttionality arc most desirable settlers. and are quite an acquisition to Queensland and should be encouraged, but at the same time it is for the good of the industry and those Italictns who are alreadv engaged in it that no further number shouid enter the industry at the present time. There are many other avenues through which they can be absorbed, and if statesmen wore at the head of our affairs, pwfitable enterprises apart from the sugar industry could be opened to absorb them. I have taken a much broader view on this question than the mere matter of sugar prices. As I have already said, the effect of the industry falling entirely into the hands of one section o-f foreigners would be the '·cry first weapon that our opponents in the South who nave advocated a reduction in the price of sugar could use for the aboli­tion of the embargo or special protection afforded ouT sugar prod'uct.

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Address in Reply. [4 AimtrsT.] Address 1:n Reply. 95

There is a bigger question than that im·oh-c>cl. VI' o muot remember that the best clefcnrc of Australia lies in peopling North c;ue~'nsiacd ,,.ith onr own kith and kin: That part of Anstrolia is frequently descnbed as the dang-er S'>OL It is therefore highly neccs­~ar~7 to r:ormlate those parts with Aus.tral_ians or Br!tisher~, nnd 've are perfectly Jnshfied in holding the oninion that it is better for thG State to h:Fo that exposed portio'1 of the Commonwealth JWoplC'd by our countrym~n; and 1 do not think anv reasonable Itahan ''"m ~cl oh]cct to such a st'and on this question.

The Premier was good 02eough yesterday to cast doubts upon my truthfulness "·ith respect to a Quotation that I had tbed from a le-tter I rcroivod from the Prime Minister. It is qnit0 no: oible that the hon. gentleman in l!lctking- th:tt chnr.g(' \\'"!1s si1nply measurin~ other pf oplc'.s corn b: his o\vn bushel.

Th" 8'CCR~T.IRY rOR PrBLIC \VORKS: Read the whole letter.

:'\Ir. SWAY.:\'E: I went to ha Ye a friendh' talk wiih the Premier. The hon. gentleman reprrsent-; a rllstriet similar to 111ine. and I dcc,ircd to t,olk the matter oYer with him and see if _)_l1f' so:ution could not bo foun-cl. I no,,- know that the hon. gentleman has made rdcrenco to that letter. Had he asked 1n0 thPn. l w.ou]d han) given him a ropv. Why did he not take that action in~te" •1 of coming forward publicly and mt:"rcl~r rnaking it an oppori"ur.ity to insinuat~ ccrt-.in thi1 :,-c' I felt dceph· on this 3nbject. I a1:1 1n the sugar industry myself, and could ;.ec i"h0 t: onl~lo that was going to arise. I could al:-o appreciate the international com­nlications thnt ·,'"fTe likci,_ to arise. I am quite prepared tcJ admit that I am not infolliblc, bHt I did tt>ink that the matter might have h00n mnicably di:-('nssrd between the hon. f':entlrman and myself, and I would have be0n quite ready to listen to any sug­gestion frorn the hn11, gentlernan that was calculated to adju t the matter. This is the letter-

" Melbourne, 23rd March, 1926. "Dear JYir. Svi,rayne,-I am in receipt

of ,\'OUr letter of the 12th rith regard to the number of Italians settled in the sugar districts of Queensland.

" I quite r<'alisc the point of view of those who feel somewhat strongly on this matter, but it is difficult to sec how the Commomvoalth can do rnoro than it has already done. If any action is to be taken tD prevent the concentration of individuals of any nationality in parti­cular in the State of Queensland, that is really a rna tter for the Queensland Gove-rn111ont."

The PREMIER : Read on.

Mr. SWAYNE: That is all I quoted. The Prime Minister goes on to say-

" However, on the general question of the emigration of Italians to Australia, r enolase herewith a statement recently made indicating the steps which we have taken to control the flow and the results which haYe accrued. This statement, I think, sets out the Commonwealth's atti­tude quite clearly, and shows that we have done everything in our power to deal with the situation."

The PREMIER: Read your reply.

Mr. SWAYNE: I did not inte-rrupt the hon. gentleman when he spoke. The state­ment forwarded to me by the Prime Minister of Australia shows that for some time pre-

viousl v these people came in at the rate of 1.000 ·during a certain period, and that, owing to the steps taken by tho Common­wealth Governme-nt, that 4.000 was reduced' to 1,400 in a corresponding period.

Mr. HYNES: \Vas that 1oot at the reques~ of this Government?

l\ir. SWAY)JE: No. Does that not show t'mt the Commom.'e:Jth Government were< taking some st"ps in the matter? Can the Premier of Qucenshnd show that he or any of his l\finistors took any 'tops m that direction?

Thn lJRE~IIER: The 0uer:ns1and Governn1ent ask0d the Comnconwcalth Govcrnm0nt to take those steps. The Italian Consul-General admits that.

:'llr. S'vYAY:\'E: Oh' The hon. gentleman doubt0d my -,· ord-1 might return the compliment-I need not say any . more. On 26th July a '"'"''tmg ,..,s held m the A u~trulian \Vorkcrs' Gnion roo1ns at nlack::ty at 1Vhich Yar!OUS bodies \V8YO p_re­sent, and "tccm·ding to the report whiCh ap:1eared in the press, Delegate Fallon monod und Delegate Cnmmmgs seconded the follo\;ving resolution:-

"That in view of the fact that tho social and ceonomie effect of the Southern F.uronean influx is likely to prove dis­astro~l--' to a large proporti0!1 of the State and the sng r iudu~·tty in particu­~ar, this rncetin."" circulari:3c the various public bodies of- the district. 2.ski~g th~t th•·y send delcgat•:., to c01_1fer w1th tlns body --~ t an c·· rly clutf.\ 'Ylth a Yl ·3W to Ior~ing an orga:::1" :1tion to resist the Southern European itlvtt~;ion and· to pro­tect the interest, of all pm·ti0s CO!l· f'Cl'rlCd.''

In carrying out thi, resistance, strikes took p]ac-: n't L<..:rtai.n sugar-mills, and a great deal of loss was incurred b.v Italians ·who had Jc-;ally 8.C'1_1Uired farn1s in the dis!r_ict., a!1d "ho had the full rights of c1tlzenslup. l~othin.e 1norc i-s required t,J dcn1onstrate the childichnecs of the absurd attitude the Promio· hrrs taken up in this connection when he caid there wcs a comoection between Ddcga t£> Fall on and myself, particularly ,.-hen it is remembered that Delegate Fallon is the crgamser of the Australian \IVorkers' lTnion ia my 0lector,:1e, and a gcntle1nan ·yrho opposed. n1y (lection by every 1neans in his powC'r.

::Ur. PEASE: You nearly lost your seal p, t0o.

Mr. SW AYNE: Despite the efforts of Delegate Fallon and the efforts of the Secre­hry for AgricuJture. who also came to my eloctorato-I think he did mo good-I more tlmn doubled my majority. and I do not think any member on the other side can say that. Ivl:ost. of their maj{)r.ities were very ]o rgelv reduced. HmY<'Yer, as a result of that action, certain mills wore hold up, and, in doq]ing with the strike at Plane Creek, according to the report in the local press, the industrial magistrate said-

" The position v:as an unfortunate one. Ho found that the men were not legally right in refusing to work on 23rd June, and he ordered that they return to work and that the mill re,ume operations:"

The industrial magistrate found that the men were not leg~lly right in refusing to crush cane grown on Italian farms ; yet this Government, who, now that the Consul­General for Italy is here, are so solicitous of

Mr. Swayne.l

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\Hi Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

dcing something for the Italians, did nothing at the time, although it was pointed out by one of their own magistrates as far back as Julv that the action of the workers was illegal. I have a letter from Mr. Chataway, who. I think, is the sccrdary of the local Labour party, and I think I am also right in saying that he was secretary to Mr. Forgan Smith's election committee. There is silence vn the other side, w I think I am right. Mr. Chataway sent mo a letter dated 30th June, 1926, on the subject, convoying certain resolutions of his. Ho says-

" At the conference delegates ex­pressed themselves in such a manner that it is absolutely necessary that some­thing will have to be done in the near future to amend the present position in the sugar industry caused by the influx of Southern Europeans."

So you have leading lights in the party exprr>osing all these diverse opinions. If 1 had time, I could quote further at some length to show the absurd posi~ion members on the other side have got themselves into through trying to blow hot and blow cold :at the same time. The quotations I have made simply expose the party opposite as being pure opportunists who are trying to get the vote, of the Italians who arc on the roll, and at the same time trying to get the votes of people in other electorates where there is opposition to a large influx. Those are their tactics right throug·h. This is a letter which I wrote to the public pr0ss, rrnd which de­fines my position-

,, In a recent issue you reported a meeting held in Mackay, afterwards dealing with it in an editorial, called for tho purpose of considering the matter of the Scuthern European influx to ~he sugar districts of North Queensland, and to devise means for safeguarding the Mackay sugar district from being over­run by aliens."

·what caus"d me to do this was that I saw that serious trouble would arise in the sugar industry, and I had nu\ed prior to the last Federal election that the Labour party in trying to get into power wore using this question to the political prejudice of the 2'-rationai-Country party which holds the reins of office in the Commonwealth Parlia­ment. All through the cndoavonr of the Labour party was to try to get votes for themselves and damage their opponents on this subject. They never had a thought for the welfare of the Sbtc and Commomyealth or as to the international relationships of .\ustralia with other countries. The letter f'ontinucd-

" As usual in this matter some of those present used the occasion for an attempt to score politically off the Bruce-Page Fedora! Govnnmcnt, strongly protesting against their lax immigrntion policy, as if the blame lay with that. It was quite ignored that the GoYernment in que,tion had already by their action in this matter reduced Italian immigration to Australia from the number of 4,000 to 1,400 during a corresponding period, and this within two years, and the ques· tion aris.es does the res' of Australia desire anything more than that? There is no getting away from the fact that for Australia, with its sparse population of, roughly, 6,000,000, to hold a continent against the rapidly increasing population that is becoming so acutely apparent in

f Mr. Swaync.

neighbouring Pacific regions, urgently needs a larger European population, preferably British or Nordic but, failing a sufficiency of them, then those re­ferred to at the me3ting in question are civilised, and Europeans, and as r·egards the Italians they have in many ins·tances shown themselves splendid settler,, and in many portions of the Commonwealth would. be a distinct acquisition.

"unfortunately they are flocking to the sugar districts in such numbers, as in its peculiar circumstances ·~o become a danger to it anci -all connected, including them­selves. This is the phase of the subject that concerns us and is all that we need concern ourselves about. To deal with it does not require any action at all on the part of the Commonwealth. If the State GoYcrnment had the conrage to do their duty, they already have statu­tory power under the Sugar Cultivation Act of 1913 to prevent any more Southern Europeans from entering this industry in any ea pacity. This I ha vc pointed out re pea tc·dly in the past and have been met with personal abuse because it prevented political capital horn their partisan' for daring to emphasis·e what is but a simple fact. also various flimsy excuses are made b:r the same people for the inactivitics of their political idols in this matter. One i,·, that a regulation under the Act precludes its application to Italians. Quite true, such a regulation was made some months after the Act was passed, but if ·the present Government consider that it prevents them from taking any action that public intcre•,ts require there is nothing to pr·event them from rescind­ing this regulation within five minutes at any of the Cabinet meetings. Then, it is urged, that international complications would be caused if the State Government so exercised their powers, as if the F"deral action. ·that these same people almost in the same breath urge, should be taken, would not be far more likely to bring about such a r·esult,

" Ho'wew1·. being interested in the industry, and therefore. in any factor likelv to require it. I thought it advisable to \vrite to Mr. Bruco, the Prime Minister, for his opinion on the subject, as it must be apparent to any thinking person that as he is the person who first of all in Australia would have to sta11d the brunt of anv difficulties with overseas countries that action on our part might bring about, that also his opinion on this point would be the most authorita­tive. In rep!)· to my inquirv on the subject in a, J.ottcr dated ]\>larch 23rd of this ::ear (I may say I have explained the position fully in it). he mak':'s t~e following statement:-' If any actiOn 12

to be taken to prevent the concentration of individuals of any nationality in par­ticular arcJs in the State of Queensland it is really a matter for the Queensland Government.' This clearly shows the State Government has the fullest powers to deal with questions so far as the sugar districts are conccrne·d. and therefore, the best course for the A.W.U. and others concerned is to do their utmost in compelling Mr. McCormack's par~y to do whatever is ·desirable in the matter. At anv rate it will be realised that it does not require Fed.eral action.''

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l 3.30 p.rn.] The SPEAKEB: Order: The hon. mmn­

ber ought to know that reading long cxtraC'ts such as hf' i::: no\v doing is qu1te out of order. and I ask hi1n to refrain. I hope the hoi1. member >Yill not. abuse the J.,titucle that is allowed in thnt direction.

Mr .. S\VAYXE: I >Yas replyiug to the Premwr. who read extracts, and I thoug·ht I would bo in order in quoting this.

The SPEAKER: The hon. m<•mbcr ought. to knoy"· that he i~ not justified in reading· such length.-· extracts.

Mr. S\\-AYNE: ::\'ow I proi1ose to read something from the report of the Commis­sion appointed by the Goyernmcnt to inves­tigate the question.

The SPEAKER : The hon. member will he in order in quoting relevant extracts, but his speech must not consist wholly of extract'.

Mr. SW A Y='IE: I in ten~! to read some short extracts from the report of the Royal Commission appointed by the Goyernment to inquire into the question, and in doing so I may say that, in view of what has trans­pired, the monPy spent on that commission appears to have ·been wasted. I find that Mr. Ferry said-

" The general opmion is that tho ='iorthNn Italian is " vorv desirable class of immig-rant. He is thrifh and indus­trim.tR. lavY-abiding, and honest in his businesR transactions. Those arriYing in the past haYe generally been trained agriculturists--''

and so on; and a representative of the Austndian \Vorkers' Union gave this evidence regarding the Italian standard of living-

,, I haYP had nHtnv a lnL•al "Tith the Italian cutters. and, although his class of food is not tlw sanw as our, tlw Italian worker lives >Yell. '!'here is plenty of f0od on his tnble. I take it his standard of 1iYill~ ]-, H3 high n . .:: the British. Son1c of 1 he houses of thr~ Italinns are Yl?rv nirt' Of colu;;:e, ."iOlne of i11o hou-=..cs ~£ t hP JH~W seU]Prs ar~ pretty roup;h. Some Britishers hav0 to rourrh it until thPY get on their feet. Tlw\·e is no doubt ·tJ,;t th~ Italian live; well. I "onld sav thai· th0 standard of living of 1hc It.aJinn after h0 has bcNl out an.v lcn.gth of tirn(' will <:ompare fnvournblv with Jhat of tho BritiJ1. but the stanrl~n·d o: living of rPCC'Itt arrivcds is VC1'~' lO\V."

The SPF.\KRR.: Order~ Th~' hon. 1nrm­b0r hae exhausted the time nliowed him undrr the Standing Ordrrs.

Mr. HYNES (1'ownsviUc): I desire to preface my Rpcech \vith congratulation,, to the mover and seconder of the motion which is now before the I-louse. The excellent rtnality of J he speeches deli.-ered by those gf'ntlcmcn goes to sho-.Y that j hcv will b« decided acquisitions to tlw debati,,,;. strength of this Charn ber. o

ThP hon. member who has just resumed his scat has on the Italian question adopt0d the same h:rpocritical and ,-acillating atti­tude that he adopts on all contentious ques-tions affecting his electorate. -

The SPEAKgR : Order ! Order ! Yrr. HYNES; In 1916 I was in the

Macka.y district and in the electorate of the

1926-H

97

hon. member organising for the A.~V.C., and I knorv" of 111y own kno,vlodge that, when tlw Dickson Aware! >Yas cleli,-ered, the hon_ 1nc1nber, with the assistance of l\lr. Dulworth. s•_;crctary of the l:nitc'd Cane­growers' Ass.ociation at that tinH\ fo1nented u strike again:-t the a\Yard of the court.

}Ir. SWAYXE: That is not true. J\Ir. HYXES : I have heard the ho:1. mcrn­

<JCI' blow hot and cold in connection with llldustrial quc,tions in his diotrict also. The s1 atcmeuts which have been made by the hon. metnber this afternoon have left me quite befogg<'<l. I really do not know, and I clo not think an v other hon. member knows, where he stands" on the question with which he was dealing· during the whole of his speech. Is thee hon. member in favolll· of lPasing land to Southern Europeans. or is he tcot" I ,heard him speak for forty minutes, and I am unable now to sa• what is the atti­tude of the hon. member" on this question which is agitating the minds, not only of the industrialists in his district, but of th(} business community and the farming com­munitv as 1vcll. The hon. member referred 1o certain confer<'nces that were held, but he >Yas careful not to disclose the fact that the whole of the community in the Mackay and ~1irani districts was represented at those con­ftorenccs. We find that the local bodic:s­the Mackay Town Council, the farmers' H'ganisations, and other local bodies-as well as the itHlnstria 1 nnions took part in these ~·or~ferPncc,;;, Lut the hon. 111en1ber endea­courcd to mislead the House into believing that it was onlv the Australian ~Vorkers' Cnion members ·who wore reallv concerned "bout tlw infhn: of Southern Europeans into the i\lacka\· district. The hon. member stated that nnder the Leases to Alicu9 Restl'iction Ac:t, the Government had power io dPhar Italians or Southern Europeans from holding land. Th0 hon. member, as an old p<lrliauJr<ntarian and a 1nernbcr of this House whl'll that le,!!'if"lation \VRR cnncted. knov\·'S th~t then• is no po\;e!' ur-dcr the Act to de \\-hat lJP :--U~!·gcst·-,

~lr. S\v.L~:\T: Of col!l'S'"', thf're i:::.

:'Jr. HY~ES: Cnder the Act. thcr•? was a JT'ittlatiou introduced at the bc:J('~t of the l hen U OY('l'llOl' of (ruccnsland, Sir \VilJian1 ~facGn'gor. \\·hich f-nbscqucutl.v was incorpo­r:;trd in the Act \cith the approya] of the (]oYc·rnmrnt of \Yhieh tht• hon. uernbcr fot~ 7\hLnli wn ~ a .· 1pr;orh'l', ~pccially cxc1npting Tt1lirrm from the ''!>''rations of that Act. Tlu• lw~1. rncmb(. knc\v that. nnd hA dc·:ibcratcl., rrttc'mpted to miskud the Home aPd ~he pc'opk out:>ide.

ThP SPEAI\:ER: OnJPr: Tht' hon. TrlPm­lwr j~ not in (1rtkr in faying that < nothf'r h~n. 1ncmb0~ i~ <-klibcrarel:\- attl~lllpt.iug to n11sh~ad the 1-lon-C'.

Mr. HY~F:S: Tlw hon. member ma.Y be .'-uffcring frou1 a. lap~'-'· nf n1cnory, anr1 I will gin' him tho b:·ncfit of the doubt. The hon. Inenlber stood 1JChind thnt Govcrnnv'1l1·, and no donbt a.Rsi..;t d the Co..-ernmcn~ in pns~ing legislaiion \YhiC'h sp ,•ially f'X<'n1pt(·d Italians and pc0nle hailing fro1n th0 dcpcn­rl<,ncics of Italv from th0 opcretiors of Jhat l0gislation. The hon. nwm!Jer mad0 st.ate­rrwnts t.hroughout 2\Jorth Qur<'Y>sland simila1· to tho 'tatement he made hc're to-claY. I have sonw fir:<t-hand information in cOnnec­tion ·with the influx of South()rn Enroncans into the ::::ugar industry. Fot 1nanv y( l r~ I ,,~tts organising for th8 Australian ·\'\7orkorB~

J..lr. Hynrs.]

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'98 Adrlress in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.]

Cnion iu the sugar industry, and dLlring that timc, iL"i well as before, organising for the union in my humble way, I did something to build !1]5 the existing conditions which arc Pnjoyed by the sugar-worker, in the sugar industry in Queensland. \V,lJcn one realisE'S the conditions that obtained ,-cars ago in the sugal~ industry, and knO"\V!' the sacrificC':-; on the part of the workers. thL'ir hUl'd fights. and how thcv starved in >trikc cam]Js befon' they were able to enjoy the conditions they art' enjoying to-day, i~ it any \YOnder that. 1 he.v are- drtcrn1in0d jr-alon::.ly to preserYe thC'ir conditions·: The worter~ in the sugar industry arc afraid to-da1· that if tlwro is a L;.;s inffux: of aliens fron1 othPr countri --.:.. into their particular lndn:-.try. \vhi('h i~ ot~c of th:' 11103t highly protectrd indn •trit'S i ~1 A us ra1ia, there i::; graYC daiJgf'r of ihrn1 l'f'Yl'rti, ~ to th0 rottC'n econornic industrial conditioi,R that obtained in the sug·ar indu~try prier to Labour co1ning into power. or prier io tlw :\Iacnaughton A ware[ of 1914. l • i.;h to clircct t.he ::tttC'ntion of ih0 Hou'3e tn th' cnndjtion'­that oLtainPd in th,-.. sugar industr\' in thl" days I speak of. At :-Jorth Eton milL on<' of the sntrar-rnills in the c!<'cto:'atP of the hon. rneruber who has just n -,um0d hi:;; s.eat, !"hero V\Pre sixty DlPH sleeping in onP dornli­tnry which \\HS morP like thr· Blade Hole of { 'aicutla than a human hnbitat'o"- Thew \Yas no P'iPillpt at s t11itation. and tnen~ as a consequc·ncc, died from typhoid fever like rotten sheep. The wages at that time were £1 2s. 6d. per week for a oixt,· OJ' sixt,·.six hour w0ck. Those were the conditions which nperatcd in the district of the bon. noember Jll'ior to Labour a"uming pow<'r in 1915.

'I'hP workers, bv their ~acrific0~ in ihe indmtrial fields, fi~· the hard fighi which they have put up, and by tlw .assistance of a sympathetic Labour Go;-ern:nent. have been cnabied to impro;-o those eonditions until to-da v tho condition:-1 of t.lu: sugar workers are equal to, if not bctt<'r than. the conditions in anv other ·industry in Qu0onsland. That is · thP l'(~a~on wb}: tlw workers arc so jeah usly attcrnpting· to gua.rd those conditions. The whole of the workers 1~1 tho sugar areas in tho ~1ackay di::-trict are c :lYered bv an a ward of t lw <'Ourt. l'eopk who on1plOy labour are C'Ornpollcd to obsofyc ! he ronditicn~ and rate~ of \\'age's laicl do\vn b- that av.'anl. but th:J~C' ronditiOllS can bC' ,.;-oidr'cl by people doing their own work 011 their own farms. \Ye fmd that ,l!!'OU[ls of Italians aw..l SouthPrn Eur( .. pCMlS haYe pro­f'('·cdcd to the Rugar areas, and, be-ing unable to find enlp!o~-~nent as cinpluyc .. -.s under thP :1 ard, are br-ing exploited L.\- unsrrupulou,; Uritisho1' er Au~.-t.l'i1liau."3 who ov;n sugar lands takiJJ.'1,' adY~intagP cf tlwlr ignoranrt~ nnd their pitiable plight. The:; make bogu< ·-;tlcs of fanns to these poop](~, and lhn~ gf't the1n to vnrk undrr lower liriug standard::; 1 han. an' f'rjo;:ed b~· t1Ic oth·, inJustrialist:s in the- indu~t~·.". The Pn'Lli0r gave so·t1H' . specific inst._·uce,c.: of how tlte schcnw wa~ ~· orkiug iu the ~Iackay di:;:trict. 1 crtusecl R <...l'arch to be tnad12 in the Suprcn1e Court at ToY.'HSYille. and I, have in nty p~)~~c;.sjon t·opies of Y8r1ous ap;rcerr~ents cnler('cl into b~­] talian~ with people v;ho arc selling their ---ngar lands i<J them under IYbat I 1uight term extortionate rates. I wili not weary the House b:-· dealing with some of those agree­nlents, as they are on a si211ilar f-ooting to those cited bv the Premier. \Ye find that one farm \Yas sold to these people by Mr. John Tandy. Now, J\Ir. Tandy i'-> a farmer living in t-he electorate of the hon. member

[Mr. Hynes.

for :Yiiraui, and mnwd the farm over which the lirst dispute occurred at Plane Creek mill in connection \Yith the refusal of millworkers to hallcl!t' tlw cane harvested from that farn1.

:VIr. KEr.~o: \Y<•I'f' tho3c rnen naturali~cd?

:\Ir. PnsE: ::\o.

l\fr. HYXES: I loch•\-e it is uot ncre>sary for th01u to becon10 naturalised. I could not sav \\'llethcr tlH-'"',' Wf'l'P naturalised. bur thPy ,~.l'rP l'ecent arl·ivah in the district ..

~i r. KIKG: How could they acquire free­lnld land if tlw.\· an~ 11ot naturalised'(

}~r. PE.\SE It i~ not- ncccso:;ar~~ to h · tl<l tur.1l-i;;:.Ptl.

.:\1,·. Kr:-:c: It is.

::It·. IIY~IE:-s: Fro.n wl1at I t·'in gath(·l·. and ft'O!ll n1y own pr~r~onal knoT~v1cdgp,, Cll~~ o1· t\VO of these n1cn sign an agrorm1ent, n.nd irmnccliatdy the agreement is oxccutod n iitt:c l'I'O'H! of thc~t' TJP\\' arriyab ar ... , secH

doing the: work ou the far.n. On Tandy'...; fa1 11 tlw YC!Jdor \".;as Tandy and the pur­dnl~Cl' P·~r( tto Ahsauder:). The agreerue -_t for sale was for portion 653. parish of l-1.-'ctor. \\-ith fnrrning i1nplcment", also good:--. cha!tPls, alld effects. three cattle. and t0ll ilC·ad of hm.''''· The price of the farm was £4,C01 awJ interc~t. r:l'hc interest on all such agrf'L'rncnt:-' is ncYt'r L ~s than 7 pcl' cent. I found 011 n1aking further inquiry that a short time before Mr. Tandy had placed th0 value of £2.900 on his farm. and ol<l rP:-idcnts arouud tlH' Plane CrPek district ;,aid that was cdtog·ethcr too high, and that tlw farm \Y11' net worth it. Subsequent!:-· Tandv harvcs(ccl and sold £700 worth of t•an' -fro.Jt the farm, and then sold the farm to this group of halians for £4,000. 1'hat meart' t!rat lw asked from th(' Italians. ill addition to tlH' £700 of cane r0110ved fror•1 tlJ!' farnl, ,£1,100 ill (':\:.C{1 ~~ of \Yhat }tp IVHS

<~:'king of anybody l'l:-<t'.

~lr. T_\YLOH: \Yhat wa~ thC' d'-'P08it '?

11r. IlY::\ES: £100 d<'posit. mr'l £lOG payable ou 31st December, 1925, £100 on 31st ,J ul~·. 1326. and tho balanC'e by s~nn~ equal tl: the \Yhole of the lH'OC'N)(h of cane harvestP!t aft0r 1:-<i :\'o,·embur. 1926, and 40 per cent.. 01c c·ach sucet~cding crop. There is 110 chatH'P of 1hn:.:;p people e\'l'l' owning that far111. lt i . .::., (_Jlll~- n. ~ttbt0rfng<' resort('cl to b:.: tlH\:--l' r:tpa(ious British O\Y1Jers of ('UllP h•ud l·') r•xploit thr labour of the,c• Italians from OY01\<f''L'- It will I><' noticed frm;r the agree­n:cnts that thev baYe to return 40 per cent., a11J in sonw cU:-:~'~ 50 prr cent.., of tllt' 'vhol(~ of tlll' pricP n_-{'cf'ivc,d-h~l1f of the ('l'Oll. In tlH!- indH':ill'ial court, tht-' argunwnt is cml­stantly put up. alHl i' ,- ccept,,d by the tri~ bnnnl.q. that th0 <.ast of the product1m1 of ~ugar i~ at ll'a:-.t 75 por {'('111'. o.f the: totai JH·icl' l'('<·eiq~tl ft'Oln the 1nillcr. I-Iere is an inst-llif'f' vvherc th, ..;(' people arc pa:::in;._!,' back to the ;-endor 40 per cr·nt. and 50 pe:· ccnr . of the t )tal pticP !'ecclYPd from the 1niller. Do('S tlwt 110t intimate to all intf~lligent pt>oplc that tho',,C Italian~ rnust ".cccpt a lowur f.tandard o-f ]i,~ing in ordel' to ca'try out tht' condition;-: of the contra-ct

:1lr. Krxc: It all depenck

}h. IIY::\ES: IrrespectiYc of \Yh;ct the ho:n. mctnbPr for Logan says, it is a lug-ica1 deduction that these people must accept a lower standard of living in order to carry out the terms of their contract \Yif:h the vendor.

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Address in Reply. [4 Avo-csT.] Addrrss in Rerl;'. 99

Mr. KI!-:G: Are th0y net or gross ;Jro­--~eeds?

Mr. HY);ES: Gro. '· That is whv tho mem!Jers of the A.W.r. "re of the O!)inion that their industrial conditions are in jeopardy, and they, combined \Yith th-• farnwrs and the townstwople, have f•ndc'J­Youred to nHtke son1e '"ort of prot2st ag11-i.11.:;t. the action of thooe greedy people who arc selling the !:end under such conditions. They arc not blaming the Italians.

Mr. Knso : Do vou endorse llw action of the A.W.U. -

~Ir. CoSTFLLO: V\~hat. ~ide are ~-un on?

::\Ir. HY!\l:S: I am 0:1 tlw sick of th•• workci's w hl~llever the~: are cndcayouri 1g to -protect their C'CJnmni'~ nncl indu~trir1l con­ditions.

::\lr. KEL~O: You k!!O-" \\·hat tht' Prcn1ier ~nid---ihai tllf'Y \Y('l'C' doing \\T01lf!·.

;\Ir. HYKES: I be lien• that the hon. rnemher for ~Iirani, O\Ying to the letters he published jn the pres.':l, \Yas in:-;trnnH'nt d in eomnwneing t.he agitation there. So far a~ l can asc.•rtain the lJi,lm·y Df the agitation. the flr.~t HlU\'CiliPnt rr:adc was bv the farmc:rs· organi ·ation. which held a rr1~~rtiug- to di~­russ the question of whether they would adrnit It~lians as nletnbers of their organisa­tion. I understctnd by this 1norniug\; pres3 •·eport th'tt the troublP up ther<' has been settled, for the time being·, at anyratc.

I do not wish to labour the question, but. as the hon. member for Mirani made some reference to Mr. Fallon, the Australian \Vorkcrs' Union representative. in lVIackay I should like to n1ake Pome reference to a eo1nmunication I rcc('ived from l\Ir. Fallon. 1 have known Mr. Fallon for many years. He is " hig·hly intelligent person, and a ma.n with a thorough kno\\ !edge of the suga.r industry and an earnest desire to do the right thing. I\'o one can call him a hairbrained revolutionist or anything of that nature. He i~ a con1n1onsense young man, and I take a, great deal of notic'' of anything that he writes to me about. This is what he savs in a letter which I received from him mm-;, time. ago-

" \Ve find it almoRt impo,sible to en­force a1vards, etc., on Southern European farmers who employ on!~- their own countrymo11, and, when we cio succeed in getting an en1plo:yc(• to make a clairn, little good rcsultf. For in~tance, so1ne time ago the incJugtrial nutgistrat') ordered a n1:1n nan1cd Fiori to pay £57 to an Italian employ cc. It wa arran'!'ed that the money be paid through th:.; office. Fifteen ponnd was paid, and the next we heard 'Y<\S that he had ccttled with the cmplovcP, I later found that the emplo: c ' l1acl accepted .£5 in full Ba.tic.faction of his claim. Iu other words, he ,-ot .£20 imtcatl of £57. Some littlt' tinJC In..t"r ( rt•jn Italian employcl~ sued their Italian cn1ployer for \Yage~ dnL'. They got a verdict for the amount c:!airncd and tho employer s1mply said, 'I have no m one.;,' anJ dt'.::pite our brst efforts "\Ve hJ.ve not been able to re{'over the an1ount due."

'fhat is how· it works out. Th0sc people who purchase farms under the conditions I haYe rdnred to cannot be held responsible be­cause they have nothing. In this instance, when sued for wages, this man >imply said, "I have nothing," and that is the end of

H. Tlw award of thf' court is being defeated in that nwnn0r.

I wad to make "orne n•fercncf' to what ;, the rnos1 important nwth)r mcntionNl in thC' Lieutenant-Gm"ernor's Speech. and that is the cliscontinLtanc'! of the p(~r eapita paynwnts to th0 Sbtc. \V, haYe been twitted bv hem. rnembcr::-~ oppc~ito, l'rho hav0 already ~pokm1 on tlw Addn'" in Uepl_v, that we did not take thP P1ect-or:-; into our confid0nC'e in con· ucct:on \\·ith tho increase whjch bas n'cently been made in farl's and freights on the rail­\or·ay.::. TlwY said \YC should have done so. l will tal~e hon. members back to the F'0doral election. VYas anv n1cntion rnat~e bv l he Bru:""-Pa~e gang aLo1it introducing lcgjS­lat:o:l to IYithdraiY the per capita payn1ent:-. to the State~ };y the Co1ntnon1\ealth?

Mr. COSTELLO : Y cs.

JVIr. 1-f\'":'\ES: ~othln~· was 3aid about it. This is a quc~tion which Yita1ly concerns 0verv individual in the six States of the Com-monwcall h. and it i-, n1tl1C'r singular that there i~ a unaninwni' objPction to th0 pro­po3ul put. forward b_v the l-1rucc-PUg·e Govt:fn­Inent by th(' tivL' Labour-govC'rned States and the on(' Tory-govcrncd State of the Conl­monwealth. But. despite the protc,,t whiei1 has b0011 loclgQd b.v the~o Staff's. the CCJrn­mon\vealth GoYernn1ent say, "\Ve have thP po1-vcr to do it, and \YO arc going t J tlo it in spite of yon all.''

The SECRETARY FOR AGRICULTURE: The Queensland Opposition aro the only party which is supl,orting them in the mutter.

Mr. IIYXES: I suppose the party opposite are the greatest troglodytes among the Tory politicians in the Commonwealth. The act of the Commonwealth Gm·ermncnt in ,,-ith­dra \ving· the pet· capita payrnent is an act of cunning, n1alicious sabotage.

Mr. KELSO: They ha Ye not done it yet.

Mr. HYXES: They are going to do it. and their action in introducing the referenda may be described in the qme '"''Y· They arc t:abotaging the A.ustralian people because they ha.se placed Labour Gov(~rn­ments in power in five of the Stat:~,. They say, " \Y c will nullify your victories at the polls by financially embarrassing you," and we know that is an exemplification of the way in which money interests have C'ndoavoured to crirplo Labour Governrnent.s.

It is grf'cn in the momo1"' of e,·ery student of Qu•"'mland politic:tl histor:.- that hor. rnembers oppo:5itc sent the fan1ous delegation to the old <'OLI!ltry to !wing about a financial bo_vrolt of this State because tho LaboJtr (;overnn1cnt held TrcQ:;urv bcnche~ HI

this Par~iarncnt. we find th:..'Y rue <.Icing t1H) ~an1c thi11g ag,tin. I t:a.v th~t thi . ...; is an act of sabotage on the part of the Brucc-Page G-ovcrnrnent in order financially to e111barrnss the Lal.;our State Goverrnncnts in the Commonwealth. That has beer cxprc· ~f 1 iJ1 a Yeilod n1anncr by ~,Ir. Lathan1 himself.

2\Ir. 1\.":r:Lso : Tlw Federal Labour partv i~ in favour of tho propose!. ·

;,:r. HYXES: I want to tell rnv friend that the vd1o~e of thr, Labour 1novOn1ont in Queensland, bJth political and industriuJ. is solidly ..,oppo:-wd to- the financial proposals of the IredcraL GcYcrnment. and to the referenda proposals also.

Mr. KELSO: I am talking about the Labour party in the Federal Parliament.

Mr. Hynes.]

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lOO LASSK.\IBLY.] Rep<:;.

Mr. HYN"ES: The fmancial position seems critical to me. I do not profess to be a great cronon1ist or financiLr, but as an ordinary man of intelligence I can see almost. insurmountable obstacles for this Go,·crmncnt to get oyer during the u0xt h•w year:-;, as we shall be losing something substantial if the Federal Gov-< rmnent's proposo Is arc adopted. We find that Mr. J. G. Latham, the Federal Attorney-General. is rOJlOrtcd by the "Couricrn of 26th June la::.t as speaking on this question. 'I'his is how the " Courier" -the party press of hon. members opposite­summarises ~Ir. Lathan1's rPn1arks-

., Under the now financial propo··als of the Commonwealth Government, Queens­land will be £238,000 worsp off annually than previously. The only recompens.e the Commonwealth intend to make for this is one annual payment of £289.000.''

" The Courier" is sensible of the grca t disa­bility under which this State will be placed.

I would like to take the opportunity to point out that the Labour movement in this State, both industrially and politically, is wholeheartedlv behind the " -:\o" referenda campaign. I"say again that the proposal is another act of sabotage by the Tory Federal Government-sabotaging the people because there is a chance in the Labour-governed States for the workers. with the existing

Labour machinery, to improve [4 p.m.] iheir conditions. \Vhat have the

Queensland workers to gain by carrying the proposals to givo further indus. trial )10\vers to the CommomvC'tdth' :\oth­ing! vV<' have a statuton- 44-hour \veck. \Ve enjoy the highest rate of wages paid in th0 Commonwealth. Is it lik<'lv that we are g·oing to get any improvemeut 'from the tri­bunal appointed by tlw Federal Government? It woulcl he bad enongh if we wore to dele­gatP th0 ~OYf'reign powers of the State to the F0dcral Parliament, but we arp askccl to give those powers of making ancl ,haning ancl controlling- indu;;:trial ccmdi11on~ ir; Q.ncens­lnnd to a tribnnal nf thrt•e iudO'p;-:; who are to lw appointe·l for life•. · "

:VIr. K~LSO: .Mr. Charlton a]lproYcd of it.

:\Ir. HY:\ES: \V ell. I am vcn sorrv for :\Ir. Charlton; but he is on! one. a1;d he doe<. cot approve of tho wholo of the pro­po~nl~. Ro far as I eau ascc l'tain, the whole of the' Labonr n1oYen1cnt.. \Yith the PXLption of ~om0 of the }\•d0raJ Labour pal'liarnentarv nH1m b0r~--~ • ~

l\Ir. IZEr.~o: Th~~ Labour leader.

~\Ir. 1--lY::-\"ES. And n fc\Y nH•n1bcr· of the TradPs IIalJ Council 1:1 ~·~relbourne. fH'('

-nppos~d t.o th0 rof~·r.f'nda propn:~alf'. You can nstHJlJ:-;c tho pcs1hou of thP Labour 1nen in Victoria. ap d·t from thme "·ho o,J!v hke <1 ~PJflf'h iJJtt~rt•st in polilies. In \""'id·oria theY haY0 .1 .tkPll np n JlO~itiol; of d, -~1)air. Thc:V d0~pan of Pn'r Ll1J1l'OVIng tlwir couclition li!Hlcr t}u, ('"\:l~d·ing Pluctul'a1 honndaric- in t.hat Stalt'. It 'nn1ld l1.· a rnir:tf'k if theY ~llf'''t'ed(•d ill capttni!l(_!," the rt>in"' o'; !!O\'f'ri~­JHPllt Y\·iJh th·~ I'Xi~tjtl_t!' boulldtll"iPS, l.ll~d 1h0V

th_ink t;1at ,,·hnt~Ycr chang·<' tlwv 11!<1_': g-8t wdl lw for the lwtror. a nJ comJot. b0 for the 'yors1•. That i" in <1l! ]"'!·obnbilit -. th~~ nt~]tnflc which lu: s bt'<'ll atlopt0d ],y · "omc> of the indu;tri"li.h in that Rbh··: hut T \\·ould point out for the i11forrnatlon of hnn. mcin­hf'r:::; oppu:--ite thnt ~n('h ln<~n as }ialn~cr~ Hlack~ Lurn a11d other intellectuals of the Labour mo\"0JJWnt in Victoria ar0 wholelwarterlly and uneompromisingly opposing the proposals.

[Mr. Hynes.

I say that throughout tho Coninionwcalth Labom· is 'oliclly opposed to the referenda prc;>o:-ai~. \Ye haYe eYerything- to lo.~c. Can you in1agine handing· OYel' such cnortnou-; power~ to a. tribunal of three judges., an authority created b~r a Tory Parlimncnt--

:\Tr. KEHR: Tlu;t is your trouble.

J\Ir. HYJ'\ES: \Yho, I tako it. are tem­peramentally iitt0d to carry out tho \.ark thPy ar<> put. ihr-,·e to do?

:\lr. KERR: \Yhat rot!

I.\lr. HY:\ES: ]t is no n>e the hou. mmu­lwr for Enoggna talking in that \Yay. \\'e had a lwnch of ill(lustrial judg·es in Queens­land frnm ,,.hich tlwv confd choo·e-men of ,-cry hig·h r<'putatiOJ1s, who haYP had ten years' Pxperiencc on the Industrial Court bc'nch, lmt they pickeJ a man from the Supreme Court who had neYer "at on the Industrial Court bench in his life. I ask J on. 'Yhy?

:\lr. KEL,;o: You tell us \Yhy.

::\1r. IIY::'\ES: Because he is tempera­mentally fitted, I think.

An 0PPO~ITIOX :vin!BER: "Xo, because. he is unbla'-:-;f'cl.

Mr. HY~ES: It means that we .are asked to hand ovN control of the lives, the bread and butter. th0 verv food they eat, of 90 per cent. of our people. Their industrial con­ditions will depend upon the three individuals who will conetitute this tribunal, set up by 1 he FPcleral Parliament->! Torv Parliament _;n anti-Labour Parliament, Their awards, decisions. and judgments will be like the laws of the Mcdes and Persians-unalterable. \Ve shall be unable to alter them fm at least six vcarc and not then unless ''e are able to Ohtain the reins of governn1ent in the central Parliament. I am giYing some of the rea sons "hy we are opposed to the rofi'rendum. WP realise what it means to th0 'Yorkcn:. of Qnee11sland and other part:;;. nf thl' Corumonwpalth. \Ve realise that. if the refe-renda propos:~ Is are cn.rriPd, thero will hn fi'Y(\nt a\vav fron1 the 1vorkers of Qmpr-•dam: in one dav all that the La~JOur tnovc1n0n t has secur0d for the \vorkPrs In a g·c•nf'rntion of ~acrjf:c·c and 0ffort. That. is whnt lt nwan:-::. and that jt is \Yh:v we are taking the p}atforrn against the rcf.orenda.. proposa18.

Mr. KELSO: Yon are opposed io the pro­no~nls 1H""~f'nusf' ynur partv is not in po·,\ er in the~ FN1eral Par1ian1ent.

~\I1·. TIY::"-JES: The hnn. mf'-1tlH:>J' belongs to the pCl'nla!-;cn• Opposition 1n this Chaml,N.

I d0:-in~ to rnake ~mnc~ rpfr•rctH'O to 1llPCl''llrc~ for,-<;:.1Jad0Yn•d in the Sp.Pech d:•llYf'l': d IJ:l thl~ Lit>ut0nant-Governor. In C0lllli·dir•n ·wif1 v;if!O\\ "' r"nsir;ns, it \V'S Sl!:Ig-c•dcd hY <;01110 hon. rllf'Jnbrrs Oilno~iL• tll~t HH L1bour nart:v ,_,·0r0 ;·;in1plv offering n hpneh of ~ nrrot.;; 10 thP f'1f'"toi~,._· 1.-vhen '\Ve­framrrl onr noli' v and plac.'rl it bdoro the lH'opl<• a f'Ouple of 1nonth~ <1go. Thf' primnr:v~ r(\n~on whv thn Lahour party hnYf' 1H'f'n J'.'tunwrl ,Yithout. ln~·> is hPr.ausr the pconlc of QtH'Pn,land trmt th~m. and know Jhat. in the p:=1.st 0yrrv nromiQe thrt lHI.S lv•0n mado fron1 1lv• hustings h.·s bee-n faithfully honour<'<l 1..:;' thi' pari,·. Wo shall maintain that con­ftdE'tH'e .nnd s~1a1J rrivo cffp.~t to our prorn~~e­in connf'ction with. \Vido\Ys' pE'n~ion~. ThP tjme ha,:.; arrived ·when 1hf>- unfort.unat(l­'von1nn wl1o ha._.::; lo.::t her hrPnd-winnr-r. nnd ha:-- a fan1ily to ~HlJport. ~lwnld L(:. giYon

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Add;r s 111 H pl!J.

~Oll!0 R5.'ii-i-aiWf' In- tlw State• ill tht_• ;<;·ay of lf''-':'enlng hf'l' lnll'(.len. \Yt' f'On~id(•r thclt the \VOI.nan \Yho i:-" rQaring a Ltnti1.\' 1:-- perforrn­inu: thP YC'l'Y lH ·,t ,oei,,l •J'l'\ ice that it i.s po . ..;;;.lbl(' for· a ritizctt 1o pPdonn for tho ~t.a h•. und during the time th ·it f-11f' is pPl'­

fonuiDg- that ~ervieP P-ht~ slttn1td ha\"(' an 01qwrtln1itY uf remaiuing at horllf' to look aftpr hrr do~ncstic affairS. and v;,·n intend to ~riv(~ h0r an opportunit~· of 'doing- that. 1V(• propo-;p to introduce l0gislation proyiding for "'<ridoi-YS' pensions.

Mr. KERR: Do you know that th0 allow­.ance for StdP children in Que,mslancl i" the lo,vest in A.ustralia?

:Mr. HY?\ES: That is not so, and the hon. member should know that. Another piece of lep;islation foreshadowed is an amendment of the \Vorkcrs .. Compensation Act, which will enable inc1paeitated workers to clai1n .an amount efJual to the hasie wag< This countl'y is rich enough, and the people ought in be g0n0rous enough, to pro·dde a liYing wage for worke-rs duri11g theil' period ·of incapacitation. Lsua!ly a r.nnn's living ''xpcwcs arc> much higher whetl he is ill than wlJCn he is <•njoying p:ood health and follow­ing hi~ usual occupation. and thC' time ha~ arrived wheu an iHcapacit:tted \vorker •honlcl receive at h:ast the ·ba8ic wage during his tirnB of affliction.

I now \rant to makc> SOillP reff'rf'l!CE' to the Teasons \Yhy Labour has beC'n rf'tnrned aga.in in Queensland.

'.fr. KELSO: You only got half th€' vott•s. caft.er alL

Mr. IIY?\ES: Labour has bcPn rPtumecl again in Queensland because tlw cost of living· here is lower than it is in any of th<> other States of the Commonwealth after twelve years of Labour administ cation and leg·i··lation : b0causc the w€'ckly hours in Queensland are less than in ttn v other of the States of the Commonwealth after twelve year's Labour legislation; and because the ·Savings Bank deposits are higher in Queeus­land than in any other Stale of Australia.

Mr. KELSO: You are merelv quding :\ir. Theodore now. ..

Mr. HYNES: ?\o less than 67 per cent. ,of the householders of Queen,land own their own homes aftPr twch·o vears of Labour legisla.tion. 'I'hat is no't one of ~ir. 'Theodore's statements.

Let me take the rural development policy of this Government. \Ve have hoard somt .. talk by the members of the Opposition about how the man outside is being driven off the land. What do we find? According to the latest statistics made available bv the Com­monwealth Statistician, thoro is .. a omaller percentage of the total population of Queens­land living in the cities and towns than there i·; in any of the other States of th" Common­.,.,,aJth.

.GoVEHX1IEXT MEMBERS: Hear. h0a r ~

:\Ir. HYNES: Does not that indicate a. <lV!Ilpathetie and sane rural policy by the Government'~ That is irrefutable, and it goes without saying that is one of the reasons why we have hon. members on this side of the- House who have secured such a. large majority at the polls in rural electorates.

The overseas credit of Queensland is better to-clay than it has ever been in the history Df this State, and is equal to the credit Dverseas of any other State of Australia, or E>ther pa1·t of the Empire.

101

The SPE,\KER: Onkr ~ OrdN ~ The l!01l. nlE'lnLcr ha:;; exhausted the time allo·wcd hint uuder the Stauding OrdPr::-.

:\f1·. \Y ALKER (('ooroora): I bolievo the lust speaker rnadc a slight n1i~takc. as he mnst recognise that he shoctlrl haye been in the Federal House instead of this Chamber to makP !fw speech he has done. for he knows perfectly well that the referenda proposals with which we shall shortly be c~lkcl upon to deal arc a Federal matter.

Th0 programme of legislation outlined in the Speech of the Lieutc nant-GoYernor 1s a verv disappointing one to n1o, because there is iwthing of a constructiYo character in it. \Vhat appPaled to me as my eyes ran clown the list of proposals was the number of anwncli1w Bills that we shall bt• callecl upon to tieal ,~ith. There arc some fifteen amend­ing Bills foreshadowed, as against fiyo mea­sures which wi:l bo introduced for the first time>. One must only come to the conclusion that tlw Government mmt have made great mistakes in the past to render it ncces,ary to brino· down so many amending Bills this session. c \Vhethcr theit· introduction is due to hastv l0gislation or to the curtailment of the time that has bc.•n aliott.ed during the last four or fi' c YCU rs to dis"uss them does not rnatter; th0 fact retnains that tnistakes havC' eviclentlv bPr·n 1nadc. Judging by the ,return ot thr:_~ "La l.our Gov0rntnent, it is eYidcntly noi tlw wish of the electors to have a rdornwd 1_-ppPr House; nevertheless, _the 0lcctor;-; 1nw-.t corne to but one concluston, and tlmt is that more time should be allowed to di:5cus'-' legi<at1on of a vital and iml~?rtar;~ charaetc<r, ami that the use of the ·gag should hP prohibited. If that cannot be done. 1 hen the Standing Order~ should ]:le amended to Jl'"·mit of greater time for dt~­C'ussjng n1ea~urp;:; brought down to thts IToLt-'<'.

I a-.. ~truck ,·cr\.T r:nuch 'rith the on1issions in il"' progrunH!H; of work submitted. ThC' fact that struck me more than anythmg els~ "as the cmi,sion of any reference to the mf'at industr:> of quePnsland. It is . abso­lutelY vital that we should foster th1s 111dus­ti'V '"'bv sl'curinfl' u1orc rnarket'3. At the p1:esent time w~ arc not looking after the matter of securmg markets for ou~- surplus products. vVe are over~prodncmg m every­thing. With the exceptiOn of wool, all our other commoditit's aro hand-fed. A lot of that is our own fault. First of all, I recog­nisE' that it is impossible fo~- us to prod~ce and compete with oth<>r nat.w_ns not paymg fol' the Fame standard of hv1ng as V\Te do. vVe are at times too much inclined to con­centrate on the argument that we cannot do it. W<! haYe to become reconciled to th0 fact that the high wao·e' svstem has come to stav. and thttt we Ju;"ve to compete in the world .. market' un<ler different conditions from those ""i'ting in other countries. If we are to prodm·0 on a largo scale, we. ~hall have to att~nd to our industrial condtttons, go in for morP mnchinPry, whether on the farms or in the citi<>s, and concentrate. and orga,nisf' our works on a n1ore uniform system than has been done in tho past. 'fh_at acrgument applies to the whole of Austraha, because we ar<' not producing !is wo ~hould. \Ve cannot send away any arttcle whtch we are producing, for the simple reason .that we cannot find a market, yet w0 are sllll over­producing. Only recently at the Roma stre.et markets fat'ffi(•r-c' cabbages and the fnnt­gro,vcr~' pincappleg -were giyen away because

JJ-fr. Walker.]

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102 [ ASSE1\Il3L Y] Address in Reply.

then~ ,.-as no 1narkct. and the · a1nc thing appEcf'. to cmninoditics produC'ed on a larger l-'l'CJJ('.

:Hr. Pr\,.;;E: Cabbages were selling at 2:-~. 6d. [!Cl" bead in rrownsyi}k.

:\Ir. \Y"\LKER: Because the:· were badly handled. They vvcro handlr·d 1nuch in the :'alnc rna.nncr as \Yas rnaizc up there a little ·_vhik ago. There ~.Yerc too utany channels of htrndling. a1:d a co-opcratiYe SJStem is needed.

There "~as nothing n1ore 11Icasing to this 1KI.l'( · t.han ''"hen you, :.Ir. Sp·"'aker. \vere no;;Ill;atcd for the position yon or:cup· to-day. Tth:r ~ is no doubt that you hnvo constituted a. reco :'d~ not only with "regard to occupying that position, but \·Yith regard to your fair­no-s to hon. members on both sides of the House, and I congra tu late vou on your ro-<'icction. (H<'ar, hear!) - -

\Ye recognise that the stabilication of our indu"-trics nn1st Le carried out. and it must b: citbcr upon such methods as l have out­lin,')d or throug·h some n1casures "'xhi<'l. will giYe_ in1m0diatc relief. T arn speaking more partJcnlar1y of the pwdncors of Queensland. In the programme of the Labour party which ''"as put before the. r:lect_ors during the recent PlcdJon, the stabJbsatJon of the dairying 1ndustr.v \Yas a n1atter which carried an enor­n1ous arnount of \Vt:ight, and I kllow the SccrPtar:l for Agricnlture is s.inc'Tc in hi':l dc~ire to see th•~ !'an:,~ ~:.-~tc"n adopted throughout Anstralla "\Vhich now OfJCrates in C~nef'n::-la:nd. That carried an c~norrnou:=; <tnlount of \';'('ight, but at th0 3ame tirne manv of us bww it would never lw put into effect. \Vr: fqund r:t the Inter."itaL~ Confer0nce of Minior0rs of Agriculturp that tbe :VIinister's o-..vn snppodfrs turned hin1 do\vn.

The P·~cRET.\RY FOH ~\GIUCULTl~TE: Absolute 11onsen:-;r~! I have llf'ver been turned do-..vn at a rnini' i rial confPrC'nce.

Lilr. \~'Af,KER: Mr. Tray, the Tl!inist~r :~t· ~~gT:untPr<~ for ~Ye t0~·n .Au~tralia. dis~ ~·n~·1!· "at cl what I llaYt' JUo't ~;ud, and that ~tr l.l? _',ll'' out Ly the report in th(' "Daily ... tLall.

. TiH.) SECRETARY Fon AGRfCLLTt.RE: You 1vill fwd y JU cannot substantia tc that statetnent.

~Tr. \\';\LKEH: I will rwove what I ba.ve s:11d '" I go along-. The mntler of an orga n5;.;·--~i 1n.ilk f;llpply for Qtu"cnRlancl waf' also d0:ut wrth.

ThP SrcRrTARY FOR AGR!CcLTT.RS: vVould vou hav0 accepted ''Otne of the propo<als put forward h~, the control bonrd at that eonfl'rcnC'e '?

. ?v1r. \YALI{ER: I kn(nv :'"ODlP good sugges­;,rms WC're put forwarrl. a!l(l T know that, nad the hon. gentlf'mau u~"'-Pd his persuasive power~ ."!'d allowed prnctic'l.l men to explain th:• posmon, 1t would haye be(•n a consider­ab!~ help to t·hc Mini~ters and to their a~siStant;;;. Unfortunatcl:v, '""e "\Yerc kept out of the Cbambcr. and although some of them <'01lH' thonf"ands ?£ miles. th0y were not gn::en an opportnmty of speaking. That may no, have been the hon. gentleman's fault.

The SsrnETARY FOR AGRICT'LTrRE: You kn.:w r' rfcctly well that some of ~le scheme1 pu~ f<;H'\vayd \vero not in the intc,'e3ts of the dr1ryrng rndustry.

:i\1_r. WALKEE: EYcr,-tbin;:o that the Aus­t;aha:l I)airy Council put fcn"\Yard '\Vas in !no Interest~ of Queens!-·1nd and in ~he JDt(' 1·ests of the ~.,._-hol(' of Australia.

[Mr. Walker.

I notice that there is nothing in the pro­gratntne of work with regard to the organi­sation oi the milk wpply, particularly of Bri bar1<•. nU1ouglt ic "as in the Labour platfcr1n and carrie-d an cnorn1ous an1ount of ,,·ci::rht. I would like to sec the ~Iinister nlo,~o to-IllOlTovv ar..d endeavour to organise the milk supplv with a view to seeing that the whole of the milk supplied to Brisbane i3 pasteurised and delivered as soon as possible after th" pac.:curisation takes place. In the :\Iinister's own office there are records of tuberculin tests of cattle which show that ihe percPntagc of disc~s<'d cattle is absolutely nstou.:Hling. I h>YC never though~ for one 1nonu~nt of n1entioning the figures here because if I did so it would be a black mark on the fair name of Que?nsl.and. But I 0aruestl.v i1nprcss npon the Minister the necessity for going into this question of deauing un som<' of these dairy herds, and I refer~to ~one in n1v own district which the hon. memhcr knows rlbout. These dairy herds want cleaning up, other,visc you are going tn kill more ebildrcn tban you have any idea of.

I notic0 in the programn1e of work a re­ference to the manufacture of goods in ()ue0nslancl. vet all the time that this Go­,:ernment ha;-e been in power they bav(' been letting contracts outsidc Australia imtead of accepting local tendef'. They tnade a great cry a '\vhile ago about a couple, of warships being built in the old country, nlthough they themselves baYe been in t_he· h 'l bit of ictting contracts out"ide Austr.aha. \YP want. all thP nwn here einplo~ved. Only this n1orning I had a person calling on me Joolring for vvork. and ycstPrday I had three m0n calling on nu: on the san1e errand. People come to the House ":nd pester ~'"' when ,,_.e have no ng;ht to be mterrupted m our work. Surely to goodness this mone~y could ha Ye been spent in our own Stde! l rc:.ncn1bcr just before \VB \Y·8E~ out of powe1~ we ~.vcr0 Pritiri~r-d for g-iving a contract for the buildinr- of a dredg-e to .a firm on the oi her sirk of the \vodd; but what do we find J]OW? The GovcrnnL'llt are getting a bargc-0YCr thtr': for \\ ork in Cuccnsland rivers, :-;ho\Ying conclu~ivelv that the-... arc doing it in a quic·;, n1annc~r. 'although the \York should haYe bcr-n clone in Queensland so as to find .f'11lploynv_-nt for our O\Vn workers. I refer to locornotiYPs, becau~B I 11ndorstand some twenty-ftve are now being built in the old' C'1nntn-. inshad of being built here. Had thc·lG Orders been given fiv.c or six ~>ears ago. our proRPnt difficult.,- woul·d bu.:vc been over­come. The same thing applies to r0lling­stoek and the pPrn1unen~. v;av. It is all in a: depl0rahlc- state bt'cansC' the GnvernnH•nt hasc­not 1ookf'J ahef1d ns an ordinary business· manager wonld ha vc done. ·

I now wish to refer to land :ettlernent. as this qnrf'tion 'vas broug·ht under rny notice· within the last few davs. \Ye are ~old in the Li0ut:>YJant~fiovcrnor's Snecch sonH'thing abe>ut land settlement and that the Govern­ment haYc got c;ycr the p1·icklv-pcar problen1· to a gr0at extent. \Vhat hns been '"'"Jlonsible fo1~ the d.r trncti0n c>f priPkly-pnar in Queens~ l'lrd to-day'! rrhr: cocbinf':lJ in~v'ct was b1·o-:_1f!ht in, \Vhf'n W'' \'-'-c-;_'; -!n po,vrr nnrlr:r tl-n able aclministration of Dr. Jean 'White. ,,·ho CDITit J ont a numb::-r of experiments. It js onJv a. qup~tion of this ins.ect bcr>oin-ing e.cdima;i,f':l in Queensland, :vet the Govcru­Inent take c•rc.dit for ·destroying the pri-ckly­p ..... ~Lr pest in Queensland.

Page 34: Legislative Assembly Hansard 1926 - Queensland … · Legislative Assembly . WEDNESDAY, ... bran. and pollard at the NHl of each ... schedule time probably the woC~:an's life

Address in Reply.

\\~hilc the GoYt~nuncnt 1nakc glowing referen('e to land settlement, I \1 ould like to re1nind thPm that scttle1nent is shrinkinn· in Quccmland to-day. Hon. members opp~ site talk about putting- returned meu on the land and about bringing people from other parts of the world -::o settle on the land. \Vhy, ~-ou cannot settle your O\Yil sOllt' in Qucensl<md to-da:v. In 1814 there Wl'l'<' 23.854 'cHkr,, who took up land in Queen-laud, while in 1924-1925 only 12.000 sei+lc•r·- took up land. In other \Yo'rcls. half iht> lH!lnbcr. ~hov;;ing conclu:dYcl:.· that tlw Gc)\-l_'rllnH:n~ arc not ~ettling lH'opl·~ on th,) la11d at a1l. That is "'mcthing that has ta be ua'tlr J witl1.

Then '"" t 1me to tho Gy!npie district. \l·hero \Ye have an cnorruous ~nnount of !and n~ady to be thrown open. but whieh is t- chnicall:v held for the tilllt' being by tl10 Foro,try Department. Only the other day tv>Pntv blocks vn•r(~ thrown opPn, <Hid it is surpri~lng the nurnbcr of applicants \vho < 1rno forward to got the land. The local phoiog-raphcr took a pictnre of the people :-;rran1bling for the land. If you thrP\Y open 500 blorks of land thr·ro to-molTO\V, you w6ulci have 1.000 rrpplicants. 'S<' want all this , ... "ruh land thro\\'n open, if it is unsuitahll' for any other l1UrpoSo-that is all wo ask. 'Ye ar0 !~et asking for land that is .•mitablr fo1_· reo:fforc~Jt<ltion to bt: utili~f!a for elospr scttlcnwnt. Then ag-ain. if it has an odd pine tn~,~ on it. what does it nutttr-r? \Vt• find that. banana land in that di~trict } . ..:; of Pnormons -;,-nlue. b0illg ( 'l.ptt~l)lt• of L·tul'nln~ £100 an a('rO pC'r yr~ar. Surely il" i~ bo:•tter to ~~t. £100 an acre per vcar for ha!wwts than ;, couple of pound;; for a. pirH' tree :

Let nw 110\.Y deal \Yith tho ...:.\therton Table­land. whi('h I h;,d the pl(·asttro of Yi~iting r:_•cr':ntl~·. There i~ not the ~lightc.st donbt that jj- i:-; th fine~t 11ifU) of counh·y in Queen:;;~ land. and it is well watered. It is suitable for n1aizc-gTO\Ving in thP for<"'~t nrFl::;, f! nd t.ho otlH'r pori ion, of ~crnh land are :-~nitab]P fnt dairyi: g. \Yhat they \Y.Jnt thc!l'l' ::tl'l' ron(J3 to allc,·w tlw pcopll' to g· ·t th0ir uff to thP Innrh:Pts. T_~nfori-nnately, th0y <lre labouring· under 1nauy disa<h·antap:es. \VP had ho1rd Y~'r" little about tlH' At11f'don Tableland before. Some of mY friencl.s haY" gone up there fron1 n1~r O\YH (H~trict. and I Yentnre to sn:y tht:~' \Yt'rf' ·wi::.c. Tht• infonna-1 ion th0~· hr~vc gi·n'll mf' proYes C'onelnsiY('l.v th:•t there is no finer district. I haYP h"d :<01110 yrars of C'Xll('rir-nce on th0 lnnd. and I have nPYer seen anything- like th0 Jand tlH'r{~ in any o1hc·r part of Qnf'ensl~ntl. if in au.Y pa.rt of th0 ,yor1d. VV0 h;;.y0 an <"'110rlllOU:>

amount of Cro\V!l- J~nd lhC'Tf'. TlH"' Pa}mpr,.;;~ J·on rtrNl, for instftnc·P, is held np through fhnt silly A< r. of Parliament whirlt y· n"' put throngh thi- I-lou'e a little \Yhik bac1;, aurl whi-ch contained hmnpering· conditions nnd .;:;ocinli~tic tPnde1Jcit'"'s unrl{ r· ~~vhirh a 1nan hrts to ask HtP :Vlinisi"C'r for nn ar{'n. in pre:rribed pl<tc'•·g, Th0 hon. HH:.'n1bC'r for Eachrnn kno\Yfi that what 1 nm saying- i;; tnH'. \Ye should enlarge ~the ~reas for sPlection. giYo the ~cttlers a fr~dwld tcnur0, nnd do awav ·with the :-:;v,-cPping conditions T haYf' rcfen~cd to. Rv that nwa.ns we "\VOulc1 spttJe the whoh~ of the Athcrhn ToblelancL \Vo should certainly giYC' bigger arcaR, ~

ThPn a nether rnatter \\ hieh is hanltWring the i\thm·ton Tableland ie t!J,, uwthocl of adminis(ration of the Ag-ricultural Bank. The cleln~v incurred in ha"\:ing an in~pection made al!d the report sent to Brisbane and sent back .again is too great. \V e want a. manager in the district -ivho can £iYc loans

Addren in Reply. 103:

iuuncdia.tf'l\- an inspection js Inade. \Ye 'lwu !cl stoj; this waste of lime and locrrlise tiH~ bu . ..:inc"~· This i:~ a JTI('thod \vhich could hu <'JTriec1 into effect in a frn.v days, and it would be rr QTeat boon to the ncoplo thert·. .-\t tlw pn_;.,z_•nt 1imo their applications uro :;o long dclay0cl that they are <~hnost hc,nt­hrokcn, aucl jn 1uany eases gu ~~_,ithout th': loan.

Then thn eol<l ~ioragc Oil railway ears i..: uot what it ~,hould bo. rrhrrt i::; the ron~(Jll why the butler factory there i, not paying- :<s it should pav. Tho high tewperaiurc "hich }H't'vail:-: i.~ prC'jndicial to tho butter in tr·, Wilt.

~1nd T \VOnld like to ~ee co~d. ~torago cars put nn to nwt-.t lhe ~ituation. I hope the tin1e j...; not far di,taut >Yhcn -,vp shall see fast :;.tecnn'~rs i-raYclling- down fr01n the North at comeihir•o: like. 25 knot' an hour, not onl;c with btrl-ter, but with fruit and other· pPri;.;hable prodn('ts, inr~uding rnent. I hopP that we, 'itall thn,; b' ablo to supply the> Southcr~l StatPs with the 1ru:at th,_·y an• ~o much in n0ecl of at the proient time. \Ye ha ye two connnoclit1e.;:; \\hi eh we succe:Ssfull."'.· l~xport to the olcl conntry-nnrnf"'ly, butt"'l' and <'hil1, d rnpat. Xo rcferenc0. is n1adc in tlH· Sn·••·eh io tlH' fad that it has been proYecl p;·actic ,h!,, io s<>nrl chilled mt>at to the olrl roun1n:. Thclt .show~ what \Yt"' can do in l'f.'.U'<Jrd t<> Ht~J;l\ing· thP SnuthPI':l St~tef: \Y:tli chilled n1eat in lien of frozc"n ntoat. Tho~.f' :-:.rP all 1nat1·r-r:-~ nf prn:ctic~tl irnportance, _tnd I ho:w thf' Gr,yr_•nHnr-nt will take them 1nto enn:->idt'rnti(nJ.

LPt n1::- nO\Y d al \vith the proc1n·-tion P''~' lH' td ill Qnu~nsland. vrhich in 1914 \Ya~­£56.24. It i• £66.93 to-day, or an improYe­tnent of ffplll'Oxiruutely £10.

At 4.30 p.m .. Tlw C""~n_\lln< \X OF COh"'\nTTE"F.:.; C~1r. c;."o

Polloek. r/rcrF. y) relicYcc1 the Speaker in tbt: chair.

:\Ir. \\-~.\LI{EH: [f ~-ou take the r.a~in of incrca~e lll thC' ntlwr Rtttr~. ~-ou \YIL find that t-~l'.~'el;~bn!c1 1-.;. lPft bt~hind yp:·y 1nuch. The "n•nwe of all Stal"' in 1914 "as £49.22. and to-dav:=' it i~ £68.28. which ~hews c~ead_:v that Qnc•(~r:~lanrl i~ 1&lgi1~lf behind. That h

('xact.l...- 1n-:- nnnuncnt. Under the nresellt ~-\·st ~ of i ~nd U'11Ul'f', production in Quccn~­L1nt1 llot. bnlng caYriPd on in the \vay it >hnnlcl he, "1'<1 it is to be hoped that tlw ( ;0YI'l'Hlrl('!1t \YiJ1 f~lldi"'HS0l11' to n1ak0 an

inllJJ'OYr:'l1l0lli 1n that direction. r' lW<ln,tnn<l t.hot the JYiount Abundance

1·: ,un1ption will bo throvi·n 011011 for clo3~:r tl<'lll<'llt iu 1927. Om' has only to take up

tlu~ Il0W:->p::lJifl.l':-i lo :;;po the opinion~ held about tlw ~nw line:;;-.; of the~ areas into which land ha::; bc(~n cut up in tho past. \V c \vcrn inelln0rl to tl1ink that. peoplP wel'e Inono­Jloll ing th'S<' large areas, lJut. in some p]acf· in Cu,-,,n:dar~d ·,,_-o- n1ust ;::;ive them large area" if thPv· arc to n1ak0 n ~living. Go out into tl10 ,, .. : .. ('-str_t·n 1mrts of QucciHland, ,vhero ~-on arn rig-ht a\Yas from n1arkets and cvcrythtn;:r <'l·c. rrncl you 'tlnd that small holdings would ill, C)nite on1 of the que1tio11. \V c want t~!Cm sufficient!_,. larg-L' to giYo tlw selector a l~tt!P lJlOl't> than a living area, rathr>r than n. httH~ ]pss; a!Hl f nnd..r,tand that in the C:\SO of -~\lcunt .4 Lu!Hh.JH·t~ the Govcrnrr1011t hase <i('f';ckd that. it ~~-·ill be t.hro~1-·n open in a.r~:,a-:: :-.nfficjont. to kercp rnen on it after they has{~ o'lt r\ fictt1c·d. T1Jil Countrv section of thi:;: nnr1y hasc bPcn continnalJy~ arguing on these 1 in<·',, fot• i h0 simple roa~·on that n.ey rrr~ JH<1 n who h•ty(' had PxpCrienco on fhc land for year~. y.-ho are living on the land, ano

lllr. Walker.]

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10 l Addred in 1?ep!y. [.\'<SEMBLY.]

arc SUC'CCS'5ful on the lmH1. rl'hat is ono of the n~asons vvhv we kno,,· to rnu.ch about thAco matters. \\'e are continually travelling, ~~nd l\'O bPncfit bv \vhat we sec. . I was much st;uck by the speech delivered Lr the hon. member for Eacham with regard tr~ dairving· on the Atherton Tableland. l said at· the time that his figures wer0 alto­gether incorre-ct, an_d I. repeat now t.h~t they are incorrect, cons1denng the eondibons of the market to-day.

:VIr. C. ,J. RYAN: The figures were for Arn·il for a favourably situated factory.

Mr. vV ALKER: That is not the point. It is not a question of a favonrably situated factory. I am oure that the figures were given to the hon. member and he accepted them, or he wonld have worked them out for himself, and found that tlwy were wrong. In dealing with the butter market, we cannot tako a particular month and say that it is thu average for the year. \Ye have to take the \\:hole year. The prices the hon. member quoted may be misleading to other factories, and that is why I want to correct ·his state­ments, although I admit that he made a very fair speeoh, more particular!.\' witl1 rcsped to questions affectmg- his own electorate. The statement that 4~d. is the cost of manu· facture and export of a pound of butter to the old countrv is quih ridiculous. \Ve all know that we· conld not do that under 6d. The freight to the old country is 25s. p· C\\ t. a!o1w, and it costs 3d. per lb. to nuwufacturc the butter, and then you have local imposts to meet-harbour dues, and so

·Oil-·and other things too numerous to men· tion. \Vhen it comes to a question of strik­ing: nn aV('rag;~, 1ve must ren1r-mher that the price of butter in Queensland is 205s. 4d. per <'Wt., and on the English market 170s., we may say. 'I'o strike an average of ls. 4d. per lb. is ridiculous. \Ve could never say that the l'aterson scheme gives us an equal price for every month of the year. At present, for instance, Queenslan,-J is oxportine: practically no butter whatever, so that if von struck an average in regar.d to your export trade on the basis the hon. member took. your deductions would be entirely wrong. I would likte later on to give some information with regard to that scheme. bccansC\ I understand that a certain amount of misunderstanding exists; but at present I merely make these remarks because I want to see the hon. member's statements recti­fi<'rl rather than that factory managers should he misled. They might cause no end of trouble at annual and half-yearly general meetings which are about to take plaDe.

[ was verv interested in the remarks in the Lieutenant-Governor's Speech with regard to the dairying industry. but I am sorry to see .t.hat the Sccretarv for Agriculture has taken ..;redit for a condition of things which he has no right to take. First of all. it is said that the dairying- industry is making satisfactory progress. The dairying indusu·~- is not making satisfactory progress, and I shall prove that my statement t0 that effect is correct.

The SECRETARY }'OR AmuccLTURE: I have not made a speech yet.

:'IIr. WALKER: I distinctly said that the statement was in the Lieutenant-Governor's Speech, and no doubt the hon. gentleman _provided the information for the Speech.

The Speech also states that noteworthy .ndvance has been made in modern methods

f!l:lr. Walker.

of production. untl tlwt the pa'tc'ul·i,ution of cream hgs irnpror0d C'Ondjtiolls Yery con­siclorubly. although it did not say that that >~as a Fc><kral law. It has been a Fodc·ral law L,r :-:.on1c f'on:;;iderablo tin1c, and was i!Jiroduced bv th0 FedPral Government on the rc'cornlnf'{1dation of practical n:en on thu .Aus:tralian Dairy Conneil.

The Speech further st.:lt>s-'- The adoption of the 'Kangaroo '

brand for all hi"h·gradc butte1· exported from the Austr~lian States has had a l"'neficial effect on the prices realised by our butter on the London market."

It did not state that that aleo was a Federal recommendation coming from practical men on the Amtralian Dair.v Council. showing conclusively that thoBe gent]emen wer<• ,·csponsiblc for two methods of Improvement in the butter industry. \0Vhy not giv~ the credit to the Fedora! Government for mtro­ducing th0sc itnprovenlents?

::\1r. Pt:TERSOX: The.1· are opposed to them.

Mr. \V ALKER : The Speech states that these things have been responsible for the increase in price of Australian butter on ~he London market. A lot has taken place durmg the last few months from a Federal point of view in connection with the bntto1· industry. We now have the Dairy Export Control J?oard operating throug-hout Australia, and e.nl'ely to goodness they have done smnethi~1g t The same people have three representatives over in London and whilst the practical men of Australia h~vo h~d something to do with the pasteurisation of butter and with estab· lishing the " Kangaroo'' brand, I venture to .'.av that the three gentlemen control­ling our butter in London have r:1aintainecl continuity of supply to a certam extent, and bv other methods have been more n''pons'ible for the position of our butter on the home market than anything that has been a ttcmpted in Queensland with regard to price:.;. \Ye cannot drop butter in London and sell it in an~· old way. \Vc have been at the mercy of the speculatqrs from time to time. and the reason why we arc competing with . thos~ P'Cople i::' tlw direction I have descnbcd IS with a vww to climinatin~ the speculator. I know per­pect:y well that in London. th<;Y h_ave a con­siderable control of the d1stnbutwn of our butter. and it would be folly to fight them like ?\cw Zealand did. and have our butter held up. While the New Zealand butt~r was held np they went elsewhere for supphes for their customer;. \V e do not want that. We want to go quietly on and kill them gradu­allv. I hope to see the day when we shall cm;trol thE' whole of the sale of our butter in London. which will be a very g-reat thing. Bv our method of control in London, we have been sucN!ssful in defeating Denmark and New Zea.!and in connection with the price of our choicest butter. It is onlv fair to give the people I have referred to 'credi~ f?r our success in the business. That cred1t 1s due to them. and wh~· not extend it to them and not take it from them ?

The s~cRETARY FOR AGRICULTURE: You arc attempting; to take all. oredit from the State. You know perfectly well they could haY<' done nothing without the co-operation of the State.

M1·. WALKER : I will give the hon. gentleman some figures in connection with the work of the State. I want to be fair to the State, and I believe the hon. gentleman knows that I am fair to ·the State; but at

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Acld;e"s in llepl~t. [-i AUGUST.] Ad lress ;n R 'ply. 10.)

;[;v ~:Jlll<' tinw I an1 11ut going: to allo-iY hirn 'III' uuybod.v L'l:;e to gt't up in th!s I-Iou~e and takr' cr·0dit for ,,enwtbing that the: .. · have no right to takP crt•dit fnr. I want to point ont whu<' thn hon. gc•rrtll'man could havo helped thP indu'3trv VC'l'V rnuch in <'onr:cction vvith the saJc of ·butt~l·. J\lanv factori('., hl'i'C are --doing vr:ry excellent ,,:ork through their "';rgaui.;.;:ttion and throug!1 the Que<?nsland pooL but they h11,·c thnir limits. I want to ;ce thP 2\1inistcr !';O further than that. Before dealing with that matter, let me discuss the expoet of lmtter to the United Kingdom. These figun•s show the export of butt:•r from Australia from 1st Angu,t, 1925, to 30th June, 1926-

\Vestern .Anetra1ia Tasrnania South Australia C'\r•w South \Vale's Victoria Queensland

Tons. .Kil. 422 856

8.537 n:oo4 15,461

ln other words, Queensland boat the whole ·of Australia. 'fhe year pt·ior to that we <•xportet! " fat· gTeater quantitv. Then how

·<:an it be said in tlw Speech of the Lieutenant-Uon,rnor· that the dairyin~ industry has made satisfactory progress? 'l'he total amount exported last year fron1 _._\ustralin. was approximately 37,180 tom, ns there e.rc other

·· .. ountrics to which small quantities arp • xportcd. In 1924-25 the Australian export was 58.440 tons, the Qneensla nd figures being 3,642 tons more than last V<'ar. Doe3 that ·not. point. to son1e disere11a1"1cy in the infor­.mation at tire disposal of the State Depart­went. of Agriculture? 'I'Iw Government say that droug11t, are responsible. Droughts may b" respons1ble to a certain extent, but there i~ a serion-.; reduction, and I am bringing -rh,• maHet· forward in a proper spirit now. ! say t.lw t the Minister could do something in t..\at direction.

vVe will go a littk bit further, and take the percpntag"s of choicest gTade butter in tlre export.s from each of the Australian States to the United Kingdom. The figures

Percentage. Victoria 80.05 New South Wales 42.37 Queensland 26.30 South Australia 65.04 Tasmania 74.EIB

This is where the Minister can help tile industry. He can devote his efforts to trying to improve the grade or quality exported. That is certainly a matter for administra­T-ion in his department. I am sorry to think '(hat, instead of omitting from the Speech reference to the fact that the quality of ·the \:)utter exported was not whrtt it should have been, the Government preferred to take the opportunity of taking credit to themselves. ·The figures I have quoted conclusively prove that Queensland is right behind in the matter qf gradinO'. Every man engaged jn the dairy. ing inrlnstry knows perfecfly 1vell that ia oUr trouble in Queensland to-dav. You cannot go round the local shops \vithout hearing complaints regarding· the quality of the butter. You can go right into the heart of the manufacturing centrt's and hear the same 'omplaint. That complaint is not due to any fault of the directors or managers of the fartoric:-3, because everyone kno·ws that ·the Qn('cnsland faetories arc the best equipped ·fac~Ol'ie, of ilre likt' fn ~ne world to-d.ay, .an" I he.vp sc'ell factones Ill bther countnes.

Th .. • puiut i~ that we a.re I;ot getting Hw ns:-:;i::;tanu~ frorn the Departrnent of .. A.gricul­ture in 1 he care of crearn fron1 the time it js pro.lnc,·d on the dair:r farm right up to tlw time it reaches tho factorv. Look at our railv;fl5" trucks ! Doe;:; ar~y hon. rnember tlriuk for one mmr,ent that they are clean enough :for cre:un to be carried in? l\10'lt can be seen carried in tho san1e trucks, ·while the trud\.A which carry pig£; and fowls one da~· arc used to carry cream the next day without Pver IHrving been scalded notwith­standiHg that regulations have bee~ promul­g·atcd with respect to the cleaning of the dairv and darrv utensils. Then the cream cart~ arc supposed to be covered, but they rarely are covered. They are also supposed to be a bsointely shaded from the sun. This carries us a little bit further. 'I'he dairy· in~pcctors in some cases are do:ng their duty, bnt in other cases the districts allotted them a re too big to enable them to get around the whole of the dairy farms. It is common knowlodgn that in many places separators aro not washr~d overnight. How, then, can you expect to receive first-grade cream from those- dairies?

The SECRET.\RY FOR AGRICULTURE : You r·arrnot expect the inspectors to go around to 0aeh dairy daily to see if the separators haYe b1)c'n eloaned.

1\Ir·. WALKER: We have the grading of bnit<'r carried out. most strictly, and it is quite an easy matter for the Minister to find out whether the results of the grading carried out at iho cold stores work out in accord­ance with the grading at the factory. One should check the other. The point, never­theless. remains that Queemland is only expt•rting· 26 per cent. of choicest butter, and the remainder of the butter exported is classed as first, second, or third grade, or pastry butter. That is a deplorable state of affairs.

There s(•ems to be some misunderstanding in connection with the Paterson scheme, and it is just as well that I should clPar it away. The Patcrson-Delroy scheme was initiated last J an nary, and it is surprising- the good work it has done in controlling and stabilis­ing the butter industry. The scheme is con­trolled by a board of director;, who are also the State Dairy Control Board. That is clone in order to eliminate all expenses possibl0 in administratioP. They have tried as nearly as possible, subject to local con· ditions and importations of foreign butter, t-o ~trike one price for butter all over Australia. It is almost an impossibility to fix 11 uniform price for butter all over the Commonwealth, for the simple reason that Queensland is ~ituated further away from New Zealand than Victoria, and consequently the greater eost of transport between New Zealand and Queensland retards the importation of butter from the Dominion to t·his State. The board imposes on the various factoric•s a levy of l~d. pl'r lb. on nil butter producfld, but it r"turns to those factories which have paid their· levif's-thero are cases, but not in Queensland, where those lcviPs have not been paid-an amount equal to 14d. per lb. on all buttf'r exported. In other words, the con­sumer of Australia is paying for the whole of that increase. It is no use hiding this fact. While it is a good thing to stabilise the butter industry of Queensland, we find we have not the support of the Labour people in doing so. Queensland, Now South Wales, and Yict<>ria have all gone carefully into

Mr. Walker,!

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106 Address in Reply. iASSE::'v1BL Y.] Addrc8s m Reply.

the matter and endorsc>tl the 'chcmc as a g-ood onn for i he dairyn1en, .vet '''e ftnd that South Amtralia, although they joined the ;;;chcmC', haYo not yet paid their lcvie~, and they have a Labour Government and own Government factories. Kow I com0 b:. ck to :\h. Trov. He was not in favour of stc.bil­i~ing th8 industr:v eYidently, as h0 did not support the scheme. There is a difference of opinion on that matier betwPcn the Secre­tary for Ag1iculturG and myself. Mr. Tray and his Go;·ernment stated thcv would not loin tho Paterson schcrno bcc~Ut'(' it ;vas <'xploitinp: tho consun1er. It nrust be clearly understood that the \Yest Australian Government m'> ns mo,t of the butter factories there. It is no use rnincing rnatters. I con~ gratulate tho Secretary for Agriculh:re on his endcaYonl' to a~,~ist in the ~tabili:ation of tho industry, but I haYe no tin1c for the people \Yho stabilise tht' conditions of the nu!n on tho basic wag;e and let thP nFlll in the country 70 rip.

The SECRETARY FOR AGR!Ct'LTURE: \Yhat do you think of :'lle<tr's proposal? Do :you stand for the scheme they put fo1·ward '?

:'vir. WALKER: do not. know what f:('hf.)ll10 you mean.

Tho SECRETARY FOR AGRICL:LTt'RE: The one that was booted out.

Mr. W ALKEH: Still I do not knoK. You booted the whole lot out.

The SECRETARY FOR AGRICULTURE: You ar<O not game to say what you really think about it. I refer to the proposal to giYC' statutory authority to the Austra.lian Dairy Council to set up a tribunal, and appoint a lot of paid (Jfiicors.

:'lir. \VALKEH: Xo. I am not in favom of that.

R0ferring to raihva~- 111n tier',, WP an" Ycr.v

sorry indcccl (o think that freights and f:acs have gone up again. \Ve have had a pretty l"'Ough spin in our primary indu:~trif"·~. and I lun·o sho\nl that the export of butter has gone back over 3,000 tons for the vcar in Qut"'ensland: yet, in face of that, frei'ghts and fare-:: are increased. EYerv hon. mem­her opposite who spoke during 'the last elec­tion campaign stated the Government had no intention of increasing frcight:-:i and fares. The SCDretarv for Public Lands, in a leader writ_t0n by hiniSPl~ . in hi;;, if'''"ll paper, ro­fernn;:_:!;" to the pos1t1on of t1H: raihvavs and to the Opposition, stated- "

" It induden 1nen 'vho \Yant0d to 1nake the railways pay by raising ft•C'ights and fares."

In spite o£ what was said by the Pr<:'micr at Sandgate. ,and also by other Ministers on different occasions, thev have dcliberatelv inCJ'0ased frcighh and ·fares. \Ve contend that, h"d the Governmpnt carried out an economic possibility a few years ago and prevented the railway rolling-stock. perman­<'nt way etc .. g-E'tting into such a bad state of repair, the difficulty would have been fJYerconiA. a.nd this increasp, would not have hcen necessarv. Unfortunatelv thev allowed 11l:1'Lers to drift, and orw orily needs to go mto thp neighho'lrhocd of Narnbour and in­srw:t the 'tatc of the sleepers bcinr; taken un th8ro to he astounded at the existin"' condi­tio!l of affair~'- That ~ort of thing is °Causing I he accidents and b,·e,oking up our rolling­' took.. T undeTstand there' is a super-ho<1ter \chich g-ives the department no end of trouble. )Jo doubt it has been reported upon by the heads of departments, but, if they got

[M1'. Walker.

together a body of the drivers to give an: opinion on the subjed, I venture to say those things would be passed out, as they are ~rnjre nnsuitahlr. for Queensland condition~. \V" know ihat, had these reforms been carried out a few :vear3 ago, they would not have this trouble to--day, bN,tuse th:· rcYC1Hle \Yould bC' increasing every year instead of ele deficit bccolning· greater.

There is anotJ1er matter to w·hich I wish to refer in concluf'ion, and. that is~ increasing the :~alaries of 1nC'n1bcrs of Parliament, as has been suggested by the Government. Some· momb>,rs who l>aYe spoken have not referred to this m.Jtter. and I really think, on account of public o·l)inion and the urgency of the busi­nf-::..s and the inquiries whirh are being made outside regn rding our attitude on this ques­tion that e;·erv member should speak at the· pres'cnt. time ai1d distinctly say ,vheth~r he is in favour of an increase or not. I thmk the who'e of the members of this House are \Yell paid. The ''Courier" is inclined to let l\Iinic·ters off. but I say that to-day Ministers are amply paid. /et prc,cnt they. take an enormous amoullt in travelling expenses that was never taken before, and, if you take those expenses into consideration, they have a very handsome sal a rv. I do not think ono of them is overpaid: b~1t, taking the fact into con­sideration that men arc daily waiting on us 'ecking employment. we ought to play tho game and see that Ministers do not take an~· n1ore. Reft)rring to private n1ernbers, I sn.y we are well paid for the work we. do. Take the members on this ,ide of the Houee. Evf'rvonc of th0n1 has other means of earning a liYclihood. Xot that anv of them was born "·ith a sih·cr ~poon in his' mouth, but every­one of th .. _·lll. through ruining, dairying, or :-·,'Jnlethino· ehr. has worked his ·wav up, and to-clav i17e:"', aro succes'lful nu~n. Cannot all rnr-1nber.;; ";ho are uot carrying out other work imm0diatclv ''lke on other duties? Sonw nlf.~n1bors ni1 the GoYcrnn1cnt f'ide have othe1~ intNests from which they earn a livelihood, and thC'v do not need nllv lUCre. I do nou wish to lncliYidnalisc hon. incrnbers, but rnanY of thf'nl arc doing sorncthing ohe; and, 1f they are not, the~" should be. They have no ri!l'ht to b~ idlo during tiw part of the ~ ,. 'r when Parliament is not sitting. If the Go­Yernment were sincere. they should have put' the proposal in their pllltform at the gon~ral <'lection, and so played the game, and tnen individual members could have been asked bv the elt<:tors 'vhether thcv '"erC' in favour. of a·n hYT0 1sc or not. and they .ronld h~ve o~2 1 l turned do'.Vn or othcrvvise as the case may n0.. If the Govemment roallv want to play thr: tntn1c-, having 1nadc onP. n1istake, v\'hy nOt put the proposal before th0 Board of Trade -and ~\rhitration. That tribunal is thoro to ndjudictte on all questions of wag0s, and let the GoYNnnwnt put this question before the Rnnrd of 1.~rade 3.nd Arbitrat!on, a SupremP Court iud:<c. or , nv tl'ibunal thev like. \Ve haY':: nO ri!:rht to in-ci.4 01.sc our own "salaric~. It iA not fair .. to thoso who do not hP!ievc in nn incrca"'· and it is certainlv not fair to thoR'' who sent us here. ~

1\ir. LLEWELYN (1'oou-oomb,:~): ,\s " rrpre~entatiY0 of a COHlTI1€'1'C'ial centre in tho n1jddle of a big ag-ricultural district. I vie.1\" with a ~c:ood ckal of plnsure the references m His Excell0ncv's Speech to the primary pro­-ducers and t~ the legiolation covering the agricultural industry. I do not. claim tJ:at any knowledge 1 have on the subJect iJerhnn­ing to the man on the land is other than elementary, but one thing that appealed to me·

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Addre88 in Reply; [± AL:crsT.] A ddre88 in Reply. 107

perhaps more than another was th:' adminis­tration of this Government in connection with the prickly-pear problem. The hou. member for Cooroora just flippantly refern~.J to the prickly-pear pest. It has been m.v privilege to travel a good deal over country where thi.s scourge is obvious and the eire~t of it vcrv obvious, and I have seen !h~ amount of hard work entailed in the eradi­< ·<tion of the pear. The sympathy mani­fc:.tcd by this G.;vcrnnwut and the financial a~sistnncn gin?'n to the n1an on the land who is tr,viug to overcome this big- problem 1nust he eon1mcnd0d, 1l?ld it is certainl:T surprising b me that the men in the localitie:J infested ·with thi:;; IJ('·'t have not shown a greater amount of p:ratitudo than they h,,\""C in con­n0dion wiih the elef'tjon of rc;presentativo-; to Par1ianu~nt.

I \vas spt•aking this aftcrncon to a fal'lner residing in the~ elcctJrate of the ho11. men1-bC'r for ~anango. and he assured n1o that, if there is one- thing IT!Or.c than ano·~her that fanners appteciate and have £:very reason to bP gr.tteful for, it i~ the legislation in connection with prickly-pear eradication. If wo ta kc our m inch back to 1924, we shall fin-d that priYato ent":rprise supplied arsenic penbxide f<n· 2s. 6d. per lb. On bt s~p­tembcr, 1924. it w·p' reduced to 9d. per lb., later on to 6d. per lb., and only last ?.ionday it was hn·thc;· rcdtK···d to 3d. per lb. These panicularf. can be a-·Ct>.rtained b:"' r''ading the report of the 1) ndcr S"'crotarv for Publir L-ands whieh wa'l tabled thiR 1;1orning. 1 wo;_Jld rcf Dnl!IH'nd cn:r .· hon. n1cmbm· to read that report. I gather from it that for the sum of 3d. von can buv sufficient arsenic 1Y·ntox~t1c to- ntako a sofution \Yhich would haYl1 the f'ffcct., v1hcn applied, of destro-ying 10 tons of JWar.

:\fr. COSTELLO: Go on!

1Ir. LLE\VEL Y~: I -<tnl nrenarecl to ?.c'c~pt the opinion of the ext)m:t L on that Ill_. :tcr in prefcrcDf'f~ to the opinion of tho hou. DlP.Wbc•r ·who interject~. I \Yant to rf'fer to thf' differcurp in the conditions nbhlinjng- 1 o-day in th0 prin1ary industrif's to thoso which obLlin~d son1o yc·ars ago. It has b(>-en 111;\7 plcasuro and privilege to dis­euss thc·:.e n1attnrs wi~h the fanners jn the Toowoomba di~trict. :11:any of theu1 do not agrce with the polit-ic-, of 'the Labour party. hut. they np-ree with and emphatically say that the legislation giving "_hem co-opc,ratiw' nnd marketing· niachiner.v has bC'0n the b,•;;:t that tlwy have vet had. and thev an' grateful indo"'l !o the Govorument for it.

I wa.s very pleascrl tt) 11ot0 in thiB Inorn­ing'c paper <;hat the Prime Minietcr is detcr­inilll d to go on with the scheme to tax petrol. I do not think tlwr.e can be auv scheme of t.axati<'n introduced "-hich woulcl appeal to ns os more equitable than i"hc Prime Minister's proposal in this rcgrrrd. A light" 1notor-f ar does not require thP powe-r of propul>'ion that a hc~n-v car requiro-:; conse­quently the rwople using the heav~v yehicle n1u~t consume a groat •r quantity of petrol, :111d h0nre thr~v :-.hould pay 1nore taxation. Prr.,on dlv. I brlieYc it. j~ a bPttcr schen1o t.han that conh,i110d in tho Rill ,,·hich ,, a-; intror1ucf~d into this Ilous·D la~t R,:gslon. and I b0lieYO that: thr; schPmo gcnernlly TrilJ give grrate:.· f'ati:;;faetion. ThP onnosition to th·-, 'PrimP ~Iinistcr'~ nrnnr::sfll. bi{t.or and ho.--tl1t: as it is Dnh~ 0Jnan:ttf.-. frorn v-ested 1ntPr0st;;; thRt a;e cOncerned in tho ~a1o- of petroL Tho~:~ in'tcrc,·t:;'. in1PO' t. their Dl trol. and I l1opr- that. the Colonial Oil R0finer~·. \Yhich

refines its petrol in Australia, will keep the price of petrol down and be a good influence, notwithstandiiJg the tax of 2d. per gallon, in ('Olnp('Jling; th~ other con1panies to play rh0 ganJ.e in their treatment of the general public.

At 5 p.n1., The SPEAKER resumed the chair.

:,\fr. LLE\VELYN: I arn very glad to se"'~ in the Lieutenant-Governor's Speech rderenco

to a proposal to amend the State [5 p.rn.J Children Act by providing for

y, idov·s) pensions. I feel that no s:r~~,, eh frmn a Government. con1p03Cd of IuPnlhct·~ on this r.idc of tho I--Iouse, would be eomplctr- \Yithcut rE'f.erenc(~ to that proposal. The hon. rnember for Enoggora inf,'-\rjccted a f0w minutr,s :tgo that we could not corn­pur• with the amounts paid in other S·~ates iln{1 thnt \Ye \PJre the lo,vrst of all the Shtc•. I wry much doubt th»t, but I am mJt prrrHlt't~d to Eay whe·~hor it is right or '·' rong·.

:.\Ir. KERR: ~l.nother State pays 15s. and "<' nnly pay 10s., for a start. :VIr. TJLF:WELYN: I say that legislation

of this nature is necessary, but at the same time I do not believe that "any humanitarian c:ovcrnmrnt such as the Queensland Labour C:oY•"'rnn>cnt •rould be satisfied to pay as l~ttlP ns anv other State, and I have no doubt the him. member for Enoggera could get the information if he only wished. • ::\11'. KERR: Hurc a look at the Common­wealth Statistician's figures. I have given 1 hcrn ~..-::-vr-;:·al ti1ncw.

:YI!·. LLEWEL YN: At any rate. I hope that befor~ this 5e~sion is over that very llt'(C'"'' ary n1casurc of justice to widows 1vill b•' put on the statute-book.

:\'nw I wish to refer to another subject whi' 11 has hccn m<'ntioned by almost all hon. mcml-~rs who havo spc'kcn- It has to do with the OIH-,,tion of the elections. I recognise that 'prvl1ahJy tlurir~g an election party Jli:Ulag-er ~ nw . . ~ Le guilty of doing what they e1ught not to ;k. bu~t th~rc is one thing which litlppencd in Toowoomba to which I wish to ref<'r, and I reg!·ct that the hon. member for Enst Too'\vColriba is not in his place to hear »·hat I have to say ·regarding the matter. At the committee rooms of the gentleman who opposed me and of the hrm. member for East Toowoomba we had the spectacle of a placard with these words on it, "Under whiC'h flag are you going to live?" ~here ,,-as a Union Jack and a red flag w1th a skull and cros'bonc·s on it. Surely no one on either sidn of this House 'thinks for a moment that the emblem of that red flag is an indication of anv member's attitude towards the welfare of Queensland and of tho British Em ]lire! I venture to say that no hon. member in this I-Iow<oo is guilty of disloyalty to the "Cnion Jack >•nd the British Ernpire. -

?dr. KIXG: Why did the Pr0mier march in a procf>s-;iou ,vi th a red flag ·~

:Vfl·. LLEWELYN: Ho can answer that quc•5tion himself. Any cause that has to be fought on lines like that has no virtue in it. I do not staud for what hon. members oppo­,ite attempted to lead the people to believe in connection with the red flag and the skull and cross-bonos. The good scnec' of the people prevented them believing those silly storiEs. During the election campaign much was said about the \Vi!lowburn workB. I am

Mr. Llewelyn,]

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108 Questions. [ASSEMBLY.]

very happy to say that the work is still going· on there. \Ye have over lOO n1en engaged, and I fpe] confident that during the coming yf'ar tho Cabinet \vill seP that the work is pushed through to a finish. I foe! sum that !he Estimates this vear will provide for a lib3ral allowance for this work.

c;ir. EflWARDS: Thev have won three elec­tions \\'ith the \Villow.burn works.

:J;Ir. LLEWELYN: Nothing of the kind. During my by-election campaign last year it was st.,tcd that it was rather significant that it "as proposed to construct four matemity hospitals in that district. All those bog,•ys counted for nothing. Much praise is due to the Government for their assistance to the womenfolk of the State. Notwithstonding the advance of science, I still hold that we have not made the progress that we would like to have made; still Quoon:;land's efforts in thi~ n'gard haY'-' be-en juct wonrler£ul. Xotwith;!unding· !lw advance of science, I am of the opinion that our womenfolk in going through Nature's trials have to face a task that is still too big. \Ye should urge our scientific men con­tinuaiiy to concentrate on the subject of l0>1ening the task so that thl' 1nortality can be reduced to a minimum.

One could say a good deal on child wel­fare. The Government have done wonde;ful work in that connection. Provision has been made b:-; the Department of Public Insh·uc­tion for the institution of a dental clinic, and pending the completion of a travelling rail­\-vay clinic arrangements have been mado for a motor clinic with all the latest dental applianc·es, and they arc doing a great deal of p:ood. A Government acting on those lines cannot but help winning the confidencP of the people. and it is beccuse of such efforts that th<' electors of Queensland show their gntitudc to this Government. They have sueh confidenc<' in the Government that thev ar<' always prepared to return them to powe1:.

)fr. FRY (llzwilp7): I beg to move the adjournment of the debate.

Question put and pa%sed. The rpsnmption of the debate was made an

Order of the Day for to-morrow. The House adjourned at 5.10 p.m.

Qttestions.