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Queensland

Parliamentary Debates [Hansard]

Legislative Assembly

TUESDAY, 8 SEPTEMBER 1942

Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy

Address in Reply. [8 SEPTEMBER.) Questions. 99

TUESDAY, 8 SEPTEMBER, 1942.

Mr. SPEAKER (Hon. E. J. Hanson. Buranda) took the chair at 11 a.m.

QUESTIONS.

MAIN ROADS FUND.

~Ir. WALKER (Cooroora) asked the Treasurer-

'' 1. \IVhy was the contribution from the Main Roads Fund to consolidated revenue increased to over £41,000 in July last f

'' 2. ·what is the intended amount of such transfer for 1942-43 ~''

The TREASURER (Hon. F. A. Cooper, Bremer) replied-

'' 1. No contribution was made from the Main .Roads :B'und to consolidated revenue in July last.

'' 2. The amount to be diverted from the Main Roads Fund to consolidated revenue, in accordance with the terms of the Main Roads Fund and Heavy Vehicles Road Fund Transfer Appronl Act of 1935, will be disclosed in the Budget for the current year. '

Mr. WALKER (Cooroora) asked the Treasurer-

'' 1. What were the total receipts and expenditure, respectively, of the Main Roads Fuml for 1941-42?

'' 2. ·what amount was received from the CommomYealth in 1941-42 under the Federal Aid Roads Acts~''

'l'he TREASURER (Hon. F. A. Cooper, Bremer) replied-

'' 1. Total receipts, £1,965,075 96. Sd.; total expenditure, £2,143,097 3s. 2d.

'' 2. £410,232 6s. 10d.''

DISBURSEMENTS OF STATE DEVELOPMENT TAX FUNDS.

ltrr. NICKLIN (Murrumba) asked the· Treasurer-

" What amount was spent from the State development tax in 1941-42 under the following headings:-( a) Interest and Sinking Fund charges on past loan Pxpenditure; (b) towards loan charges of the Story Bridge; and (c) total amounL

lOO Questions. [ASSEMBLY.] Privilege.

excluding the balance left in consolidated revenue at 30 June?''

The TREASURER (Hon. F. A. Cooper, Bremer) replied-

" (a) £335,148 16s. lld.; (b) nil; (c) £1,787,896 :.:s. 6d."

SUPPLIES OF J<'IREWOOD.

1\fr. JURT (Wynnum) asked the Scuetary for Agriculture and Stock-

' 1 1. Will he giYe consideration to the

inclusion of fiTewood as an essential commodity under the Kational Secnrity (Emergen c:· Supplies) Rules~

":.:.Has any action been taken-(a) to on•1·come the present shortage of firewood· (b) to lmilr1 up stocks of firewood for cooking purposes in case of failure of clectl·icity and/or gas~''

The SECRETARY FOR AGRICULTURE AN~} S'l'OCK (Hon. F. W. Bulcock, Barcoo) replied-

'' 1. Firewood is not classified as an essential commodity under thP National Security (}JmeJ·gen~y Supplie~) Rules. At pre•;ent, I have no intention of including fi1·ewood.

1 '2. As firewood does not come '"ithin mv control, I am unable to answer question 2, but I understand that certain nction to ensure supplies has been taken by the Man-power Organisation.'' ·

The PREMIER: A regulation that has for its purpose the gathering and cutting up of fire,vood was put through last night.

IVIDO\VS' PENSIONS AND RATION RELIEF.

:\Ir. LlJCIHXS C'daree) asked the SeCTetary for Labour and Industry-

'· A!'e wido,-s' pensions taken into a(·• ount in detcl'mining eligibility for ra~ion relief~''

The SECRETARY FOR LABOUR AND lNDUS'l'RY (Hon. T. A. Foley, Normanby) replied-

' (Yes."

COSTS IN QUINLAN l'. :::VfOLOXEY

)Ir. YEATES (East Toowoomba) asked the Premier-

'' 1. Did the Government uccept liability for all or any of the legal costs of Inspector Molone;' in the defamation case, Quinlan Yersus Moloney?

'1 2. What is the amount of the Govern

ment's contribution?''

T1Hl PRElUIER (Hon. W. Forgan Smith, Macb;) replied-

'' 1 and 2. The matter is still sub judice. The costs payable by the Crown will be included in the return showing fees paid to barristers and solicitors, which is tabled pursuant to an Order of the House.''

INCIDENCE OF GoNORRH<EA AND SYPHILIS.

1\Ir. BARNES (Bundaberg) asked the Secretary for Health and Home Affairs-

'' 1. How many persons, showing males and females, were infected with-( a) gonorrhcea, (b) syphilis in the years ending ,Tune, 1914, and June, 1942, respectively~

'' 2. ·what was the age of the youngest and oldest of each sex to be infected in each year?

'' 3. \Vha t improvement in treatment is shown in 1942 as compared with that of 1914 fol'-(a) gonorrhcra, (b) syphilis~"

The SECRE'l'ARY FOR HEALTH AND HOIIIE AFFAIRS (Hon. E. lVI. Hanlon, Ithaca) replied-

" 1. The annual report to 30 June, 1914, shows that 859 cases of gonorrhcea were notified and 231 of syphilis, making a total of 1,090 persons, of whom 910 were males and 180 females. 'l'he ages ranged from one yeur to 'over sixty years.' '£here is no fm·ther dissection to show how many of each sex wore infected with each disease. For the fiscal year to 30 June, 1942, 355 males and 287 females were notified as suffering from gonol'l'hcea and 137 males and 86 females from syphilis.

'' 2. The age of the youngest in 1914 is shown as from one year, and the oldest in that period as 'oYer sixty years'; in 1942 the youngest of each sex ranged from a few weeks to 'sixty-five and over.'

'' 3. In respect of (a) gonorrhcea and (b) syphilis, there have been very great improYcments in treatment in 1942 as compared with those used in 1914. Further researches in chemistry have permitted the old style salvarsan for syphilis to be replaced by verv much more potent and effective chemical compounds. This has shortened the period of treatment for syphilis materially. The latest improvement is u fivc-duy treatment, which is at present under investigation and which, if it proves successful, will represent a very great further advance. The use of sulphanilumide in the treatment of gonorrhcea has permitted astonishing improvements in treatment for that disease. These methods were introduced in Queensland very shortly ufter their discovery and prior to their use in several other States in Australia.''

PRIVILEGE.

STATEMENTS BY THE HON. MEMBER FOR BUNDABERG.

Tlle PRETh'IIER (Hon. W. Forgan Smith, Mackay (11.0 a.m.) : I desire, with the leave of the House, to move a motion of privilege, to be decided without amendment or debate.

LeaYe given.

'l'lie PRE:i}IIER: I move-

" (a) That the allegations contained in the speech made by the member for Bundaberg, as recorded in 'Hansard,' pages 28 and 29, on 26 August, 1942, constitute a gross breach of privilege, inasmuch as they

Address in Reply. [8 SEPTEMBER.] Address in Reply. 101

maleYolently defame and libel, by false innuendo, all hon. members of this House.

'' (b) 'l'hat the member of Bundaberg be called upon therefore to unreservedly withdnnY these insulting and defamatory allegations against hon. members of this House, anrl to make a full and complete apology to the Ho11Se for his unralled-for and unjustifiable conduct in malevolently insulting all members of the House.''

l\fot ion agreed to.

JUr. BAR~ES (Bundaberg) (11.11 a.m.): 1\Ir. Speaker, I withdraw the statement, and I humbly apologise to the House.

'fl!e Premier: Do you admit that the sta tcmen ts \Yen: false~

)Ir. BAR:'i'ES: Have I got to include that in the apology~

'!'he l':remier: Yes.

lUr. RAR;\'ES: I include that in the npolugy.

PAPERS.

The following papers were laid ou the table:-

Regulations under the Mental Hygiene Act of 19:38.

Fifty-fourth annual report of the C;)ueensland Trustees, Limited.

The following paper was laid on the table c1nd ordered to be printed:-

Heport of the Comptroller-General of Prisons for the year 1941.

ADDR.ESS IN REPLY.

RESUMPTION OF DEBATE-THIRD ALLOTTED

DAY.

Debate resumed from 2 September (see p. 99) ou 1Ir. 0 'Shea 's motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply.

)Ir. RIORDAN (Bowen) (11.18 a.m.) : At the outset, I desire to congratulate the mover and seconder of the motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply.

I also desire to congratulate the hon. member for Charters Towers on his elevation to ministerial rank, (Hear, hear!) Since his appointment. he has discharged the duties appertaining to his high office with credit, not only to himself but to the Government '"ho 1Ye1·e responsible for his appointment.

At the opening of this session, the Leader of the Opposition gaYe utterance to a thought approved of by us all, that there should be no recriminations and no bitterness in the debates this year, and that we should, as it were, knuckle down to what might be termed real work in the interests of the nation in its periL But before the session had been going very long we drifted into other habits again and recriminations were being hurled from the other side of the chamber. I am not going

to blame the Opposition altogether for that, because they have on their benches apparently men who take privilege for licence. I refer particularly to the hon. member for Bundaberg, whom we have dealt with this morning. It is all very well for this Parliament to get up and g;·aciously censure the hon. member for the 11asty things he has said about the members of this Parliament-no-one can take exception to that-but he has also made statements about very honourable citizens of this State and this Commonwealth. He maligned the womanhood of this country, and he l'eterred to the leaders of this nation or the Allied forces that are to-day in Australia and outside AnstTalia in very derogatol'y tel'ms. On page 28 of '' IIansard,'' besides the matter we have dealt with--

~Ir. nARNES: I rise to a point of order. I object to the hon. member's quoting this year's '' Hansard. ' '

~Ir. SPEAKER: Order!

II'Ir. RIOR1H_N: I memorised the statement marle by the hon. member because I took particular interest in his statement. He stated that Ml". C!arrie Fallon, the general secretary or the secretary of the Queensland Brm1ch of the Australian '\Yorkers' Union, during the time of industrial trouble, had sold 25s. Australian '\Vorkm·s' Union tickets for £5 to ilagoes throughout the cane area. As a matter of fact, that is a statement that roulcl only be made hv a man using this House by way of licence instead of observing the privileges nffordecl to him under this democracy.

JUr. Rarnes interjected.

Jir. SPt:AKER: Order!

)fr. RIORnAN: He comes in here and maligns men who are not in a position to defend themseh·es. He is taking ailvantage of what is known as the coward's castle.

:tir. Rarnes interjected.

1Ir. SPEAKER: Order !

1Ir. RIORUAN: I have a letter here from ~Ir. Fallon, the secretary of the Australian \Vorkers' Union, that reads-

'' Dear Sir,-

'' ~.fy attention has been directed to a statement concerning me by the member for Bunclaberg published on page 28 of 'Hansard,' No. 1 of 1942.

''The statement referred to stamps him as an unmitigated and contemptible liar, and if any member of the party wishes to giYc my statement to that effect the same publicity as the statement by the member for Bundaberg, he has my permission to do so.

''Further, if this lying lout will make a similar statement outside where he is not entitled to the protection of the House I will guarantee to afford him an opportunity to repeat it under circumstances which will compel a deeision by a completely independent tribunal as to whether he is an nnmitigated liar.

02 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

''It is a deplorable state of affairs that I must defend myself against this lout, but since the state of affairs exists, I will take the necessary steps to do so, if he can muster up sufficient courage to repeat the statement outside the House.

"Yours faithfully,

'' 0. Fallon, ''Branch Secretary. ' '

~Ir. Barnes: Table the paper.

Jlr. SPEAKER: Order!

ltlr. RWRDA:N: I will table it.

This letter was sent by a man who was elected to be the head of an organisation that is the most powerful in this Commonwealth. If these people can come forward and make these statements under privilege, where are we going to finish in this House, which is representative of democracy"? l do not think I was elected to come here and malign everybody I do not agree with or have 110 time for. If I were, I should not be here. In any case, the people would be lacking in intelligence if they sent a person of that kind to this chamuer.

Another statement, the one concerning the women of Australia, was made by this gentleman during the course of his remarks, or in the letter he read to this Parliament that he sent to John Curtin or }'rank :B'orde. He made the statement that the women of Australia were hurling themselves at the heads of the American forces, and asked what the future generations could expect from mothers of this kind who had no morals. Surely to God, Mr. Speaker, hon. members should not be allowed to come into this chamber and make such statements about the womanhood of this countl-y, thousands of whom are serving in the forces, and giving their best while this individual maligns them under cover of the privilege of this House. I think it is time this sort of thing was stoppecl.

Jir. Barnes interjected.

Mr. SP:EAKER: Order! I have called the hon. member to order three or four times already. I hope l do not haYe to do it again.

lUr. RIO RH AN: He questions the escape of General Douglas Macarthur from Batanan action that was heralded throughout the world as a masterpiece of strategy-and he maligns the general. Have we to listen to trash of this kind~ Or is it that in this Chambn there are growing Fascisms of every description and these receive mealy-mouthed praise from individuals of this type? In his statement he has said that the Japs. were better than Australians, of course with the exception of himself-hitting himself on the neck. Is this the statement of an Australian or of somebody grvmg lip-service to suhversive literature and Fifth Columnist activity'' Is jt in the best interests of the nation that this person should be allowed to make statements of this kind in this Chamber~ I notice that they do not appear in '' Hansard, '' and there

is an obvious reason why. It is time this sort of thing was stopped. It is time a person \Yas not permitted to malign people merely because he has the privilege of Parliament. The privilege accorded to hon. members is not conferred on them by their electors. It is bestowed on them by this House, and the House should take every care that that privilege is not abused. It is not the first occasion on which he has cast aspersion on every hon. member of the House. These statements are repeated by persons who are opposed to the interests of democracy. I refer particularly to those who are against the democratic way of living and are still carrying out their nefarious practices beyond the precincts of Parliament.

It is time the individual who makes these statements was taken strongly to task. I am sure the people of Bundaberg "-ill take the very first opportunity of dealing with him in the appropriate way. I think I have occupied too mueh time already in talking about him. 'roo much notice has been taken of him and too much publicity has been given to him. It served the purpose of certain people to do so. It is about time this House took the action that was taken this morning. He cast aspersions not only on the characters of hon. members of this House but on the charactere of decent citizens also, particularly those \vlw are the democratically elected leaders of :1

large organisation and the soldiers of thi~ nation.

Much puulicity has been given to a state, ment made by the hon. member for Oxl,ly that the men employed by the Ailieu \Yorl's Council have to take out union tickets. For many years in Queem.land preferenee to unionists has been a settled policy. 1t is mandatory under the industrial la1vs of the State. Every man has to o btaiu a union ticket after he has been on a job for one month. The awards of the Industrial Court give him plenty of time to do so. Tie is asked to do that because, long ago, it was decided that in this State it was preferable to have organised labour rathei· than unorganised or disorganised labour.

Jfr. ~fuller: You know there is a war on.

~II·. RIORDAN: There is a war on, but the hon. member should not forget the facts a,. to the 4-per-cent. profits tax. The war was also on at that time and the party with every privilege sought to get the measure limiting profits to 4 per cent. scrapped. Th£ conditions affecting trade unionism lwxe been built up over the years, but the hon. member for Oxley would like a return to employees' wa.ges and conditions operating in 1889 or 1891 when it was a crime to be a unionist" Those conditions have been abolished and in Queensland to-day there is organised unionism. Let me point out to the hon. member that in Queensland, \\"here the grPater proportion of active work is going on in the field that unionism is very necessary and that ther~ is not one word of industrial troubk throughout the length and breadth of the State. But let the hon. member refer to the


Press on any morning and he will find headlines and much space devoted to the industrial disputes in the other States. That is because unionism is not so well organised in those States. The Press also reports that thousands of men are being brought from the other States to Queensland to do war 1York. Thousands of men have been taken from other industries for this purpose. The hon. member instancrd a farmer. In my opinion fa}·mers should not be taken for the 1\'0l'k being done by the Allied Works Council. A farmer would be better employed producing the foodstuffs that will be urgently required in the Commomvealth before many moons come and wane. But at the same· time, if thnt fm·mer, or whoever he is, has been ahsorbecl into an il1clustry covered by an nward of the State Court, he should conform 1vith every principle of trade unionism that the comt adopts. If you are going to scrap the Industrial Comt, if you are going to scrap :1ll your so~ial laws because you are at war, ~·ou are going to have chaos in the State, and you are going to lower the morale of the people of the whole of the Commonwealth. \\'hat i' the good of talk of this kind on the rnrt of a few persons, most of whom clo not make theRe statements or refuse to buy a union tieket because of the principle involved, hut because they begrudge the 25s. out of their pac· envelope~ With them it is not a question of principle at all; it is purely a qnestion of dodging their obligation to pay the 25, cl..fter all, who in Australia owe morP to organised labour than the workers of the Commonwealth~

'!'he hon. member for Oxley says that it is a shame that people are forced to take out union tickets. Those men had to have union tickets before the Allied Works Council came to Queensland. I should like to point out to the hon. member the difference in the con· ditions opeTating in this State, with its organised labour, and those operating in other parts of the Commonwealth. Surely the hon. membeT must remember that as a result of the Commonwealth Government's activities they had to form a panel comprising industrial unionists and employers for the purpose of dealing with questions that would hinder the 11·ar effort. Sir William Webb, Chief Justice of Queensland, was appointed chaiTman of that board. He agreed to act provided he was given power to make decisions only \Yhen a deadlock was reached, and on the very first contentious matter that was tonsidered-the question of preference to unionists-that board reached a deadlock, the unions voting for preference to unionists, and the employers voting against it, and Sir \;viJliam Webb decided in favour of the introduction of preference to unionists throughout Australia. Upon his voting that way these 10-per-cent. patriots immediately withdrew their affiliation from that panel, and the board never met again. Such people believe in conciliation and arbitration only when it suits themselves; the moment it goes against them and they have no power to force their will upon the others, they do not believe in it. Those self-same persons were making use of the Press to bring into disrepute the miners of :;;ew South Wales and other parts of

Australia, and they were using Mr. Ecldie ·ward, an elected and very efficient representative of the people in the Commonwealth Cabinet, in an endeavour to bring about a split in the Labour Party of Australia. Again they were foiled. Again it was found necessary to tell these political humbugs just where they stood with their hampering of the war effort. To-day, as a result of the activities of Mr. Eddie Ward,. Minister for Labour and National Service, and the patience of Mr. John Curtin, we find that we hm·e peace in the coal industry of Australia, an cl that is no mean achievement. Let the hon. member fOT Oxley remember that those coalminers had to take out union tickets before they could go into the mines.

I desire to point out to the hon. member that we have been free of industrial trouble in the coalmining industry of Queensland; \Ye have not ha cl one strike since the war began, and, what is more important, there has been a 33 per cent. improvement in the production of most of our mines. There is no industrial trouble of any kind in the only State of the Commonwealth that gives preference to unionists.

What is wrong with the preference to unionists about which the hon. member for Oxlev tn lks so much? When he was asked to c;te cases he said there was a farmer at Oxley-I suppose he is a bee farmer-anr1 some other man who objected because he did not believe in taking out a union ticket.

JUr. lli immo: Do not forget they are conscripts.

~h. RlORHAN: The hon. member for Oxlcy has had plenty of time to speak. Another thing I wish to point out to him is that 95 per cent. or more of the men in the fighting forces are members of trade unions in Australia, in Queensland in particular.

Mr. Luckins: They are compulsory unionists.

~fr. RIORDAN: They are not eompulsoq unionists. They are unionists by desire.

Jir. -:'limmo: That is an exaggeration. There -are not 95 per cent. of unionists in the fighting forces.

lUr. RIORDAN: Possibly more than 95 per cent. of the members of the fighting forces are unionists.

Let me go further with the hon. member for Oxley. He talked glibly the other clay about what the unions were doing, what they \Yere attempting to clo, and how they had been ridiculed. Certain hon. members opposite refened to the statement by the moYer of the motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply that he had been associated with the Austmlian ·workers' Union and the working-class movement in Australia for over 40 years. What is wrong with a statement of that kind? There was some reference to that statement in the Press, and of course it is not within om power to tell the Press what they should publish. The Press referred to the statement by the hon. member for vVnrrego in a sneering sort of way, but if


it had been a captain of industry who had been returned to this House and he had been refening to his 40 years of exploitation of the working class in industry, his statement would have been heralded as something worthy of note and something that would help this country. But the hon. member for Warrego has lived for 60 years in Australia, he was bred and born in the country, he has been nssociated with the working-class movement all his life, and he has proved himself to be a great stalwart of ihe movement. He has given of his best in helping his fellow-beings, and trying to make their lives better, and that is something of which he may be justly proud.

The hon. member for Maree said something a bout the abolition of State Parliaments, and I want to say emphatically right now that it will be a very bad day for Queensland, Western Au;Htralia, South Australia, and Tasmania if State Parliaments were n bolished or more power given to the Commonwealth Government than they have at the moment, irrespective of the political party that may be in power there.

)fr. Luckins: Your platform says that.

}fr. RIORDAN: My platform does not say anything of the kind, and if the hon. member knew anything about it he woulcl not mal'e such a statement. vVhat we aim at in this State is greater clevelopment within the State, ani! if we are going--

::IIr. Nimmo: Your platform says it.

~Ir. RIORUAN: Our platform does not say it. If we are to have a greater development in this State and if 1ve are to remove the shackles of the big capitalistic interests in New South vVales and Victoria we shall have to retain our State Parliaments. I am not very much concerned personally a bout ;;-hether State Parliaments are abolished or not. I have had many bosses in my life, and I have been often sacked, and so the abolition of State Parliaments will not make one bit of difference to me personally. The State Government will have to make n determined effort to develop the State and not allow such a policy to be dictated by interests such as those that revolve round the Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited and similar big institutions in the Routhern States.

lUr. Luckin~: They are giving a wonderful service.

jfr. RIORDAN: Of course they are giving a wonderful service in return for a percentage of profit, but there are no profits or dividends to-day for the men in inclusb·y or the men of the fighting forces at Milne Bay and Port Moresby. Hon. members opposite will cry out against the imposition of a maximum profit of 4 per cent. and clamour for its removal so that thev and their friends may make a higher profit throughout the Commonwealth.

lir. Luckins: What is John Cm·tin going to do about it~

lir. RIORDAN: I do not know w!1at John Curtin is going to do about it.

A Government JUember: He >Yill do the right thing, anyhow.

lir. RIORDAN: There is something that we are going to do in Queensland, and that is our job in this Parliament. I can understanr1 the attitude of the hon. member for Maree, whose interests are in and around the city of Brisbane. He is a land and estate agent, and he will sell some unsuspeeting poor guy in the ~om;try a. block of land on the side of a hill Ill Bnsbane at four times its value.

JUr. Luckins: I object to that statement, and I ask that it be withdra>vn.

}Ir. SPEAKER: There is no actual point of order. The hon. member for l\1aree can reply in due course.

}Ir. IUORDAN: I do not desire to be insulting to the hon. member. I "·as simply drawing a comparison between tl1e interests of the city and the interests of the country.

)Jr. J.~uck1ns: You are now getting down i o the ]en~! of Barnes.

J:Ur. JUORDXN: If I got down to the level of the hon. member I should bP getting lower than the level of Barnes. At an;· rate, I have always been able to meet my C'>tmnitments and requirements.

:J'Ir. Luckins: I ask that that statement he withdra" n. I have a good name m the citv. I have always paid my wa:·, and if th~ hon. member knows of anything that is contrary to decency I should Jik,, him to mention it.

~Ir. SPEAKER: I do not know that th_e statement by the hon. member for Bo>Ycn IS

objectionable, but I ask him to withdrnw it.

Mr. RIORDAN: I withdraw it out of respect for your ruling, Mr. Speaker. W~en the hon. member suggests that I am gettmg down to the level of Barnes, then natumlly I am incensed. I understood that thr hon. member for Marce was a discharged bank· rupt, and that is 1yhy I m~de the stat~ment. I do not wish to mdulge m persoJwhhes at all, but if I have to get down to the gutter in dealing with the hon. member [ must do so; if I have to fight a sanitary mcm I cannot do it with a dress suit on.

llir. I.~uckins: You are getting down to his level.

lUr. RIORIHN: I will not get down to yom· le\·el, because your level ioc mnch Jo;Yer than mine.

lUr. SPEJ.KER: Order!

Mr. RIORDAN: I was about to deal 1vith the question of the development of North queenslnncl when I >Yas interrupt,"d. .T am not confining my remarks to any particular Commonwealth Government. ·what did we find when the Japanese came into this war?' '!'he whole of North Queensland had been left high and dry, as a result of Commonwealth Government rule. You, 11r. Speakm·, know that just prior to their coming inte the war T marle a statement in this House-which at

Address in Reply. [8 SEPTEMBER.) Address in Reply. 105

the time v;as true-that there were not enough guns in the north of Queensland to repulse an army of koala bears. Until the Curtin Govrrnmcnt came into power, and until General :MacArtlmr came to Australia, no attempt wab being made at all to defend the northem parts of Queensland.

lUr. :?!IuHer: The United States army came hue before General 11acArthnr.

:?!Ir •. RlORDAN: There appeared to be a complete Jack of appreciation of the situation as existed in the whole of Queensland. It ''"as only due to the constant agitation ancl representations made by the Premier of this State for greater facilities for the defence of the northern areas of our Commonwealth that anything at all \Yas done. Previously, there was not a gun in the whole of North Queensland. \Vh~!t is the good of kidding to ourseh·es < Does any hon. member believe that the .Taps or Germans did not knaw that state

-of affaiTs existed f Why, anything that happens in th<e Brisbane River is known to the Japs fhe minutes afterwards. The defencelessness of Queensland up to that time was due to a lack of appTecia.tion of the facts by those people in the South who weTe charged with not only the goveTnment of the Common-1\"ealth but the goveTnment and protection of the northern paTt of our State. Until compamtive1y recently the Commonwealth Government haw· at no time paid any heed to QneenslaJJ<1 's c1efence at all. It may be said that the Commonwealth was not in a position to defend it, but it vYas pTobably due to the fact that those charged with the defence of this countTy dicl not think Queensland worth clefending. NDTth Queensland is the fTont line of Australia's defence, yet the people of Nodh (~ueensland are going about their everyday duties, sowing and harvesting theiT cTops ancl doing ewrything possible in theiT power to see that. this war is so waged that a successful C'ld 1vill be reached. Yet we haYe hon. meml1ers opposite getting up in their places anr1 suggPsting that there should be one Parliament only in Australia and that State Parliament< should be abolished.

I would bTing under the notice of hon. members opposite the state of affairs that exists in the Federal House of Representatives. At present 46 members of that body are elerted by the people of New South Wales and Victoria, and the remaining four States elect the balance of the 75 members who comprise it. I ask those hon. members, under such circumstances, how can these States, who are undeveloped, get the administrative consideration that is due to them.

:llir. l'!Iaher: The Senate was designed to cowr that •.-eakness.

I\Ir. RIORDAN: The Senate may have been designed to coveT that weakness, but such consideration was not given by its members in legislation recently dealt with by it. It was not considered on the principle of how it affected the States at all, but from a partypolitical point of view. What is the good, then, of hon. members opposite saying that the Senate was constituted to pTotect State

rights~ The Senate merely reflects the policy and opinion of the party in power, and has done so almost from its inception. It is no nsc asking the Senators to vote as individuals, for they do as the party in power directs.

Hon. members opposite have said: '' \Vhat a bout your platform~" suggesting that the platform of the Labour Party provides for unification; but I wonld inform them that that platfonn pTovides for the abolition of the Senate. They do not cry out about that at all but they make a great noise when they suggest that the platform provides for the abolition of State Parliaments. I say there is nothing in the Labour Party's platform that says so, and anyone who states the contrary is not aware of its contents.

1\Ir. Maher: If you were a senator and vou •yere faced with voting to preserve your State's rights or for your party's interests, "hi eh would you vote for~

lUr. RIORDAN: I should vote the waY the paTty I represented told me to vote.

l\lr. JUaher: As against the interests of the State~

1\Ir. RIOR.DAN: I should vote according to my directions and as my conscience pyom pted me in the best intmcsts of those people who elected me.

The Senate is not necessary. We had an 1J pp er House in this State, and we all kn?w how the majority of its members voted for 1ts abolition because they thought the interests of this State did not warrant it. To-day everyone agrees with their decision. It is a godsencl that it w~s abolished. Th~ thing that struck me most w1th Tespect to umform taxation was the constitution of the committee appointed by the Federal Government, or party, to deal with the problems of recon_struetion after this war. When I read the hst of names-they were Beasley, Ward, and Evatt from New Ronth Wales, and Holloway from Victoria-l thought it was strange there was no representative from any of the other States. I followed the matter up and it was not long before I found out these four who were given the duty of bringing forwar_d proposals for reconstruction after the war 1s over-that is something that is necessary and will have to be done-had submitted proposals to the Cabinet calling upon them to take away from the States even greater powers than they have taken away recently. The signifi,ant thing is that none of the smaller States are represented in that inner group.

lUr. lUaller: They are all of your party in politics.

JUr. RIORDAN: I am not concerned ahout party politics in this question.

llir. J}faher interjected.

M,r. RIORDAN: The hon. member can get up and make a speech afterwards. Probably he will make another attack on the Premier for being absent on Government business and the next week we shall find him out chasing bullocks on his own property.


I ,vas pointing out, Mr. Speaker, that these men on the committee I referred to have now made a report and they are kiteflying to the extent that they say that greater pmYers should be taken to the Commonwealth Government and the States should be denuded of all theiT powers. That argument has been advancecl for some time now by hon. members opposite and members of chambers of commerce throughout the State.. 'rhe people who have been loudest in theu clamour for the abolition of the State Parliament are those who a few years ago were clamouring for decentralisation; thev wanted a Parliament at Rockh::nnpton ancl another at Tow11sville. These very same chambers of commerce represent companies that are mostly selling beer and rags to the people-for instance, Burns, Philp and Company, Cummins and Campbell, and Thos. Brown and Sons. Their representatives are members of chambers of commerce, and they are crying out for the abolition of State Parliaments. If one follows the question closely, one will find that these companies are all interlocked with the great capitalistic interests of this country. Burns, Philp and Company, Penneys, Broken Hill Proprietary Limited, and Air Lines of Australia; each and every one is closely interlocked with the big financial interests of the country. These are the people who are crying out for the abolition of State Parliaments.

I should like to know what was the bargRin made for the passage of the uniformtaxation Bills through the House. According to the critics it will yield the Federal Government only £3,000,000 more, and it looks like causing no end of trouble throughout the Commonwe:1lth, particularly in the Labour movement.

Was it bank credit~ Was that the concession made by those who wanted uniform taxation~ Was it as a result of the withdrawal of the Bill limiting profits to 4 per cent. that the uniform tax went through the House with very little opposition~ I emphasise that unless this House takes cognisance of the fact that strong measures are being taken to wipe out State Parliaments we are going to be left in an undesirable position. I speak as a Queenslancler, as someone who knows the undeveloped part of this State, particularly the North. I know the potentialities of Queensland and I fear thev will not receive proper consideration if they are left in the hands of one central Parliament. For those who believe in reconstruction, what bettC'r method of bringing abont the greatest work and the greatest good for the greatest number is there than the machinery at the disposal of the State Parliament? What is wrong with the machinery that is being used by the Common-1YCalth in the war effort, in the Main Roads Commission, and the other State Government utilities? Why should it not be placed at the disposal of the Commonwealth for the work of reconstruction~ No-one believes that after this war we are going to go back to the good old days when profits were unlimited, when misery, malnutrition, hunger, unem-

ployment, and insecurity were the lot of the worker, when the farmers were almost insolvent, when the boots of the 'vorkers were rotting on theh• feet and their children were going hungry.

Does anybody believe that "'e are fighting this war to return to such intolerable conditions, or does he believe that the war is being fought for a better world orded If the Commonwealth does not want to divide the people by its action in taking greater powers nnto itself it should make use imme·· diately of the State Parliaments, those of the f~m undeveloped States of the Commonwealth, and give the \\·orkers their rights during tl1e time of this war, and then we can look fonvard to a period of peace after the war. If they fail to do this the very objectives for which we are fighting :Vill be destroyed very shortly after the war IS over by a bloody revolution. Nobody is going to return to those evil days. 'l'here are men at work who foster a spirit of revolt if they can not with the purpose of building up · bette~ conditions for the workers, Fifth Columnists who want to destroy democracy ;md set up forms of government such as Fascism, Nazi-ism, or any Ism of some other kind.

I make this appeal in the very limited time at my disposal. These things should he very carefully considered by every hon. member of this Honse. The time has arrived when the Queensland Parliament should let the Commonwealth Parliament know that it will look after the development of this State itself and that any encroachment on its powers will be violently resisted by this Government.

Mr. POWER (Baroona) (11.55 a.m.): I congratulate the hon. member for Warrego, the mover of this motion, and also the hon. member for Carpentaria, for the very able manner in which they handled their subjects, and on their knowledge of the requirements of the people of Queensland.

From the speeches made by various members of the Opposition I can only come to the conclusion that they are peeved because the Government have been able to show a surplus once again. 'rheir criticism is amusing inasmuch as never during the time that they were the Government of the State were they able to show a surplus. They have now suggested that the surplus could have been mnch greater. No donbt those hon. members opposite think the surplus could have been greater had the Government taken the opportunity of making the W'lr a reason for curtailing social services and reducing the living standards the people of Queensland have enjo;>·ec1 for a number of years. I can assure the Opposition that the Government will not, because of the war, alter the living standards of the people by Teducing them to the conditions that prevailed when the Moore blight spread over Queensland from 1929 to 1932. It is the desire of the Government at all times to improve the conditions of t!Je worker, and I feel quite sure that they will continue to strive in that direction.


I propose to quote some figures in proof ·of my statement that the Government have lifted Queensland out of the chaotic con· ditions in which they found Queensland in J D:l2. Pinance is the test of government, and these figures are worth repeating so that the people of Queensland when called upon to vote as to who shall hold the reins of govemment may study them and exercise that right intelligently. They point to only On<' conclusion: that the only fit and proper party for the government of Queensland_ is the Labom Party. Hon. members opposite, who !"<'present the party of the Moore Government. c-omplain of our small surplus, but for the year 1929-30 the Moore Government showed a deficit of £1,421,751. The deficit for 10:30-31 was reduced to £842,044. But how~ The Government of the day sacked many thousands of Crown employees and reduced wages to such a level that it brought people to a state of poverty. In 1931-32 the effects of the depression were worsened as a result of the policy pursued by the Moore GoveTmnent, and a record deficit of £2,075,188 was the result. The deficits of the Moore ·Government in their three-year term amounted to £4,338,975.

Let us now analyse the position since Labour took control. Not only has there been ·a ·wiping out of all these deficits, but during the past thTee years this Government have ohO\Vn RllrpJuses Of-

193~-39

lfJ39-40 1940-41 lfJ41-42

£ 14,000 15,755 28,000 63,772

Vi'c fintl also that when LabouT took contTol in 1032 there was a Teeord of unemployment of 22.2 per cent. in this State, but by 19::!9 that figure was Teduced to 6.3 per cent. [ have not given figmes for the years afteT 19:19 because I know the Opposition would then come back with the cry that the war was responsible for the reduction. We find, too, that that improvement in the position of the State was brought about by a Labour Administration who observed the awards of the court, as against the policy followed by theiT predeccssoTs of scrapping awards.

This brings me to the very important point as to why the Opposition are opposed to industrial unions, and why members of their part:', not only in this but in the Federal PaTliament, supported by the Tory Press, arc squealing because workers are compelled to be members of industrial unions. I point out to the Opposition that unions are established to pTotect- the workers against the unscrupulous employers who would like to exploit them at all times, who wish to break awards, and who fight any claim put forward by a worker to obtain something from the industry in which he sweats to produce profits for the Bmployer.

In his speech the hon. member for Wanego {juoted some figmes that are worth repeating, with the addition of others. For the year ;:nded ,June, 1940, the following sums were Tecovered by the unions mentioned from

employers who were trying to defeat the mYanls of the Industrial Court:-

'rransport vV 01·kers' Union of Queensland

Amalgamated Foodstuffs Union

£ 1,145 1,160

and the union whose officials have been so Toundlv condemned and attacked collected the sn~n of £22,000 from employers for its members. Now we know why this attack has been launched against the Australian WoTkers' 'Union and its officials. 'l'he reason is that the organisers and other officials of the union ha ,-e seen to it that the employers pay the wages and observe the conditions laid down in awards of the Industrial Court.

Although the Opposition complain bitterly when the position of the workers is impro•-ed, \VC hear no words of condemnation from them of those employers who aTe breaking awards to-day whenever the opportunity arises. The Australian Workers' Union, its secretary, MT. Fallon in particulaT, has been singled out for attack by the hon. member for Oxley, the hon. member foT Bunclaberg, the hon. member for Maree, and the hon, member foT 1~a8t Toowoomba, and special reference has been made to the official organ of that union, "The Australian vVorker." Let me gi,-e the true position in connection with the union's action to obtain preference of employment to British subjects in the sugar industry. It has been stated-and it is quite true-that a sheet printed in Italian was published with the "vVorker." Later in my speech 1 propose to quote exactly what appeared in that pamphlet, but I say here that there was every justification for it.

In an endeavour to obtain British prefnenre, the Australian Workers' Union entered into a gentleman's agreement, which prm-ides-

''The Sugar Industry.

'' :\1emorandum of certain matters agreed to at the joint confeTence held on the 1~ and 13 June, 1930, at the Sugar Board's office, between the executive bodies of the Australian WoTkers' Union, the Australian Sugar Producers' Association, and the Queensland Cane Growers' Council.

'' 1. PrefeTence.-Subject to clauses (1), (2), and (3) of clause 22 and clause 35 of the Sugar Industry Award, State, no person other than a financial member of the Australian Workers' Union shall be employed, or continue or be continued in employment as a canecutter or farmhand after the date of this agreement. ''

K ow come the points I wish to bring forward-

" 2. Not less than the percentage of British cutters as employed in each mill area for the season 1929 be maintained for the future. In those mill aTeas where the percentage of British cutters is below 75 per cent. the percentage shall be increased to at least 75 peT cent. for the 1931 and subsequent seasons.''

As a Tesult of that agreement, 75 per cent. of the cutters were to be British cutters.


Conditions were made to suit the various ~neas according to the labour available. The agreement further provided-

'' a. In the Goondi mill area the percentage of British cutters shall be not less than 25 per cent. for the 19:!1 season and not less than 50 per cent. for the 1932 season and not less than 75 per cent. for the 1933 and subsequent seasons.

'' 4. In the Hambledon mill area not less than 50 per cent. of British cutters shall be employed for the 1931 season and not less than 75 per cent. for the J 932 and subsequent seasons.''

There had lwen a greater increase in British preference thToughout, as the result of action taken by the Australian ~Workers' Union. The agreement continues-

'' 5. The parties agref' that in the Mourilyan, Macknade, and Victoria mill areas special circumstances exist and that special allo1rances be made for those areas, but every endeavour shall be made to obtain as high a British percentage as possible.

'' 6. In every instance where a wastage occurs of British gangs or members of British gangs, such wastage shall be made up by British cutters: Provided that in any mill area where a wastage of British cutters occurs during the season and the Australian \Vorkers' Union cannot supply competent British cutters within four days of receiving notice, other competent cutters can be engaged. ''

It was laid down that the Australian \Vorkers' Union was to be given the opportunity of supplying the British cutters to cany out the work.

The agreement continues-

"7. The Australian ~Workers' Union is to use its best endeavours to supply the requisite number of satisfactory and competent British cutters for each mill area.

'' 8. I<,or the purpose of this memorandum a British cutter shall include all those who are born in Australia.

'' 9. The present percentage of British employees in each mill to be retained at the least.''

This is a very important clause-

'' J 0. In order to protect fieldhands (other than cutters) who cannot read the Sugar Award, they shall be paid fortnightly in cash in the presence of a Government official similar to clause 21 of the Sugar Award.';

The agreement is signed as follows:

''Signed for and on behalf of the Australian Sugar 1'roducers' Association Limited-

'' CHAS. HIVES.

''Signed for and on behalf of the Queensland Cane Growers ' Cmmcil-

' '\V. H. DoHERTY.

''Signed for an on behalf of the A ustralian ~Workers' Union-

'' IV. J. RIORDAN". I I

The Secretary for Public Lands: Som~ of the employers challenged that in the court.

Mr. POWER: I am coming to that. After the agreement had been entered into, an action was brought in Townsville by certain people and that well-known f'ommunist, },fr. Paterson, appeared for the plaintiff. He applied to have the agreement set aside and damages awarded against the Australian ~Workers' Union for refusing to allow l'ertain Italians to be enaged as canecutters. The action cost the Australian Workers' Union £729, but it was never finalised because when the plaintiff's money vanished, so did our friend I'aterson. After the outbreak of war, and when Mr. Menzies was Prime Minister, the Australian Workers' Union, through Mr. :B,a!lon, informed the Commonwealth Government that the union was not willing to interfere with its members but that any reasonable instructions issued by the Government would be carried out.

Let me point out what took place later. ~When the first sign-on of canecutters was to take place, a meeting was called in 'rul!y by an organisation under the guise of British preference organised by the sectarian member fm Kelvin Grove, Mr. Morris, assisted by a man named Jliialyon, also of the sectarian party, supported by that well-known bank robber, Geor·ge Kenslow, who I now undeTstand is an organiser for the Communist Party. This clamour was backed by the ''Clarion'' newspaper, and later one of its directors, Dr. Ross, was interned. These were the people 1Yil0 were advocating British preference, and it was only as the result of the action of Mr. Fallon in bringing the matter before the notice of the Commonwealth Government that such an organisation went out of existence. Mr. Fallon has been attacked by hon. members opposite, but the then Prime Minister, Mr. Menzies, congratulated Mr. Fallon and his union on the manner in which they had handled the foreign problem in North Queensland. Despite those congratulations, attempts have been made to brand Yrr. Fallon as a disloyalist.

Before I deal with that point, l0t me deal with the statement that the Australian \Vorkers' Union published a pamphlet in Italian for distribution to the workers. There were many good reasons why such a pamphlet was published.

I pTOpose now to give some of them because the people of Queensland should know the true position. As a result of the gentlemen's agreement many Italians could not obtain employment. Not only were they prevented from obtaining employment under this agreement, but they were being exploited by all classes, by the Communists, and by greedy landowners. Legislation passed by the Labour Government in Queensland made it difficult for tlwm to obtain lnnd in Queensland. As a result they were exploited he' the employing class. Deposits were obtained from them with respect to certain land, but the conditions imposed were such that notwithstanding they worked long hours for nothing they were eventually forced off it and lost theirdeposits. The position became so acute that


the Central Sugar Cane Prices Boanl, under the chairmanship of Sir William Webb, deliberated on the question what it could do to over·come the position that had arisen. It decided on a major alteration of policy with respect to the cTop on such land. One condition it laid down was that the men farming it must receive a fair percentage from the CTop. As a further pTecautionaTy step to prevent trafficking it made it mandatory that the 25 per cent. deposit must be Teganled as 2.} peT cent. of the selling price of that land. Some of the purchasers of this land were Britishers. The conditions under which they bought the land from thPse unscrupulous people kept them in abject poverty. The conditions laid down by the board brou()'ht about a direct improvement. b

The A.W.U. believed that its responsible officials should explain these ne\\ conditions to the Italian people. I have taken at random a couple of the pamphlets printed in Italian and issued to these people ancl I have d~ssectecl their chief points. I' propose to gwe them to the House. The people of Queensland are entitled to know all that these pamphlets conveyed to these people. The first pamph~et I propose to de_aJ with was printed m Italran and rssuecl with "The Worker" of 27 .January, 1942. It stated-

'' 1. Cotton Industry Expansion.-The opinion of the A.W.U. has always been ~hat cot!on-growing should be placed on a JUSt basrs as part of the war effort for the ~lefence. of Australia. The delegate meetmg ilecrcled to bring under the notice of the F~deral Government the necessity of extendm~ to the+ cotton industry protection ?n the _Irnes of ,he sugm·, fruit, and other mdustnes, &e.

'' 2. Plans for a new loan.-Plans to be discussed by the Loan Council on the 3 February for the new £30 or £40,000,000 Commonwealth Loan, &c.

'' 3. England will perhaps send food to Grecce.-It was learned fTom London that Britain is ronsiclering the possibility of sending food to Greece, &c. ..

' ' 4. Compensation to citizens for war injuries-details of amounts payable to citizens who may be killed or injured as a result of enemy action.

'' 5. Fined for breach of Sugar Award.Several men werP fined by the IndustTial Magistrate at Ingham fol' breach of Sugar A waTcl, &c.''

It was very important to publish this information because our courts and the Australian Workers' Union had told the Italian people ancl the foreign community of North Queensland in general, that they had to observe the awards otherwise they would find themselves in the same position as the people to whom I haye Tcferred. Then we have Organiser Cavanagh 's translation of his rcpOTt, and Organiser Murphy 's report. The State President of the A.W.U., Mr. Hay, visited North Queensland and a report on that visit was als? given, particularly his statement that Chma would not leave the Allies together with a statement by the

Minister for \Var, Mr. Forcle. Another subject incluclccl in the pamphlet was the postwar programme of the United States as published by the Kational Resomces Planning Board ancl a. statement on use of planes in the war by Lieut.-General Arnold. There is another statement in the pamphlet on the exemption from military ~crvicc of bricklayers. Can any honest, decent citizen raise :my objeL tion of the publication of that information in any paper, oT, so far as that goes, in any langl1age IYhatever~ It \Yas eircnlated in a part of the State •vhere a large proportion of the community were foreigners. It was published in a language those foreigners knew ancl could read.

I nlso •vish to bring another point before the notice of the House, that is, that neither the Queensland Government nor the A.\V.U. "-as responsible for bringing this Italian community to Queensland. \Ve know that it has been asserted time ancl again that the •vhite race could not live in North Queensland. We know what took place in the blackbircling clnys •vhen the captains of the sugar industry worked it •vith kanakas brought from the South Sea Islands. Those kanakas were sweated by the opponents of Labour, which \Yantecl a white population there.

Another pamphlet was issued on 26 September, 1939. A tmnslation reads-

'' The Italians of Texas have Voted Loyalty to Australia.

''One daily in the metropolitan area has published within the last few days that at a great reunion held in Texas the preceding day, in which between 60 and 80 Italians took part, the following resolution was unanimously approved:-

'In view of the circumstances, especiallv in which we find ourselves to-day through the fact that the Empire is at war with Germany. and in view of the possibility of Italy uniting with Germany in a war against the British Empire, we naturalised Italians, and nonnaturalised, of the district of Texas, declare solemnly to reaffirm our belief and devotion to the British Crown. We reaffirm our belief in the form of democratic .Q"overnment, and we are against any other form of military aggression.

'If Italv remains neutral or if she fights with or against Germany, we are determined to remain loyal to Australia the land which is now our home and •vhich has treated us so well and "-hich has offered us every opportunity to a better social ancl financial state. Italv aml England have never fought one ngninst the other in history, and we hope sincerely that they never fight. Thousands of Italians have made their home in this British Empire where they aTe ''ery free and happy, and ·wish ferYently that Italy will be the friend of England.' ''

It goes fmther and sets out that the foreigners must register in accordance with the regulations laid clown by the Commonwealth Government. Then it explains the

llO Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

position in regard to the employment of Italians in the sugar industry and deals with proseeutions for breaches of the award. To read those would take me too long. I point out that although the inierence is that the ~\ustralian Workers' Union is catering for the Italian interests against those of the British er, we have evidence of many prosecutions of Italians for breaches of the Sugar Award. ·we know on one occasion the Australian \Vorkers' Union: decided to strike if the Italians were given employment when Jlritishers were available. Is that the action of an organisation that is catering for the foreign people as we should be led to believe bY speeches of hon. members opposite~ All these things haYe been taken from the supple· ment to "The Worker" and are here if any hon. member wishes to peruse them. I think it is only right to clear the minds of the people of Queensland and let them see that any publication in Italian in "'rhe Worker" lws been in the interests of the State and hrts let the Italian community know they must observe the awards and conditions set out by the court.

I want to deal now with the statement made lly the hon. member for Bundaberg.

An Honourable Thiember: Why honourable9

)Ir. POWER: Parliamentary procedure compels me to refer ~o him as an hon: member. I could call lnm by a lot of other names, but Mr. Speaker would call me to order. He made the statement ~hat Mr. Fallon sold A.W.U. tickets to Itah~ns for £5. That statement has been dealt w;th bv the hon. member for Bowen. It was hke nianv other statements the hon. member for Bundaberg made, particularly the statement that he withdrew this morning in reference to members of Parliament grafting on Jn·othcls. The hon. member for Bundaberg may lmow more about them than we do, bec.~mse on one occasion-as I stated o;1 a previous occasion-he made representatiOns to a Minister of the Crown to have a prosecn· tion withdrawn against a woman who kept a house of ill-fame in South Brisbane. I ,v:wt the public of Queensland to know the lvpe of individual this is who comes here and n~akes these statements. If he knew anything about the c:ueer of Mr. Fallon, or the workings of the A.W.U. he would know it was not the duty of the State secretary to go out selling union tickets. Mr. Fallon sold a union ticket for the last time in 1928. It is well known that :wy union tickets sold :ll'e sold hy the organisers and representa· tiws on the various jobs. That again shows the hon. member knew little or nothing of what he was talking about.

It is also implied that the majority of the members of the Australian Workers' Union in Queenslanil are members of the Italian comrnunity. That organisation has a membership of approximately 62,500, but a study of the register of membership discloses fewer than 2,000 names that could be regarded as being of Italian origin.

The Secretary for Public Lauds: And some might be Maltese.

)Jr. POWER: Tl1at is so. Over a number of years attacks have been made on Mr. C. G. Fallon, of the Australian ·workers' Unionnot only in this House but in other places, too. An attack was made on him by "Smith's ·weekly,'' for insta1rce. But we must not forget that that paper reported the Japanese as having a lousy air forec. It has no knowledge whatever of the facts, nor any knowledge of working conditions, and has always been on the side of the exploiters of the working class. I would remind Mr. Fall on's attackers that he has enjoyed the confidence of the members of his union for very many years. He has been returned unopposed to the State secretaryship for a number of years, and on the last oc-easion he obtained a majority of 10 to 1 for the general secretaryship. Attacks may be made on him by a certain small-minded individual, but the majority of the members of the greatest union in Australia have every confidence in him and returned him to his position by a 10 to 1 majority.

A number of people have attacked the loyalty of Mr. Fallon. In the last war he was a member of the Australian Imperial Forces and was honourably discharged. In tl1is war he has a son in the fighting forces, !Jis daughter has enlisted in the Women's Army, and a second son was killed in an accident to a trainer plane some time ago. ·what greater eYidence of his loyalty can we ha Ye? ::\" o m:m has shown a greater desire to serw his country than J\Ir. Fallon. He has served it faithfullv and well as an official of tlw Labour mo\·ement; outside the poli· tit al fielrl he holds the highest position in the largest union in Australia; he was a member of the fighting forces and l1is brother was killed during the last war; and in this war he has a son in the fighting forces, a daughter enlisted in the ViT omen's Army, and a son was killed whilst training in the Royal Australian Air Force. 2\Ir. Fallon need worry little about the attacks made on him, and I l;ope the hon. member for Bundaberg will have the courage to repeat outside the statement he made under privilege of Parliament so that J\Ir. Fallon will have the opportunity of vindicating himself in the eyes of the public.

lUr. Pie: The decent public.

IIIr. POWER: As the hon. member interjects, "the decent public." The hon. member for Bundaberg's actions show that he is yellow from' the tips of his toes to the top of his head.

lUr. Pie: No decent people believe the hon. member for Bundaberg. Why pay so much attention to him~

Thir. POWER: There has been much criticism from the Opposition on railway revenue and expenditure, the suggestion being that the department could have shown a greater surplus; but I remind hon. members that if there is increased revenue, naturally, there must be increased expenditure, and that increase in expenditure can be attributed to many reasons. To-day, a large amount of overtime is being "·orkod by the

Address in Reply. [8 SEPTEMBER.] Address in Reply. lli

employees in that service. There is greater consumption of coal, oil, and .vater, and there is greater maintenance on rolling stock. A greater smplus could haYe been sho~wn hail the Government adopted the attitude of the management during the period that ~Ir. G odfrey :Yiorgan was Minister for Transport.

I take this opportunity of paying tribute to the railwaymen for the manner in which they have carried on their wmk. I hope the ~[inister-I know it is a difficult task-will be able to find ways and means of allowing railway employees to take their recrcrltion leave or part of it. They have been working long hours and should be given the opportunity of having a little relaxation. I know that owing to the man-power position this is difficult, but I trust the hon. gentleman will find some solution of the problem. I desire, also, to congratulate him upon his management of the railways. The people of Queensland can feel happy in and proud of the fact that the railways were being controlled by Labour at the outbreak of war, because, had they been in the condition they were when Labour took them over in 1932, it would not have been possible to move our tTOops and foodstuffs in the way we have <lone. Had it not been for the foresight of this Government in effecting improvements in the railways, a state of chaos would have existed.

One important matter with which I wish to deal is price fixation. In my opinion, price rontrol in this State to-day is a farce. Although prices may have been pegged, no attempt has been made by the Commonwealth Government to police them. We read in the Press of a controversy that is bei11g waged between a man by the name of Lawson-I think he is connected with the Diggers' League-and Mr. Lindsey, our Commissioner uf Prices, about the exorbitant prices being charged for certain goods. Mr. LindsPy says, '' \Vhy do not these people send t1w docket to me, and I will investigate?''

Let me give hon. members an example of what happened to me. I have in my possession a docket-I will not mention the firm's name-that shows that on 24 March of this year a person paid ls. ld. for :l: lb. of tea. I took the matter up with Mr. Lindsey, after having obtained possession of the docket, and I said, ''Is 4s. 4d. the right price for tea~'' He said, ''Send me the docket and I will investigate the matter.'' I said, ''I am not prepared to send you the docket-I want to keep that-but I will give you the name of the firm and the number of the docket.'' In March last he told me he was going to investigate it. He also told me at that time that any retailer or wholesaler of foodstuffs had the right to charge for tea ls. 1 d. a lb. more than the price that was fixed prior to the outbreak of war. I said, ''~What was the price previous to the outbreak of war~" Mr. Lindsey could not tell me. He said, ''I will have that investigateu." I said, "~When you investigate it, will you let me know what the position is¥'' He said, ''I will first of all have to get in touch with the Controller of Prices in Melbourne, who will then get

in touch with the ~finister >Yho controls that department. The ::\!Iiuistcr will then arlYise the controller in Melbourne to adYise me as to whether a prosecution should take place.'' 'l'hat happened in ~Iarch of this year and I have receiveu no information since then. The ;vay tea is being sold in Queensland, an<.l the price that is being charged for it, 1S

scandalous. People do not ]mow whether they are getting first- or second-grade te:l.

3Ir. ~'l:aher: What you suggest is blackmarketing.

.i)lr. POWER: I do not suggest blacknunketing. If prices are going to be pegged, I suggest we should at least send out men to see that no overcharge is made.

Mr. Jial1er: Those who overcharge for any rationed article are black-marketing.

::nr. Pie: That is not black-marketing.

Mr. POWER: It is profiteering, but we hear no complaints from the Opposition suggesting that m1y action ;;hould be taken against those profiteers.

Mr. Pie: Of course you do.

.i)ir. POWER: I exclude the hon. member from that remark.

This scandalous position concerning pricefixing applies to articles other than tea. Some time ago people were paying ls. 4d. a lb. for onions. The fact that there is a shortage of any commodity should not give any person the right to exploit the people. If only a certain quantity of any commodity is available, that is no valid reason why prices should soar to ls. 4d. a lb. when a short time ago 6 lb. of onions could be bought for 4d. Let us fix a price and then ration the commodity, as was done with clothes. Since the introduction of clothes rationing there has been no suggestion that because there is a shortage of material the price of suits should go up to £20; yet, because there is a shortage of onions, housewives are called upon to pay ls. 4d. a lb. for them. It is high time the Government of Queensland took this matter up with the Commonwealth Government. I am willing to hand over these papers so that the matter may be investigated.

In conclusion, I should like to say that we are engaged in a war for our very existence.

A great number of young men have already made the supreme sacrifice, and I pay a tribute to the excellent work of the women folk in this country and abroad. I refer particularly to the workers for the Red Cross and to the women in charge of the halls that have bePn made available by the Department of Labour and Industry as j)laces of refuge in the event of the bombing of the homes of the people. To these silent workers, who labom long and faithfully without any attempt at publicity, I offer my compliments and congratulations. They are a wonderful bouy of women doing a necessary and important service.

(Time expired.)

112 Add1·ess in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

~Ir. LUCKINS (Maree) (12.37 p.m.): At the outset I desire to thank the Secretary for Public Instruction for reopening the schools in the Maree electorate. The children and the parents have been concerned for some time at the attitude of the rlepartment towards these schools. However, the new Minister in charge of the department has taken a \'ery keen interest in the matter, and I congratulate him upon his action, as upon his appointment to the Ministry. Through the efforts of the Minister, the military authorities decided to make half of the schools in that electorate ava.ilable to the children again, and the parents and children are happy to be back in their old homes. The children haw been away from school for about six months, and natmally that has interfered with their education, but I hope that if it Dhould be necessary to grant tllC'm an extension of time to enable them to prepare fully for examinations, the Minister will give favourable eonsideration to the suggestion.

We are liYing in difficult times. When 1 was about to se2k political honours I was told that if I was lncky enough to come to this Parliament J should have to be prepared to put up with abuse, that my character would be torn to tatters, and everything to my discredit wonhl he slmw at me until I should feel that no citi7el~' coulrl possibly haw any dc&ire to take part in the clelibernti?ns of Parliall'ent. \Ye have had an example of that to-day, when an hon. nwmber so lost his temper as to say things dercgatorY of Parliamf'nt. Hf' accused me of certain things anrl c~rtain doi11gs. Ho\\eYer, I hope that J shall not get (lO>\P to personalities in this Chamber-I know that r neYer shall. But T will criticise the Go.-cmment and the (kpartments fully and Cl111 upon the :\Iinislers and offi<-el'S concen1e'l to explain clearly the manag ment of their l'C~pectivc deparfments. lt wn~ said by Rnssell that in all affairsb_nsinf'o.s, politics, religion, and love-it \Yas hme to put a question mark against the things that we had long taken for oTanted, and [ think this is a time in the hi;tory of the State when we should put a question mark against man;· things that we have long accepted.

I am glad the Secretary for Health and Home Affairs is in the Chamber, bee:~use I want to direct a question to him in the public interest, and in the interest& of a union comprising men who deserve thr best consideration from the Go,•en1ment. It has been made public that the members of the Police FoTce, ~by a vote of 948 to 168, yoted in favour of the appointment of a royal commission to investigate the affairs of the Police Department. I am not going to CTiticise what they have done or what they will do, but the .Minister owes it to Parliament ancl to the public to explain what has been done. It has been pointed out in a circulaT that has been distributed that there is much thl1t is undesiTa ble in the department, and this should be investigated.

The Secretary for Public Lands: Do you know anything of your own accord W

l1Ir. J, UCKINS: No, but there is enough in the circular, which makes many charges or allegations, to justify an investigatioll. In any case, the public are entitled to an investigation if there is the slightest doubt about anything concerning the police. The department and the Minister should satisfy the public by granting a commission w investigate any of the chaTges. It has been rightly said that the Police Department has a very fine body of men, and when they decide by a vote of 948 to 168 in favour of the appointment of a Toyal commission, it is a decision that should not be lightly set aside. I now ask the Government to review the position rarefully, and to concede the request of the membeTs of the Police :B'orce, who by a majority of six to one decided in favour of a thorough investigation.

Democraey rightly demands that where the majoTity is desirous of having an investigation that its '"ishes should be acceded to. :Majority Tules in Parliament and the same principle should operate in the unions. We all kno\'\ the difficulties confronting the Police Force, and we all know that they are a fine body of men. I have heard it said at times that they have a very tough job to do. In view of these facts I want the Go.-emment and the Minister to grant the request of the union.

'l.'lle Secretary for Health and Home Affa'irs: We are willing to investigate any ehargc that is made against the administration, but we are not going to listen to any :Yirs. 'iggs ana 1\Irs. 'arris cackle over the fence.

~Ir. LUCIHNS: That is so, but if such a fine body of men, through their union, vote for the appointment of a royal commission, does the Minister not think that he and his GoYcrnment should accept their Yiew ~

The Secretary for Healtll and Home Affairs: If they said what they wanted to investigate \YC would consider it.

lUr. LUCIUNS: Did not the Police Union say outright that they desired to investigate the methods underlying promotions~

The Secretary for Health and Home Affair;,: Every promotion is made with the n pproYa l of myself as the Minister responsib le.

Jir. LUCKINS: They must be dissatisfied \Yith it when they vote as I said for an inquiry.

Tile Secretary for Healtll and Home Affairs: Tl1ey have all the right of appeal. 'rhey can go to the Police Appeal Board, but they >nwt to oYcrride the Appeal Board, as they used to do years ago.

lUr. LUCKINS: I do not know what they did previously but in the interests of good govemment and a satisfied Police Force consideration should be given to the request.

The Secretary for Health and Home Affai:t·s: What Mr. Talty wants is a return to old-time practices, when for £30 an officer could get a transfer to a good station, or


for £30 he could get a stripe. He wants to ,get those times back.

lUr. L UCKINS: I want to know the reaso~1s of the Minister for refusing to grant this royal commission. I know that years ago promofions were based on good service. I have heard it said to-day that men are suffering many injustices, and men are promoted who are junior in status to senior men.

The Secretary for Health and Home Affairs: They have the right to ap·peal.

i)lr. LUCKINS: I understand, too, that members of a certain section of the force m·e regarded as the white-haired boys of the Commissioner and that the percentages of promotions from that section are in excess of those from other sections.

The Secretary for Health and Home Affairs: Certain promotions by the Governor in Council cannot be appealed against, but all other promotions carrv the right of appeal. Any who feel aggi·ieved ran take advantage of that right.

lUr. L t:CKINS: I understand that is the position. I understand, too, that a board selects ,·ommissoned officers.

The Secretary for Health and Home Affairs: ~o. Commissioned officers are nppointed by the Governor in Council. No other authority can appoint them.

II'Ir. LUCKINS: To me the Governor in Council is the Government and Minister concerned.

Then we have tl1e position of those· men >Yho have been ordered to go before the ~Icdieal Board. I remember a case in North Queenshmd in whicll an inspector had got into a little bit of difficulty. He was supposed to have been transferred South, and it was then found that the sergeant in charge of the station-the officer under him-was put on the ~fedical Board. His medical certificate stated that he was not required any fm·ther fnr duty.

Tlle Secretary for Health and Home Affairs: That is not correct. You stick to the truth.

JUr. LIJCKINS: I am giving my version of it.

The Secretary for Health and Home Affairs: No medical certificate can say such a thing.

lUr. IJUCKINS: I should like to know how many men go before the Medical Board and are pensioned off.

The Secretary for Health and Home Affairs: The medical certificate says ''physically unfit'' or ''mentally unfit'' for police duties. That is the only thing the :MinisteT considers.

lUr. LUCKINS: I understand that a big percentage of men who have been retired by the Medical Board have been accepted for military duties.

The Secretary for Healtll and Home Affairs: We had the case of a one-legged

man >Yho was in the Police Force and is now doing military duty.

]}Ir. LUCKINS: We feel concern at the fact that certain men, after having been declared physically unfit and pensioned off, have been accepted by the military authorities.

The Secretary for Health and Home Affairs: Do you think we could have legless policemen~

Ilir. LUCKINS: No. Speaking as a layman on this subject, I am sure that there is more in this agitation for an investigation by a roval commission than we know about. The Minister could at least clear the air by acceding to the request. As a representative of the people I will always uphold my right to put up a case on behalf of such men as the police who request the, appointment of a royal commission, notwithstanding any abuse that might come from the Government benches. I am talking on behalf of the public.

As a Queenslander, and one who has been closel;' ussociated with public life for a long time, I can see the writing; on the wall that all is not well with the Federal Labour Part3' and the State Labour Party. I lun·e deduced from the speeches of hon. members of the Government side that there is going to be a conflict sooner or later with the Federal Government's authority and the nuthority vested in sovereign State Parliaments. I make no apology for my outlook as far as State Parliaments me concerned.

JUr. Jes,son: It is a very narrow outlook.

3Ir. LUCKINS: If I were as narrow as the hon. member I should Tetire from this Chamber. It seems to me that there is a c.onflict of view betwen the two Labour Parties. The party in the Comomnwealth is floing a good job-people admire Mr. Curtin for liis nctions and his war effOTt-but I have to look to the State Government and ask, "\Vhat effort have they made to help the Commonwealth in their great war effOTt ~'' IY e know necessary changes are coming a bout in ewrv-dav life and in the State and Federal Parliaments, The Commonwealth Parliament has existed for about 40 vears. It was set up in a time of conflict about State rights. It was to relieve the States of much of their burden. I can see no reason why the Commonwealth cannot govern this country in the best interests of alL

My friends opposite apologised this morning for the actions of the A.W.U. I have neYer snid anything against the members of the A.IN.U. personally. I condemned it for its political activity. No union can be succ~essful that attemplts to dictate to a Government. \Ve have to go no further than Queensland to find a very wide breach between the La hour Party in power, the A.W.U., nnd the sectional unions of the Trades Hall. which show much bitterness towards the Labour Governme~t.

~fr. Devries: The union prosecuted you once or twice.

~Ir. LUCKINS: No, never.

3Ir. Devries: In Rockhampton.


Mr. LUCKINS: No. The hon. member is on the wrong track, and he will be on the wrong track for a long time. The innuendoes may satisfy the hon. member that something happened to me that really did not happen. I have never been in conflict with the unions. I think unionism is a grand thing-a wonderful thing-but when a union does something that is not in the public interest it is time for me as a public man to draw attention to it. I am willing to take the consequences for whatever I say, not from the members of the Government hut from those people who elected me and nobody else.

The Labour Government have always boasted of their work and the high standard of living that they have created in queenslaud. Let me tell ;vou, Mr. Speaker, that the daily allowance the Govemment voted to the unemployed a year or so ago-19s. a week for a man and his wife, and 24s. a week for a man, wife, and child-is little or no credit to any Government. It is little or no, credit to the Labour Party to boast about the conditions they have brought to the people of this State. A high standard of living and, as Dr. M01·an said in his book, a low standard of life-that is what the Government have created in this State. Tlwy have given a miserable pittance to those who were unfortunately out of work. It was not sufficient to keep even a child, let alone parents. I know cases in my own area, and I have come to the conclusion that the party in pmver has no interest in the welfare of the community, otherwise it would at least, out of the State development tax and unemployment relief tax, have handed out sufficient to keep hody and soul together.

The Set•retary for Labour and Industry: There was a big improvement.

Mr. LUCKINS: There is a big improvement, but that is no credit to any political party. It is the changing conditions that bring about these things. To talk of the Labour Party as having created the high standard of living conditions in Queensland is more or less a mockery. That party is no more responsible for the conditions than the general trend in world affairs. Unions have played a great part in our progress, bnt to-day unions are directing us along political paths and that is a matter for concern. Union~ 8hould be divorced from politics. They have their part in looking after the interests of their members, but without the interference of politicians. Some unions contend that they do 7Wt desire that help or support.

~Ir. Power: The hon. member for Oxley was forced into it.

Mr. LUCKINS: I do not know whether he was. If he belongs to a union, I say. ''Good luck to him.''

Tl1e Secretary for Labour and Industry: Give some definite instances of the things that you suggest occur. You have not given us any.

llr. LUCKINS: What about the Government's political appointments in the Govern-

ment service. The Minister should know as \Yell as anybody else that the political appointments that have been made in Queensland are the best evidence that the unions have control of the Government. 'l'hey are desirous of appointing some person to a particular post, and such an appointment, made through the influence or poweT of the unions, enables them to direct the political machine. That is wrong. The sooner we get to the broader, to the decent principles of government by the people in the interests of the people, eliminating those things I have referred to. the more respect will the people l1ave for Parliament.

The Secretary for Labour and Industry: You have not justified one word of your speech.

lUr. LUCKINS: To satisfy the Minister I will mention the appointment of the Commis-sioner of Police. That was a political appointment.

Mr. Jesson interjected.

~Ir. LUCKINS: I have never been in ronflict with the police. I am a law-abiding subject.

lUr. Jesson: What about when he was in the Taxation Office f

Mr. LUCKINS: I am not like the ho!L member for Kennedy. He may have had some experience with the police as regards taxation. I am pleased to say I have had no such experience at all and that may be verified by telephoning the Commissioner of Polire and the Taxation Office.

The Secretary for Labour and Industry: What union influenced his appointment~

Mr. LUCKINS: I have no knowledge of ~ny influence, because hon. members opposite do not tell us where the influences come from, but the Commissioner did a very good job in the time of the Theodore Government in chasing round good Tories who were presumed to have evaded income tax. They instituted that secret-commission business and they did not, I understand, Mr. Speaker, chase good Labour supporters. Oh, no, they confined themselves to those who were opposed to Labour, and, as a result of the services rendered in those days I believe it was justifiably right that they should iind a good position for this man who rendered such service to them. I am only assuming now that a position had to be found for this man who had rendered such a wenderful servicP to the Labour Party. I believe he was promised the job of Commissioner of Stamp Duties, but when it was mooted that he was to be appointed 35 appeals were pending and the Government dropped the idea like a red-hot poker and said, "We shall have to :find him a job somewhere else.''

Mr. Jesson: What about his war service. in the last war W

~Ir. J, UCKINS: I had no desire to touch on it, but as the Minister was so inquisitive as to ask on what I based my remarks as to these political appointments, I endeavoured to give him the knowledge I had.

Address in Reply. [8 SEPTEMBER.] Address in Reply. ll5

The 8ecretary for Labour and Industry: You have not linked that up ·with union .influence.

The Treasurer: Has he not been a good Commissioner~

i1Ir. LUCKINS: That is questionable. I am sorry the Treasurer was absent when I pointed out that by 948 votes to 168 the Police Force decided in favour of a royal commission to investigate conditions in the force.

Let me deal now with the Commonwealth Government's Austerity Loan, about which we haYe been hearing a great deal lately. I shoul<l like to see hon. members give a lead to the Queensland public by subscribing a certain amount themselves. I U:nder\stand that ;_]] members of Parliament receive a fair and reasonable salary, and in this critical hour at least hon. members of this Parliament should do something for the war effort by subscribing to this loan. It is for a very large amount and I think that the public men of Queensland should give the lead to their constituents and show that they are shoulr1ering some of the responsibilities of the war effort.

An improvement that could be effected is in the control of the State's revenue. The Treasurer should formulate some scheme under >vhich all revenue of the State was paid into a central fund. With the present shortage of staff, economy could be effected in this way. Most State departments have cheque-paying sections, and I think it is desirable that the impro>'ement I have suggested be effected.

:.\Iany departments are overlapping to-day . .For instance, we have the Commonwealth Health Department, the State Health Department. and the municipal health departments all operating for one purpose, at great expense to the taxpayer. It is time we reviewed these matters and so organised things as to make taxation a little lighter. This State is levying a tremendous amount of revenue from the public, and it is the duty of every public man to see that these suggested improvements receive consideration. Queensland is the highest-taxed State of the Commonwealth and the least progressive, industrially. We are essentially a primary-producing State, and I am pleased to know that on this side of the Chamber there are hon. members who have urged strongly the need for improving the conditions of the primary producer. If the Government gave the primary producers only half the consideration they are now giving the unions this State would get somewhere. vVe, on this side, are firmly convinced that better conditions must be given to the farmer and better prices paid for his commodities. Queensland is in a sad state from the point of Yiew of production. The members of the fighting forces demand the best of food and it is the Government's duty to see that the primary produr,ers are able to produce what the fighting forces demand. Instances have been quoted in this Chamber of primary producers who have had to dispose of their stock because of inability to obtain labour. It must he somebody's responsibility to see that

labour is made available for them. The time is ripe for giving serious consideration to that point.

I am sorry the Minister is not here to hear >vhat I haYe to say about the Policp Force, but I am sure that the members of the force >vill agTee with me >vhen I say that the present constitution of the Appeal Board needs reviewing. I understand that the police are not in agreement with the constitution of that tribunal, and it is my firm belief that when the Government appoint a commission of inquiry they should appoint not Government officials but some member of the judiciary-such as a Supreme Court judge or someone even higher than that. If that was done, all would be satisfied.

I ha 1·e just received the report of the State Children Department, and I am gratified to know the conditions that obtain there. However, I think that the Department of Health and Home Affairs might give a little more consideration to the living conditions of the aboriginals. I understand that part of their pay is retained and banked for them with the Commonwealth Bank, but when they get this money I am unable to say. I have heard it said that in North Queensland a family of five aboriginals was in receipt of l5s. a week, but I could hardly believe it. These people are only human beings after all, and I should like an explanation from the 1\finister and an intimation whether the Go\·ernment are willing to consider an improvement in their living conditions. vVe need not re•·ert to their previous primith·e conditions, but we should endeavour to make their lot as happy and as tolerable as possible. Perhaps their allowance could be increased.

I should like the Secretary for Public Instruction to consider a suggestion to make facilities available for the setting-up of choirs in State schools. Singing is an essential thing in life, and the Government should encourage the cause of music.

]}lr. PLUNKETT (Albert) (2.24 p.m.): In the Speech delivered by His Excellency the Governor on the opening of this session, much prominence was given to the war. He points out that the situation is so serious that we must strain every nerve if we are to retain freedom for this country. Those remarks appeal very deeply to me and, indeed, we can all agree with them. It is highly probable that the war will last a long time and that it will be many years before we are able to retmn to the normal way of life. 'l'herefore, it behoves us all to give the problems of war our most earnest consideration. I suggest that we drop all recrimination and personalities and endeavour to co-operate fully and faithfully in this hour of peril. It is a time when the services of e,-ery many and woman are required and when every ounce of energy nnd every particle of intelligence is needed to bring the war to a happy conclusion. I feel that Australia has lost a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate to the world what she can do and what she is willing to do politically, economically, financially, industrially, and in every other way. However, if we will

116 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Add1·ess in Reply.

marshal our resources and abandon the programme of disintegration arising from a number of policies with the object of fanning a national Government, we shall achieve great things.

Mr. lliann: You should tell that to Mr. Menzics and Mr. Hughes.

::IIr. PLUNKETT: It matters not to whom I should tell it. I want to say now, even nt the eleventh hour, that it would be of advantage to Australia-ancl T say it with particular reference to this Pnrliament-to drop a great deal of the senseless talk that goes on to-clay. We do talk a great deal of nonsense. T ha,·e listened to hon. members speaking of the benefits of unionism. Good luck to unionism-it has done a great deal of gooc1 in this country-but to-clay is not a time to belabour the subject, because the war effort is the only thing that matters.

But we are continuing the same olc1 1)1'0-pagancla that is seen at the opening of each session in this de bate. We are trying to think of all the bad and nasty things to say of our political opponents,. although very often we do not mean them. It is high time we dropped this practice; the position is far too serious. Australia should show that she is worthy of the name she has >von through the efforts of her soldiers, not only in the last war, but in this war also. Are \Ye doing that~ We are not. It is high time we did. We certainly could do a great deal to aid the war effort. It is our duty to put everything we have behind it, but we cannot do so when we see a multiplicity of Governments with different policies, of State Governments arguing whether State PaTliaments should be abolished, and the Federal Government talking about a referendum.

One of the sad aspects of this difference of policies is that some State Govemments were so aggrieved that they would 110t agree to the Commonwealth Government's taxing the people uniformly for the war effort and asked the High Court of Australia to decide the constitutionality of such a step. At that time, our national Government had launched an appeal to the public to support a loan of £35,000,000 to prosecute the war. At the same time, four of the six State Governments combined to appeal to the High Conrt to prevent the Commonwealth from uniformly taxing the people for the war period. That did not show any spirit of co-operation. It did not indicate to the people that the State Govemments were behind the Commonwealth Government, and it had a very bad effect on the people. 'When the State Governments fail to co-operate with the National Government in their war effort, how can we expect the people as a whole to combine to do so? I do think that from now on we should in e\·ery shape and fOTm unify to obtain the maximum war effort. The position is serious and may become more serious. I appeal to hon. members that instead of fighting one another politically they should lose no time in getting closer together.

This debate began with the theme that there should be no political recriminations.

What do we find~ A multiplicity of them. We appear to be like children, for when we are told not to do a thing we seem to take delight in doing it. We must remember that only one thing matters to-day, and that is to win this war. vV e are all in agreement with that thought. Then \Yhy do we not set about to try to achieve it? I have listened to some speeches in this debate and they appeared to be small and paltry. The speakers did not rise to the occasion and take a big enough view of the position. As I said before, instead of talking about visits to the South by the Premier or one or other of the Ministers, which should not be mentioned at all at this time, we should busy ourselves at getting the maximum effort from the people.

It would be a good thing for Australia if we had a national Government that would eo-ordinate all political opinions. vV e then could eo-opt the Premier of every State as an adviser. As the hon. member for Hamilton said the other day, our war effort is losing ground because of the action of some of the States in expecting more war work than other States and more than. tl_1ey have equipment to do, while the remammg States, although they have equipment, are only working half-time. That is not getting the most out of our resources. If we had a national Government and eo-opted the Premiers of the States as an advisory committee, a survey could be made of what was required and an allocation of the wOTk could be made to the various manufacturers in whateYer State they might be operating. \Ve should then have no overlapping, and there would be no need to call for tenders for this or that requirement. The Government would have every opportunity of knowing the value of every bit of work and putting that value on it as it was allocated to the factorv. That is where we started off on the war effort on the wrong leg. We are still on the wrong leg. We are supposed to be combining all our forces and subordinating all our efforts to win the war; we are exhorting everyone to do his or her share in that effort, and yet we disagree on such a vital matter as uniform taxation for the duration of the war.

To-day Queensland is in a very bad position in the matter of price-fixing. I want to know from somebody-and somebody ought to be able to tell me-why it is the people in this State got a ~d. rise and those in the other States got 2d. The hon. member for Cook says there is a ramp in the beef tmde and the people producing beef in North Queensland are getting half the value that people producing beef are getting in the southern parts. That is not right and it is not in keeping ·with the war-time effort.

JUr. Collins: There is nothing wrong in raising the question.

~Ir. PLUNKE'l'T: I think it was the hon. member's duty to raise it and he should pursue it and see what is wrong. vVe cannot expect to get the best out of our people if the feeling permeates the community th~t something is wrong somewhere. As I sa1d before, uniform taxation means that we all


get equal opportunity to pay. We cannot do it if we do not get the same pTice for the article we produce as they do in other States. If there were no Price-fixing Commissioner, I shouhl not raise the question. Vvhy should queenslancl be placed in that position? Why should Queenslanclers be expected to do these things and not be on the same footing as people in other parts of Australia~

'rhe time is not opportune to deal with the abolition of State Parliaments, but if there is one thing that would cause the people to wiFh this to be brought about it is the diffeTentiation in prices as between the States. If you are getting less for your pTocluct than the fellow in the other States you will 1vant to know why there is not one price throughout Australia. 'rhese inequalities cause dissension amongst our own people. 'l'hose who talk about the abolition of State Parliaments or the holding of a referendum at the present time are not worthy of the effort that our soldiers are making. These matters can lJe dealt with in peace-time but they should not be mentioned now by people in authority. We cannot prevent people outside from lliscussing these questions, but it is not going to help the war effort.

I believe in uniform methods and I agree that eveTybody should carry his fair share of the burden of war. So I think there should be uniform prices and uniform profits as far as possible. Until we are able to bring a bout uniformity in the se matters we cannot expect the rank and file to do their utmost, ancl we can make no claim on them to do it.

I realise that this is a very sparsely populated country-7,000,000 people spread over a vast area-and the sending of men and munitions to this country by our Allies has been a wonderful asset to us. We are pleased ancl grateful for the work they are doing. Let us not deal with small things that do not matter twopence, until the war is won.

I am very sore about price-fixing in primary industries, because it works out inequitably. When \Ye talk about the war effort, I take it that the term embraces the production of munitions, the turning out of trained men who will be able to defend the countr~·, and the production of foodstuffs. When lYe find so much rationing going on-and there will he more rationing-we wonder where we are getting to. \V e appoint another committee and it makes another survey of the position, and when nothing results from that, we appoint still another committee. We have appointed so many committees that no body knows who has authority ancl nobody is in a position to make a definite decision. I maintain that we should have started off with a national Government and the services of the Premiers of the different States should have been eo-opted. They could have spoken for tlwir respectiYe States much better then we could.

\Ye export a good deal from this State and our products are very badly needed overseas, but if •ve clo not get the necessary encourngement for production we shall not get the foodstuffs, and we shall have to say >Ye cannot supply them.

When you think of the amount of money that has been mised ancl the amount that will be raised, and necessarily raised, for the pTOsecution of the war, do you not, Mr. Speaker, think it would be fair to use part of tlwt money in increasing ihe production of e;.sential foodstuffs of which there is 2 shortage

The Secretary for Public Works: That is part of the war effort.

lUr. PLUNKETT: That is my view. The point is that if there are not sufficient foodstuffs we must encourage production of them.

The Secretary for Public Works: One cannot carry on a war without them.

.3'Ir. PLUNUETT: Again that is my view. Food is an essential but although we raise millions of pounds for munitions and other \Yar production we do not seem to be able to spend a couple of million pounds to encomagc the production of foodstuffs.

"\s hon. members are aware, I am concerned mostly with the dairying industry and have some responsibility for endeavouring to prodele that there shall be no shortage of dairy products. Recently we had a survey made of the number of producers and it was astounding to find that during the year between 16,000 and 17,000 people had gone out of the dairying industry. Why~ There are two reasons, the first being the shortage of man-power, and the second the fact that the price received for the product is insufficicnt to enable them to carry on. Our export figures decreased from 85,000 to 57,000 tons last ;vear. Why should this be so~ It may be contended the weather conditions ha-,:e been adverse, but that is not so at all. The principal reason is that man-power has been taken from the countrv districts and the prices received by the producers do not warrant their endeavouring to cope with the \York to any great extent. That is the true position. A number of the boys on dairy farms have been called up for military service. We know the need of the armed fOTces for every available man, we also know i he need for their being trained in the arts of war, but because so many have been called up for service the few members of the familv left on the farms are not bothering very "much about production. They are sitting clown and in effect saying, "We will leave it until the boys come back and then \1-e will stfut again.'' That is what these proclm·ers are doing at a time when the rationing of butter and cheese is spoken of. 1 say emphatically that the best war effort the Government can make to-day would be to give such people some encouragement to carry on, such as an increase in price. If we as con'nmcrs had to pay an increased price for these foodstuffs, that would be one of our rontributions to the war effort. The other day the Prime Minister uttered the warning ihat we must face the need for austerity hving, that we must cut clown on our living expenses, live more cheaply, and do witho:1t some of the things we have been used to m the past. I contend that it is a policy_ of

Il8 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

:austc'rity production. We are stopping production by not giving the necessary encouragement to increase it. To do that would not cost very much, and if it was done there 1vould be no need to ration milk, butter, and 'Cheese in this country. Furthermore, we should be able to meet some of the obligations that are on us to ghe the people of Britain part of what they want. It requires 200,000 tons of butter to meet our commitments to-day, and the best we can do, even if present figures arc maintained, means that we will llRve little or nothing to send to Britain, where the people are living on a ration of 2 oz. of butter a week. ·would not the spending of some money to encourage people to produce be a war effort~ ·would that not "lw better than remaining inactive and saying that this will have to be rationed and that will have to be rationec1? I am much concerned about the matter.

The other day somebody said that butter would have to be rationed. I take it that that would be done with a view to being able to send some overseas, but I would point out that for every lb. of butter sent overseas the farmer loses 3d. a lb. If they want to take more money out of the pockets of the farmers, let them send his product to England nnd reduce the consumption here. We do not tnke the right view of these things. Although an investigation has been made the R:,_me prnctice continues. The soil is not being ploughed, cows nre not being brought in to milk, and at the same time there is the cry that butter will ban• to, he rationed. There i" something wrong somewhere.

T notice that n great deal of-I was going tn sn:' '' jo;v '' but I will say appreciation.,-ns shown at tbe fnct that our Secretary for A grirulture and Stock may bavc to handle JH:oblems such as this. ·I hope he does, be(;nnse with his knowledge of what is hnppening in Queensland-and this may extend to c>ther parts of Australia-we should be able to get somewhere, if he only has the power to say to somebody, '' If you want this stuff you have to pay for it.'' \'V e have been going downhill for quite a long time. In the last three years the Queensland dairy farmers l1ave had a reduction of £3,355,000 in their cream and milk cheques. That reduction has lJeen brought about mainly by the dry weather, by the fact that labour has been going off the farms, and no other labour has been available to replace it. I think, however, that the labour difficulty has been overcome and I desire to give all due credit to !hose who have been responsible for that Improvement.

I do not want it to be said that I do not appreciate what Australia has done for the war effort, for I am only saying the things that I have mentioned here in an endeavour to make someone think more and realise what is likely to happen. Australia has never had to face war before. She has never had to deal with the great problems of manufacturing the things needed for war and under the circumstances she has done excellently, but I do think that there are many loopholes. People cannot understand

·IYhy many things are being done, and so long as that state of affairs continues >Ye can never hope to get them to realise the difficult position confronting them and their country. In my opinion this is the most opportune time for utilising the services of all State Governments to the greatest possible extent. Let us make up our minds that 1ve are confronted with one of the greatest tasks Australia has ever had to face, a task that must be performed if this country is to be free, in fact, if the world is to be free. Let m then concentrate in doing everything possible to bring this war to a successful conclusion. I do not like coming here and listening to speeches abont things that do not matter. It was never intended that such speeches should be delivered in Parliament during a period of war. I hope that as time goes on the bright spot that we see on the horizon will grow until victory comes to us and the other free people of the world.

Mr. MOORHOUSE (Windsor) (2.48 p.m.): In the Speech delivered in this House by His Excellency the Governor I was disappointed at not finding some indication of progressive legislation for this session. 'fhe section relating to primary products gives me concern. I speak particularly of the part of his Speech in which His Excellency says the primary production of this country must be advanced. I contend that legislation of such a nature is aimed at attempting tn create a peasant class. 'fhat peasant clasc; would be of such nn order as to competi' with the old state of things, the state of things that exi•:ted when Queensland was controlled by the old Tory school. I sincerely hope that the Minister will be ultra-carefui to see to it that that old school of thought will not have a chance to bring out youngsters from overseas, compel them to sleep with the calves, work 16 hours a day and be fed. as I have seen some fed, on pumpkins that have been boiled in the big copper in which is nlso boiled the food for the ea ttk.

If our countrv must have a backbone of peasantry, let it be a peasantry that will have all the cultural advantages of the industrial workers. How can we expect our rising generation to be of world standing if they have to milk 20 or 30 cows before they attend school each morning with the result that they go to school in order that they might sleep~ If we arc to be essentially an agricultmal country, let it be on a true scientific basis, on such a basis that the primary producer will know that when he plants a crop he is certain of a retmn that will give to him and his dependants nn economic standard equal to thn t of the owners of the moans of production in the primary and secondary industries.

Let him feel that when he builds up a herd of cattle of good standard he is going to receive a return that will give to him the same standard of existence that the owners of the means of production receive, and then there will he no need for him to treat his men like calves. He will then he in the position to give them decent quarters to live in and

Address in Reply. [8 SEPTEMBER.] Address in Reply. ll!l

somBthing more than corned beef to eat. \Ve have protected the she m· er; let us protect the agricultural worker in the same way. I hope the Minister will take every precaution that can be taken to prevent a lowering of living standards.

There was at one time an award for agricultural workers, and I feel that that award was thrown overboard, when the present Opposition was obeying the dictates of a gentleman who was neither a peasant nor a worker-namely, Niemeyer. If the agricultural industry is not able itse1f to plan so that it can 'produce in an orderly manner the requirements of the State, then it is indeed in rr sorry plight, anu I shall be very glad to welcome the legislation that is going to put it on an orderly basis, so that production, distribution, anu consumptim1 mm'ch in the way they would march in all com1tries if production for use and not Ior pTofit was the slogan. But while profit is to be the war cry of industries chaos must of a necessity follow. If the :lfinister horcs to bring about what 1 have in mind, his Bill should be so vvorded that it is fool-proof and Jll'OOf ngainst the machinationS1 of the people who wou1d haYe no hesitation in selling us to the slavery of J<'ascism.

In this House I heard the hon. member for Hamilton advocate the establishment of work camps for youths of 15, 16, and 17, so that they could be put away for 10 or 12 months; this was not long after his trip to Germany. This also applies to Mr. Menzies, the man who put the scrap iron into Japan to bomb Townsville and the women and children of the Allies. They both liked the concentrationcamps system, and advocated it when they returned from these trips to Germany. The more I read of these utterances the more I feel that we should be very careful that we are not harbouring a Cliveden Group in our midst, and that our embTyo Mussos do not take the bit between their teeth and stage another Munich. Do not let us l"orget that the voic-e of democracy was very quiet when the workers' blood was being spilled in Spain.

There is another progressive action I had hoped the Government would have found place for this session, one that I feel is of the greatest importance. vVe to-day subscribe to the theory that our youths of 18 years are the stuff to mould our fighters from. They are the ones that the powers that be train to defend Australia. I feel that it is common sense to say that if they are good enough to fight for this country they are good enough to have votes in it. If Queensland would give us legislation to this effect, it would make the young people feel that they had a say in the election of the people who decided how they should live and how they should die. Both male and female, they are doing their share, and the vote, which this war has praYed to be their right, should not be denied to them. I know the old die-hards will "ay these youngsters are irTesponsible, but when they do I would draw their attention to the actions of these youngsters in the factory and on the battlefield.

1 listened to an hon. member discussing money, and I do not subscribe to his theory, because money is only a mode of exchange, and the people ·who contTol the countinghouses will always control the money. I am more concerned with the cause than with the effect. If we remove the grab and greed for profit, we shall have cured all the money aches and pains. No more need we face with dread the horror of men digging grass for £1 18s. a week, at the dictates of men like Montag•~ Norman and Otto NiemcyeT.

They made one payment-a gift-to Germany, of £60,000,000 sterling to help the Fascists, but the Australian working class were told to pull their belts tighter. One law for the J<'ascists and another law for the people of the Commonwealth! And do not let us forget that there were 2,000,000 unem· played in Britain who were starving at that time. Out of this sort of planning, can we expect to get peace to develop our racd Let ns remember this, that the men who should have given the lead to the people agreed to sit back and allow relief work to become an institution. It reminds me of the Persian poet's line, ''Men are only pawns in the game of life' '-pawns to be pushed hither and thither at the dictates of the magnates of this world, to be starved, to be slaughtered at the will of a few people, because profit, greed, and power are of the utmost importance. 'l'hey will sacrifice the people of the world on the altar of their profits.

It is very gratifying to see that wages in thP factories arc to be fixed on the basis of ability and not sex. If this is made applicable to all industry we shall have laid a good basis on which to build the new order that people talk much about bnt cannot explain. Let us forget words and give the people some action that will convince them that the sacrifice is not to be made by the poor only and that the rich are still to hrrve plenty and get richer. Equality in all things of life for both sexes will give that zest to living that will remove the immoral influences at work in our midst; it will do it better and more effectively than all this purity-league outfit.

You can see the stupid prolongation of the sex payment in the life of our Army and Air Force. If the male is worth a certain sum of money to the war effort, then the female doing the same class of work should be of the same value to the war effort. Put the two sexes on the same level in all walks of life and we slwll save the Secretary for Health and Home Affairs many a headache trying to find hospitals for venereal disease cases. In two-thirds of this horror, if the cause could be traced, we should find that it had an economic basis, beeause the doctrine that the female is the chattel of the male prevails. If we are sincere, we can no longer preach the doctrine of '' vVoman for the Home.'' We shall find that it will be better to give both sexes equal chances in life and they themselves will decide for or against big families. This will wipe out any 11eed for back-door abortionists, and the question of large family or small family will he decided by the two concerned, from an intelligent vie,vpoint and not from the viewpoint of sex.


Itir. SPEAKER: Order! I have given the hon. member a good deal of latitude. For some time he has been quoting from copious notes. I have come to the conclusion that he is reading his speech. That is not in accord with the rules of procedure in this House.

:iUr. 1UOORHOUSE: Some hon. members have been advocating the formation of a national Government. I wonder if they knew the meaning of the word ''national,'' as indicated in the dictionary, and, if so, whether they would be so desirous of the formation of a national Government. That book says that ''national'' means ''devoted to the interests Df the nation as a >Yhole.'' I believe they wanted the formation of a national Goven;ment in order that they could place o'n the shoulders of others an excuse for their ineptitude and their maladministration during the period when their party was in control in the Federal sphere. In other words, I believe they are looking for a scapegoat. I ha\"e heard criticism in this Chamber, too, about union control. I heard someone object to the Premier's co11testing the Commonwealth's attempt to put into force the principle of unifmm taxation.

I feel quite satisfied that the Premier contested that purely on a constitutional basis, and on that basis he was perfectly right in contesting it in a court of law. Are his critie9 as anxious for constitutional action as they would ha,·e us belieYe': Because we have to consider who owns Australia. One lion. member said, '' \Vho governs Australia 9 '' T sav. '' \Vho owns Australia~'' I advise that hon: l11ember to huy a pamphlet called '' vVho owns AustTalia ~ '' He will find the people who own Australia will not allow any Government to institute any legislation that will be of actual benefit to the working class because they, the people wl1o own AustTalia, will immediately tie up the finance necessary for the institution of such legislation under the :present system.

J agree that tTades-union control thTougout industry is necessary. If there was more trades-union control, then there would be fewer ''Blimps'' in our industry, and 1ve should not have the bottlenecks in certain of Dur munition industries. There cannot possibly be free trades unionism, because there is no such thing as free taxation or free anything else; everything has to be paid for. We have to Temember that trades unionism is not something that has just happened; it is something that has had to be fought for during many years. The benefits of trade unionism should be paid for to-day; people should not be allowed to benefit from the efforts of somebody else.

I am disappointed because I feel that the criticism of the £250 per annum increase to the Commissioner of Police was not warranted. If the £250 payment to the Commissioner is warranted, and the Minister says it is, has the Minister forgotten the thousands of people who are freely and voluntarily giving their time to air-raid-precautions work~ It is due to the enormous A.R.P. organisation throughout Queensland that the

Commissioner of Police has much additional work thrown on his shoulders. I should like to see the Minister consider the introduction of legislation whereby A.R.P. workers would be paid for the services they render, because we must remember that they are really protecting the property of the owning class. It is no use anybody's saying that we cannot afford to pay the A.R.P. workers, because the country is affording £1,500 a year to a man to control tea rationing. If we can do that, it should be possible to pay to A.R.P. workers something that would compensate them for their work.

I notice the Minister for Education in K ew South Wales has expressed himself as being in favour of completely free education for the children of New South \:Vales. I achocated free education during the last session of this PaTliament, but I do not see any reference to any legislation during the session whereby free education in every sense eau be established here.

I am also glad to say that in certain industries the Commonwealth is paying equal pay to males and females who are doing the same class of work.

r was also dis~ppointed that the Bill limiting profits to 4 per cent. was abandoned. I wish to give an illustration of the patriotism of certain people who are in a position to make a big profit with absolutely no risk to themselves.

Iu Brisbane we had the example of the Brishome Stevedoring Company buying water from the Brisbane City Council at 2s. for 1,000 gallons and selling it immediately to the .American Nm-y at 3s.-a profit of ls. ou eYeTy 1,000 gallons. Had the matter not been investigated no doubt these people would ha,-e continued making this enonnous profit, 1vhieh was entirely due to the war. We kno>Y that with some profits are the main concern, because the hon. member for Hamilton stated last session-quoting from '' Hansard,'' page 1560-

, 'So long as I am getting war contracts, wages are the last thing I think about. 'fhe main thing that almost every employer who is engaged in war contracts thinks a bout to-day is getting the work out, and, with that production, you get the profit that you want.''

The hon. member is to be congratulated on his frankness. He has advanced another stage my recommendation that we should produce for use and not for profit.

1\'Ir. MAN~ (Brisbane) (3.10 p.m.): It is with great interest that I listened to the Governor's opening Speech. His Excellency made reference to the unparalleled dangers that confront the peoples of the British Commonwealth of Nations and the free peoples everywhere. When we recall the past I am sure that most of us, at any rate, agree that we are proud that we belong to the British Motherland. In 1940, France had fallen; the British army had evacuated Dunkirk, leaving behind their munitions, supplies, and implements of war. But Britain was not


prepared to fight on land. The only arm of defence of that great nation was the British navy. At that time Russia was an interested 'pectator, having signed a non-aggression pact with Germany. America was neutral. A number of people are crying out that England let us down, but it is well to remind them of these things aml tell them that England, after the evacuation of Dunkirk, was far behind where she ought to haye, been -Yirtually as were we in Australia when .Tapan declared war. \Ve know of the gallant stand being made by the Russian people to-day against the bloody Nazi onslaught. It helps us to imagine the position that England would be in in the year 1940. I am one wl10 believes that the welfare of the non-Axis powers in the world has depended on the ability of England in 1940 to "see it tluo '." \Ye, as a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations, are now receiving from Eng-land and America the help that I believe will ultimately enable us to stem the tide of Fascism, which to-day is at our front door. The gallant Red Army of Russia is putti11g up a great fight against the Nazi hordes, and that alone gives an indication of the power that would hm·e been thrown against us. It is well for the people of Australia to know that at that time, 48,000,000 British people were opposed by 78,000,000 Germans, 44,000,000 Italians, and the millions of people in the occupied areas .,-ho were forced to 1YOrk for the German warl01·ds. ·when one hears criticism of the aid that is being giYen to Australia, it makes one wonder if every peTSon in this country is alive to his respon,:;ibilities and knows what faces us in bringing this war to a successful conclusion. It is safe to say that if England had not put her back to the wall at that time there would now be no British navy to convoy supplies and implements of war to Russia. I think I am safe in saying that 80 per cent. of the production of the British Empire to-day is being sent to Russia, the Middle East, Australia, and the other theatres of war. We are glad that we belong to the British Commonwealth of Nations anrl that we are receiving that assistance. Quite recently the Prime Minister, Mr. Cmtin, made a statement that he had agreed to thr temporaq diversion of aeroplanes and munitions of war to those theatres of war in need of them, and there was an outcry from certain people in our midst.

I believe that Mr. Curtin did right. We want all the aeroplanes and munitions of war we can get, but we do not want them at the expense of Russia or China. \Ye are pleased to get that aid, but when the present l'rdrral Government are endeavouring to do their shaTe to make the people of this nation waT-eonscious, to make them realise the diffi<'uliies that confront us, we find eeTtain people calling out for a national Goyern~ne:u-.

The Leader of the Opposition in this Assembly opened the debate in a wry fine spirit when he suggested that constructiw criticism was good. I agree with him. 1 belieYe that out of helpful, constrnctiYe c1·iticism some good will come, but when he

sa:rs that we should forget our party differences and not refer to party politics, 1 Temind him and other hon. members of the Opposition in this Assembly that the responsible members of the Opposition at Canberra -I refer to Mr. Hughes and Mr. Menzies in particular-are not willing to follow that eomse. I say that no Government for many years past have been so heckled, barked at, or subjected to such ridicule and criticism by the Opposition as have been the present :Fedeml Government. ·when responsible leaders of the Opposition at Canberra coin new phrases with which to attack responsible J\finisters in that Parliament, I ask those hon. members opposite who advocate national unity, ''Is that in the interests of national unity~'' vVhon the Minister for La hour an cl ::\ ational Service in the Federal House of Representatives went to the coalfields in an endeavour to bring about peace and harmony among the industrial sections on those coalfields, there was a sustained outcry by the Press and sustained ridicule bv Tesponsible members of the Pederal Opposition. 'rhey coined new phrases ancl referred to every ;;dion the Minister took as a '' Wardism.'' We find, too, that these Simon Legrees of the Opposition-Hughes and Menzies-who Implored the Government to enforce Regulation 77 on the miners, sang a vcrr different tune when the Minister for Labour ana l\ational Service suggested that Regulation 77 should be inflicted upon mine-managers and coalowners. 'rhese people are all for national unity, all for a national Government, so long as it does not conflict with their interests. I agree with the hon. member for AlbeTt that a national Government is a united effort in which everything is subordinated to the interests of this great struggle in which we are engaged to-day.

\Ve also read of an attack upon the .:'11inister for \Var Organisation of Industry by :Mr. Fadden, the Leader of the Federal Opposition, who accused Mr. Dedman of bringing in Socialism by the back door. If the things that Mr. Dedman is doing constitute Socialism, then I have something to learn about Socialism. I believe that the only nbjection that J'v1r. Fadden and those he r0presents in the Southern States have to the things Mr. Dedman is doing is that they conflict with vested interests. I know that ::\Ir. Derlman has had to c1o things we clid not think would ever have to be -clone in this country, but I believe that in doing them he is doing work in the best interests of the country. He is doing these things in order that peace-time industries will be conver~ecl t-o war-time industries. To-day we find industry after industry being changed over so that women workers may be able to take the place of men. The women are doing work that we never thought the womer of our country would be doing, and they. ar(: making a goorl job of it. All those thmgs are being clone by the Government so that Gennal JIIIacArthur may haYe at his command the forces he needs and the supplies that are essential for sustaining those forces in order to make a 100 per cent. war effort.


I believe that our slogan from now on should be ''work or fight,'' and that every hon. member should put forward every endeavour to bring this war to a successful issue. Great Britain started a long way behind scratch, but Australia started much further !Jehind scratch. I am not going to blame Mr. ~\1enzies, Mr. Fadden, Billy Hughes, or ,roe Lyons at the moment-that is a story that can be told at a later date. What I say now is that we should do our utmost to help the Government in the successful prosecution of the war.

The I"eader of the Opposition and other hon. members opposite who have spoken want national unity so that the men I have just mentioned may be included in a national Government. Why, it is only 12 months ago that they were the Government and they could not even agree amongst themselves oi1 policy! How the devil they are aoing to work with another political party" in the Covernment, a Government who are doinrr a splendid job, is something that I fail"' to n~1derstand. Insteacl of sniping at and snapj>mg at the heels of the Prime Minister, and mstead of abusing and criticising the Minister for Labour and National Service and the Mini.ster for vVa.r .Organisation of Industry_ and mstead of commg new phrases to deqcribe these men, it should be the duty of hon. members oppos1te to tender their ad;-iee to their political eonfreres in the Fcdernl Parliament.

I could :alk at length on the subject of the war effort, but I know that every hon. member here is as conscious of our war requirements as I am. However, I should like to reply to some of the criticisms levelled at the Allied Works Council by the hon. member for Oxley. The hon. member for Bowen had something to say a ho ut the subJect. The hon. member for Oxley wishes to deny to the trade-union movement the prh-ile:ge that is extended to people ·who support hrm or support his party at election time. Let us take the British Medical Association. .l t is a union of medicnl lll€11. And what a 1mion! Let any doctor disobey an instruction of the British Medical Association and he will he unable to associate himself professionally w1tb any member of that union. Then l€t us take the Law Institute. Every solicitor has to be a member of the Law Institute. Unless lte pays his fee to be a member of it he ·eannot practiso as a solicitor. Furthermore there is a special Act of Parliament for hi~ protection, an Act that gives him the right of compulsory unionism. No legal man can pra~tise as a 'olicitor and charge a fee unless he rs a member of the Law Institute. Just as th€ British Medical Association is a union of medical men, so the Law Institute is a union of legal men. Therefore the hon. m~mber for Oxley wishes to deny to the tradeumon movement something that his friends enJ ay-compulsory unionism.

Now .let us take the insu.rance companies. I. read Ill thB papBr only thrs morning that a dnee~ora~e of a big insurance company in the City mcluded the names of A. E. Moorc, Esq., and J. W. :!<'!etcher, Esq., both well·

known in political circles. They are friends of the hon. member for Oxl€y. "'iVould he say that the insurance companies have no union~ Would he say that the Fire Underwriters' Association is not a strong combine·~ Any insurance company that is not a member of that association cannot reinsure any of its insured risks with any other company.

Now let us take any traders' association. .Ylost of the traders have a union of some kind, and it is generally linked with the ChambeT of ManufactUT€S OT the Chamber of Commerce. You see, Mr. Speaker, they are forced to caTry out the rules of their organisation. Let any trader who is a member of such an organisation decide to sell an article at a lower price than that agreed upon by the organisation, and he will find that he has a job to get supplies.

Quite recently in this city Ste;-.-art 's Cnsh and C'nny Stores-I do not know the firmdecided to sell a product callec1 Persil at a lo;;-er rate than the manufacturers decided upon. 'l'he manufacturers immediately sought an injunction to prohibit this :firm from selling the product at a lower rate. That shows that the manufacturers enjoy compulsoTy unionism. The hon. member for Oxlcy is eyiclently pleased that there are hvo kinds of unioniBm, one that seeks to keep wages at a maximum level and the other that seeks to keep wages at a minimum. E;-idcntly, the latter is the kind he favours. His friends ;yho put him into this House are able to enjoy compulsory unionism, yet he would deny that right to the trade-union mo,-cment.

Thir. Nimmo: Do not forget that those men employed by the _\llied Works Council are conscripts.

lUr. l'iiANN: The hon. gentleman talks about conscription of man-poweT by the Allied vVorks Council! EYidently he agrees that labour should be conscTipted, but when it comes to the conscription of profits the inteTests that sent him into this House squealed. J!'or instance, let us take the proposal to limit profits of industry to 4 per cent. His people forced the hand of the Government to shelve this measure. temporarily at any rate. They did not 'attack the pToposal on the ground of its impracticability or even sav that the scheme was fundam~ntally wrong: \Ylwt they did say was, ''Hands off our profits! Leave us alone.'' Mr. Fadden said that the making of profits was an incentive to productionIf that is true, what is wrong with the converse argument-that the making of greater wages for those working in industry is an incenti;-c to greater production~ Now that there is a shortage of labour, would it not be right, if the argum€nt of Mr. Padden is correct, to advance the same aTgument on their behalf~ Many restrictions have been placed on those who labour in industry. 'rhe worker cannot leave one job and go to another. There is no sustained cry from the hon. member for Oxley against these rcstTictions, but immediately restrictions on profits are mentioned, we hear a sustained outcry.


The hon. member almost collapsed, as it were, over the fact that the men engaged on Allied works had to join a union. It could be easily seen that he was merely continuing his opposition and hatred to the union movement generally. If it is good enough for the friends of the hon. member for Oxlev to enjoy compulsory unionism, then it is good enough for the trade-union movement generally to enjoy the benefits of compulsory unionism.

I intended to say something about a former speech delivered by the hon. member for Bundaberg, but as the matter was dealt with very satisfactorily this morning by the Premier, and the hon. member not only made an unqualified withdrawal but admitted that his remarks were untrue, I will not proceed with what I intended to say on the subject. I had intended to say that I was not one of those whom he accused of receiving a bribe. I will leave the matter at that. But I do intend to deal with the statements he made :1gainst the general secretary of the A.W.U., Mr. C. Fallon. I am sorry the hon. member is not in his place in this House, because I hate saying anything about anyone in his absence. Any hon. member who takes advantage of his position in this House to make the statements he did about Mr. Fallon is a moral coward. He evidently has not the com·age to make those statements without the protection of this Chamber.

There is another matter that concerns not only myself but even-one vvho is interested in the health of the people, particularly the rhildn'n of our communitv. I refer to Sister Kenny's treatment of infantile paralysis. Qnite recently Sister Kenny paid a visit to tlw United States of America. I want to make it quite clear that jt "as at the instigation of the Government that Sister Kenny visited the United States of America and that her success was made possible as a result thereof, and also by reason of the fact that prior of her departure the Premier handed her :1 letter of introduction that caused her to receive favourable consideration in America. I believe I am in order in reading the letter, as it has been made public already in Sister Kenny's book, ''The Treatment of Infantile Paralysis in the Acute Stage.'' It reads-

'' Basil 0 'Connor, Esq., ''President,

"Xational Foundation for Infantik Paralysis,

"New York, ''U.S.A.

''Dear Sir,-Miss Elizabeth Kenny has advised me that she has decided -to proceed to the United States of America co11cerning her system for the treatment of the ,Jisease of infantile paralysis in the acute stage of the disease.

' '::Vliss Kenny has been known to me for several years. Early in 1934, the Queensland Government associated itself with her work by establishing a clinic in the City of Townsville (North Queensland) for the

purpose of testing whether she could teach her system. Since then, the Government has established clinics at Brisbane and at four out-patient centres where the Kenny system only was practised. In .Tune last year the Government requested the Public Hospital Authorities in the clinic centres to make provision for the treatment of patients in public hospitals for the purpose of enabling patients to have the option of treatment by the Kenny system or by the accepted medical system.

''My Government has been much impressed with the re9ults of the Kenny system, particularly with the success of the system in the treatment of the disease in the acute stage. This success opens up the prospect that much greater improvement ~an be made in treating the disease than has previously been accomplished. Miss Kenny has, in the opinion of the Queensland Government and that of many medical men, made a notable contribution to the cause of humanity. Accordingly, I commend ::Yiiss Kenny to the good offices of the N ationnl Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.

''Yours faithfully,

'' vV. Forgan Smith,

''Premier.''

In ~,..jew of that letter, Sister Kenny was receivecl favourably in America, and she has, I believe, given the people of America much food for thought. vVhat I am mainly concerned about is the closing down of the Kenny Clinic at the General Hospital. Quite recently-on 1 August this year-an article entitled, ''A prophet lost to Australia,'' appeared in the ''Telegraph,'' signed '' J.R.S.,'' commenting on Sister Kenny and her methods. The Secretary for Health and Home Affairs replied to that article on 5 August, in which he stated that it was due to the lack of patients that the Kenny Clinic was closed down and during the last 12 months only four suspected cases had been Teported in the area served by the Brisbane and South Coast Hospitals Board; three cases proved not to he infantile paralysis and the fourth case, a doubtful one, was receiving diagnosis at the Children's Hospital. He further pointed out that the department requested any mctlical man to notify the department of any suspicious case. As a matter of fact, it is the law of the land that any medical officer shall report a suspected case to the Department of Health and Home Affairs and the Brisbane City Council.

I ha\·e stated that it was due to the pressme the Government put on the Brisbane and South Coast Hospitals Board that caused that board to institute the Kenny method at the General Hospital. I asked whether the Government or the Director-General of Health and Medical Services was responsible for the abandonment of the Kenny method of treatment of infantile paralysis at the hospitaL I asked if the board caused the Kenny method of treatment to be abandoned on the advice of the Director-General of Health and Medical Services in this State. The Minister said that if there was an outbreak of infantile

124 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Add1·ess in Reply.

paralysis in the future he would remarshal the staff that was trained in the Kenny method. I maintain that is impossible, because those nurses who were trained in the Kenny method have left the employment of the board and are scattered to the four winds vf this State. Two of the nurses came to me nnrl askec1 for my help. They were given one \\'CCk 's notice after the Kennv Clinic was doserl down and nobody seemed t'o know where they should go. They drifteil along to the Kenny Clinic in George .street and were started there without authority. Immediately the Health Department became aware of it, they gc.Ye them a week's notice. I approached the Minister on their behalf and he graciously intervened and allowed them a month to find some other place to go to.

There is a mistake in the reply appearing in the Brisbane ''Telegraph'' of 5 August. I am not blaming the l\!J:inister for the statement, inasmuch as I belim·e he would be advised of the position by the Director-General of Health and Medical Services, Sir Raphael Cilento. If he was advised by Sir Raphael Cilento he was misinformed of the position. Sir Raphael Cilento is not in favom of the treatment of infantile paralysis in the acute stages as practised by Sister Kenny. She has told me of the obstacles he placed in her '"a;r in an endPavour to gel a ''fair go'' for her treatment of this disense. The i\finister in his statement said there were four cases of infantile paralysis, three of which proved to be not infantile paralysis. I might mention that three of the four patients are dead. At the Health Department of the Brisbane City Council they arc recor.led as acute cases of anterior poliomyelitis, but their death certificates show that they did not die from anterior poliomyelitis. • That is the point I desire to make. One case was that of a girl ll years old. I inten-ie,Yed the mother and can ,-ouch for what I say. 'l'his is the mother's story to me. On Exhibition Wednesday the little girl fell down and knocked a piece off her knee. The mother took her to the Exhibition on the Thursday. She appeared to get sick on her way home. On arrival at home, the mother called in Dr. Sellwood, who examined the child anfl stated there ;vas nothing wrong-that he could see nothing wrong. The next day, the child being no better, she again called Dr. Sellwood. He was lmsy with medical duties and sent a deputy, Dr. Payne, who said he could see nothing wrong with the child. Another day went by, the child getting worse, having a choking cough and spitting up slimy fluid. The mother 'became anxious and again sent for the doctor. Dr. Sellwood again sent Dr. Payne, who took the child's temperature, remarking that there was no temperature and there was nothing to worry about. The child being worse next day, the mother sent for another doctOT. Dr. Aaron, after an inspection of the child, diagnosed it as having infantile paralysis, and said that the child must be sent immediately to the hospital. The mother could not believe the diagnosis and Dr. Aaron went away and obtained the services of a specialist, Dr. Paterson. Dr. Paterson called and agreed with Dr. Aaron, that the child was suffering from infantHe paralysis. The ambulance was called

for, and Dr. Paterson instructed the ambulance that the chilcl had infantile paralysis. It was taken to the Children's Hospital and put in Wattlebrae, where it died. But this is the point that concerns me most. When the child died, the death certificate •ras issued by a .i unior of 11 months' standing at the hospital, Dr. 'r. R. N eYille, and it records that the child died from bronchial pneumonia. I ask ,,-110 is right, Dr. Aaron, Dr. Paterson, or the junior at the Brisbane Hospital. These are things that the Director-General, if he is doing his job thoroughly, should investigate.

The second instance concerns a woman of 22 yrar~, She had no medical attention prior to going to hospital, but was interviewed by Dr. Glm·er at the Brisbane Hospital, and then l'ClllOWd from that hospital to vVattlebrae. She died. This same doctor issued a certificate of death for this woman stating that she died from septicaemia, and some complaint of the hea1't, the technical name of which I forget. 'l'hat is another matter that requires investig·a tion. These casese are on the records of the Depm·tment of Health of the Brisbane City Council as cases of acute anterior poliomyelitis, in other words, of infantile paral~·sis. They died, and the death certificate in each case records the cause of death as something else.

JUr. IUal1er: What would be the reason for that?

Thir. lUXNN: That is what I desire to find out by addressing my remarks to the DirectorGeneral of Health and Medical Scn-ices for the State of Queensland. The Minister should call on him for a report. In my opinion these deaths are not reported as being caused br infantile paralysis because the doctors did not >Yant that to be on record, because of their fight against the Kenny method of treatment. }'our yea1·s ago I said in this House that I assumed the commission of doctors that inquin:c1 into the Kenny method of treatment turned it down because thev were biased Rgainst it. At the time I said 'r assumed they \H're all<] now I belieYe they are. I go further and say that I am sure that the DirectorGeneral of Health and Medical Services in this State does not want the Kenny method of treatment of infantile paralysis to be established here.

:ur. Collins: She got due recognition in AmericD.

lUr. 1IANN: She has gone to America and is hailed as a prophet in another land. She has •nitten a book that is accepted in all medical circles there, and if one cares to peruse any medical journal from the other side of thP ,,-orld one will find eminent doctors in America praising her methods.

J}Ir. II'Iaher: What motive would the doctor have for giving these certificates to which you refer>

lUr. ~IANN: Because she is outside the British Medical Association, who, in my opinion, do not want any interference with their method. They argue that splinting is the correct method. Sister Kenny says that non-splinting is the correct method. Being


only a layman, I do not know which method is eorrect, but ther,e questions should be :mswered by the Direct0l··Gen°ral of Health and Merlic:.tl Services. It >vas stated that only four cases, one of which was doubtful, >Yere reported, but I might mention that the doubtful case has turned out to be a most involved case.

The statements I have made this afternoon >Yill bear the eloscst scrutiny, and I believe Dr. Paterson 's statement to be correct. Why a .iunior doctor of only 11 months' standing was allowed to issue death certificates to say that the patients died from some cause other than infantile paralysis is something I have yet to learn. I commend the Premier for the letter he sent overseas for Sister Kenny, and I give the Government every credit, as does Sister Kenny, for the estab· lishment of those clinics in the earlv stages \\'hich made it possible for her to sl{ow that she can cure infantile paralysis in its acute stages. I give the Government credit, too, for making it possible for her to go to America, where she can get recognition and more scientific aid to complete her work.

lUr. FARRELL (Maryborough) (3.48 p.m.): The Speech deliveTed by His Excel· lency the Governor calls attention to the fact that we are living in days of unpaTalleled danger to the British Commonwealth of Nations and he refers to the great co·operation of this Government with the Federal Government in the war effort. Whilst we mav not have achieved the maximum waT effort, "there is evidence on eveTy hand that we a1·e in a much better position to·day than we han• been at any other stage of this war. I recognise that in the past three years we have hRd reverses, and we shall probably continue to have them, but I am perfectly satisfied that once the United Nations r~giment all they hm-c at their disposal we shall be in a position to give Hitler and his horde the blow that will finish him and crown our efforts with l'ictory.

~\nvone who has tTavelled throughout the lengtl1 and breadth of Queensbncl will readily recognise the wondeTful effOTt that is heing made by Queensland in an endeavour to win this war. On pa~sing through the workshops of this great State one can easily understand the enthusiasm displayed by the workmen engaged in that avenue of effoTt. J n my electorate, in Maryborough, >Ye have one of the largest engineering firms of the Commonwealth. Every time a ship passes down the slipway into the river there we think, '' There goes another nail in the coffin of Nazi·ism.'' A marvellous effort is being made there, but one has to go through the workshop to appreciate what is being done. I think I am safe in saying that 90 per cent. of every ship going clown that slipway is built in our own yards. The onl.y work that we have to get done outside 1s some of the electrical work. I quote that as only one instance of the effort being put forward by the people of this State. I appreciate the fact that other workshops, not necessarily engineering workshops, are doing

magnificent work every day for the war effort.

It was my privilege recently to accompany the Secretary for Public Works on a tour of the N 01:th, and there I was greatly impressed by the calm confidence with which the people of the North are waiting for any hlmv that might descend upon them. "\'Vhen we realise that that was a part of the State that was to be handed over to the enemythat they we1·e to be scrapped, so to speak, and left to their own devices-we can appreciate the feelings of the people. However, since then, a quiet confidence has reposed in them ancl they are much better able now to defend themseh·es than they were. Let us rcllcct on the splendid work that has been done by previous Go>·crnments in the con· struction of roads and railways, which now enable a strong defence system to be established. There is activity on every hand and much Yaluable work is being done for the war effort.

As >W go through the various towns in the I'\orth, ou·r minds naturally turn to the magnificent efforts that are being made by the people in Russia to hold the Nazi army. 'rhere is no doubt that the Hussian people are putting up a splendid defence against .the enemy, an cl I am satisfied that all poss1ble aid is being sent to her by the United N ati?ns. I know there are some people who beheve that perhapc' \Ye are not doing all we can to help Russia, but I am confident, especially since the visit of the British Prime Minister to the Kremlin, that everything possible is being· clone to get the weapons of war to Russia to enable her to defend her country and all that she hol cls near and dear to her people. Howewr, there are some political gaps -as I ,·ould term them-who still clamour for the opening of a second front, quite regardless of what such an undertaking would mean. To those people I would say that it \Youlc1 be better for them to turn their efforts towards the creation of political and industrial unity, because their advocacy in that direction would do more to help Russia than their er~· for the opening of a second front.

The Queensland GoYernment are cooperating in eYery >Yay with the Federal Gm·ernment in the prosecution of the war, but it should not be a one·way traffic. There should be the closest co·operation between the Federal GoYernment and the State Governments; but, for the life of me, I cannot undershmrl why the Commonwealth Government are setting up an increasing number of committees at great expense when they could, with advantage, utilise State instrumentalities. Take, for instance, the man·power problem. If the Commonwealth Government had wished, thev rould have used the State Department of Labour and Industry for this purpose-a department that has a band of thoroughly capable officers who know all the conditions throughout the State and thus would be in a position to handle the man·power problem efficiently. One can readily understand a Government's making one mistake, but it is hard to understand a continuation of them. Quite recently, a committee was set up within the timber industry, whereas we have, for a


considerable time, had a very efficient organisation in the Sub-Department of Forestq. No-one knows the forest resources of this State better than the officers under the control of the State Director of Forests, Mr. Grenning. If the Commonwealth Govm·nment had used that department it would have been a very simple matter to organise the timber resources of the State so that a maximum war effort in that respect would have been assured. No-one has a greater knowledge of our timber resources than the officPrs of the Sub-Department of Forestry. Unfortunately, we are losing a great quantity of timber that should hrwe been drawn to the mills long ago. Let me u:plain. Anyone with a knowledge of the timber industry knows that befor-e the timber can be marketed it must be hewn, carted to the mills, sawn up, and then railed to its destination; hut our problem for some time has been that we have not been able to get the timber from the forest to the mills to enable the various contracts to be carried out. Timber has a great bearing on the defence of this country, and so it is necessary that we should send our timber out of the various towns north, south, east, or west-wherever it is most urgently required. However, before 'Ye can do this, it is necessary first of all to haul the timber from the forests.

Without the support and co-operation of the people engaged in all these processes it is not possible to have a full war effort aml so it is not in the best interests of the war effort to create and establish these subdepartments.

I daresay it will not be very long before another sub-department is created on the subject of food production. Anyone .,,,fuo knows anything at all about the Department of Agriculture and Stock knows that there is probably not a better man to control such a department within the Commonwealth than our own Secretary for Agriculture and Stock. He has everything at his finger tips, he has also a particularly good staff of officers at his command. Yet it is more than likely that we will find that this department is controlled by a Federal depurtment. For instance, look at what occurred in conneftion with wa~·-damage insurance. The only thing the Government did right in that respect was to ask the local authorities to undertake certain 'vork. There is no doubt they have done a magnificent job. Let me give another illustration, this time in connection with marine war damage, which is being controlled by our State Gm·ernment Insurance Office. I have mentioned these matters to illustrate how the war effort could be much better achieved if recourse 'vas made to the competent departments we haYe organise•1 in this State.

I desire now to direct my remarks to several matters pertaining to the timber industry, as the Secretary for Public Lands is in the House. Quite r-ecently an award was gazetted and a basis laid down in connection with market rates. I am not suggesting in any way that what the Minister's department did was wrong, but I would point out that the price of everything used by the cutter, the carte1·, and the snigger has increased. It is because

of this fact that I should like him to consider an increase in the key market rates in the district. There ar-e a set of men in the timber industry who deserve special consideration, and I should like the Minister to consider increasing the key market rates all round by ls. a 100 superficial feet, and to see to it that this increase is passed on to the cutter, carter, and snigger. Everyone knows that without these men it would be impossible to carry on the timber industry.

.Mr. Clayton: They work night and day.

Mr. l'ARRELL: As the hon. member for Wide Bay interjects, the cutters, carters, and sniggers, who a.ctually work in his electorate, although most of their product comes into the :Maryborough mills, vvork long hours.

llir. Clayton: They are carting into the sidings all through the night.

lllr. F ARRELL: I do not say that they arc carting to the sidings all through the night in Mar-yborough, but their efforts arc worthv of the consideration of the Minister in th~ direction I have indicated. It would be idle for me to indicate the increases that have taken place in the price of tyres, petrol, oil, grease, in fact,. not only everything for the motor vehicles they use but their tools also.

I desire, too, to pay a tribute to the Liquid }-,uel Control Board-if I am to particularise anybody I would mention :Mr. Smallcombe and his staff-for sympathetic treatment of those engagt<d in the timber industry in my district. The privilege we are cn.io1·ing in my district is greatly appreciated.

Another matter that requires the attention of the Minister concerns the present method of granting continuous contracts in the timber industry. A good deal of delay is now Pxperienced before a contractor, after con:, pleting one contract, is granted another. It 1s absolutely essential, in order to obtain a maximum effort, that we should wherever possible avoid laying-off contractors. On taking n contract a timber contractor assembles an efficient plant to cope with all the tim1Jer hP lws to haul. Unless the work is continuous there is the possibility these men will gravitate to ciYil construction work and their srrvices will be lost to the timber industry.

I think it would be much better if the Minister would agree to a continuity of conb·acts, either in that area or some other area. The method to be adopted would be one in which a contractor and a responsible officer of the Sub-Department of Forestry would set a price at which the timber could be taken out of a particular pocket. I commend that point to the Minister for his consideration.

1¥e have another difficulty in the industry, that is, the supply of tyres for our trucks. There is much red-tape in this respect and it is a pity that some organisation cannot be set up whereby there would be easier access by the contractor to his source of supply. For instance, if a truckowner blows a tyre or a tube the only method of approach lw


has is through the local officer of the SubDepartment of }"orestry, who takes it up >Yith the head office in Brisbane, which in turn gets in touch with the Timber Control Committee, which gets in touch with the Department of Supply, and back it comes to the contractor through the same channels, which means considerable delay. I should like the Minister to endeaYour to get the Department of Supply to give the Director of Forests authority to buy tyres and tubes on behalf of 'the timber industry; then, ·1Yhen a man needed a tyre or a tube., all he >Yould haye to do would be to get in touch >rith the sub-department in his area, get an O.K., and telephone to Brisbane, and the material would be back very quickly.

The Premier: The Department of Supply 11· ill not allow you to carry stock.

I\Ir. J<'ARRELL: I realise that is the trouble. What I wish to point out is that \t is no good sitting down until the thing hurts us so much that we cannot carry on. M;· reason for mentioning these things is to bring under the notice of the Minister the seriousness of what might happen if we cannot get the supplies. vV e realise there should be greater co-operation between the Tlepartmcnt of Supply and our own SubDepartment of Forestry. If that could be brought about, we should be a long way Hlong the road to what "\Ye. want.

I am sure the speech delivered by the :Premier last week was enjoyed by everyone who heard it, and appreciated to the fullest. Tu effect, he said that the Commonwealth should have every possible power that it is necessarv to have within the constitutional rights of the Commonwealth, but he was not r·oing to fritter away any of the privileges the State enjoyed. Everyone realises that. One has only to remember, as was aptly demonstrated by the hon. member for Bowen, that there have been times when we had Queen Street Governments in this State, and it was only when the Labour Party took pmyer in t~·.is great State that we ceased to liaYe Queen Street Government. If we had only a Federal Parliament-I do not care >Yhich side is in power-New South Wales and Victoria would govern the Commonwealth. As to the :Ministers of the Commonwealth "nd State Governments, none of our :Ministers need play second fiddle to any in the Federal Parliament. If we had the privilege and opportunity of hearing a discussion on that point, we should appreciate the worth of our own Ministers.

On Sunday last it was my privilege, with all the people of Queensland, to listen to the remarks of the various Premiers in connection with our war loan. To the people of l\faryborough I say that I trust they will ('Ontribute to the fullest extent to this loan. I wish to speak particularly to the workmen of that town. They have ample opportunity to contribute to the war loan to the extent Df a £10 war bond. No-one can tell me that in a town the size of Maryborough there is one home that cannot contribute £10 to this ;rar loan.

If they do that they will be setting an example to eYery other town in this State, which >>ill make a determined effort to beat their record. I suppose there is no other tmYn in this State that has receiYed so many benefits by reason of war contracts, and for that reason I say without hesitation that eyery home in Maryborough is capable of buying at least a £10 war bond. And that is reallv what the Commonwealth Government n re 'vrrit tin g.

\Vhen <Jttending a gathering in my electorate on Friday night, I was greatly struck by the action of the Miners' Union there in ,-~luntarily lending to the Commonwealth, free of interest, an amount that they take from their wages each fortnight. We can be justly proud of that action of the miners.

Honourable Jl'Iembers: Hear, hear!

liir. l'ARRELL: That action will be appreciated by every right-minded person. With the Premier of this State I hope that the £100,000.000 loan will be a success, and that can be attained only by the wholeheartc;l co-operation of the people of the Commonwealth. If we do not contribute to that loan we stand in flanger of losing the privileges >Ye possess. It would be folly for anybody to suggest that we shall allow our boys at Port J\foresby, Darwin, and the other theatres of 1mr to fail because of the lack of the necessarv equipment. ~' n outstanding feature of the i1resent war is the mechanisation of the armed forces, and one method of contributing to the war effort is to provide the neL'essary money to enable mechanised unito to be equipped. We all, especially those who were in the first \Vorld War know that \Yiili

out the support and the co:opera'tion of the people, the armed forces will not get very far.

It was with pleasure that I heard His Excellency say that it was the intention of the Government to make certain amendments to the Coal and Oil Shale Miners (Pensions) Act. I attended a meeting on Friday night, one of its Teasons being to pay tribute to the excellent men who were going out, or had gone out of the industry, men who had laid the foundation of unionism in the industry. lt has been said that probably we are compelling men to go out of the industry. If there >Yas any compulsion about it, when I addresse~ that meeting on Friday night there was positive evidence that these men were very thankful they were able to go out of the industry on pensions provided by this Government "·ith the support of the mining unions throughout the State, a pension that would enable them to have certain benefits in their old age. Those who know the history of mining in this State are aware that the mineTs would not enjoy these benefits, if they retired at 65, to the same extent as they would if they retiTed at 60.

I know something of the proposed amend· ments and they are suggested in the light of experience and on representations from tl;e mining unions and what has been done m New South Wales. One of the finest pieces of legislation ever brought forward In Queensland was the Bill for pensions to miners, giving those in the industry the opportunity


to retire on suitable allowances while they were still not too old to enjoy a well-merited rest.

Mention has been made in this debate of the returned Diggers. Through the Press and in statements of various persons there haYe been slurs on the second A.I.F., and the womenfolk who have been associated with those troops. As a member of the first A.T.F., I look proudly on the deeds and the bearing of the members of the second A.I.F. Nothing is being done to-day that will bring disgrace on the name of the first A.I.F. \Yhen a man goes into the second A.I.F ., or the militia, he says to himself, ''I wonder what the old man would say about it. I wonder if I am doing my jo~J the way he thinks it should be done.'' As hon. members know, the fathers, uncles, and other male relatiHs of the second A.I.F. we1·e in all probability in the last war, and the young man of to-day v:ill not throw away his privileges for a mere nothing. Probably in the stress of the moment a Digger oversteps the mark and has a pot of beer too many, but can any hon. member get on his feet and say he has done nothing he would be ashamed of~ To those who criticise the A.I.F. and those associated "·ith them, I offer the advice to think once a11el then say, ''Never mind.''

They are doing a magnificent job. \Ve know exactly what they are doing in the ~orth and what they haYe done in other ])laces, and it is annoying to find a leading theatrical man, Mr. 'fait, defaming these lads of ours, and I enjoyed nothing better than the statement made by the :i\Iinister in his reply to that attack. It is annoying to see these statements bv such men as this chief theatrical jackass-one could r<tll him nothing else-whose morality is probably much helow that of the people he was criticising, nlthough I know nothing about thr man. So far as I am concerned, he "s not going to get away with such coarse attacks on the A.I.F. I do not think it is right that. such criticism of the A.I.F. should lJc allowed. l say emphatically that the stuff that "·as in the first A.L1''. is in the second A.LF., too; in fact, I should say that the lnds of the second A.LI<'. are of a better t~·pe than ''"e wore because they have had the adnmtage of the great educational facilities that we did not e11joy. One has only to look at some of the boys marching round the State to know exac.tly the things they stand for. 'vV e have only to see the actions of the wonderful young men from this and other States to know what they are capable of. \Ve have them coming here from other States, and we know their type. They are not going to rob us of our heritage by doing the things of which they are accused. One has only to go into the highwa;·s and byways of the State to see exactly what our citizens think of them. Let any hon. member go to the backblocks and he will see ''"hat our people really think of these lads. At all times the people of the backblocks are proud to throw their homes open to our lads. If thev are not sur;plying them with teas, they are doing somethmg else to make them feel that they are proud of them. I hope that the papers

will not publish any more of the rubbish that may be uttered by persons who are not qualified to criticise our A.I.F. In my opinion common decency dictates that such attacks should be suppressed, not published in our Pres•, because such nonsense does not serve to enlighten the subscribers to our journals.

In conclusion, I congratulate the mowr and seconder of the motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply. It is refreshing to see a man of the calibre of the hon. member for \Varrego, a man who has the rtlv:mtage of excellent experience in the A.\V.U., coming into this Assembly. A man with the industrial experience enjoyed by the hon. nwmbcr for Warrego must be an asset to the State. His experience is something of \Yhich he can justly feel proud.

I abo desire to pay a tribute to the Ministers and officers of the various departments for the courtesy they have extended to me at all times.

Debate, on motion of :Mr. \Valker, adjourned.

The House adjo~rned at 4.20 p.m.

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