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SPEECH BY MR. DEAKIN
REPLY TO MR. WATSON.
PROTECTION"tÖ~COME FIRST.
BY SUBMARINE CABLE COPYRIGHT
FROM our SPECIAL.
MELBOURNE. April ST.
About 300 people attended Mr Deakin .
meeting at Camperdown to-night
Mr Deakin said his Government could,
and would, meet Parliament with more
than sufficient work to keep it profitably
employed for the whole of its time. Dead
ingwithMr Watson's Adelaide speech, he
said that, however sound Mr Watson's
argument might be in a State sphere, it
would not be applicable to the federal
position, therefore, in the federal sphere
protection came first He did not pretend
to weigh the value of the socialistic |
influences of protection as against the influences
of whatever social legislation is possible
in the Federal Parliament, and
a it was very little without an amendment
of the constitution As a protectionist
he said that the first business in order of
importance, and in order of time, was the
question of protection, which was entitled
to priority above all others
He next dealt with. Mr. I did s speech
at the lainie s' League meeting, and said
that after Mr Reid 6 declaration that he
would sink (the fiscal is me at the next
election, it was plain that he could not
bring in a rectification of the tariff next
session or next Parliament Mr Reid
had complained that he (Mr Deakin) had
made him an insulting offer at Ba larat
What he said was -"If you wish to fight
tussock legislation of the Labour party,
i' you like to settle the question of free
trade and protection, then you can have
all you are asking for you can appeal
to the country on your programme, and
every ran home will be able to take sides
The Opposition, by refusing to take the
only means it had of putting the fiscal
issue aside, was responsible for their going
to the country with no clear line of
demarcation but with three parties fighting
for three separate things The Ministry
wanted to develop agricultural industries
and now products, and as to the
mail services he made on offer to the
States at the Premiers' Conference, which
would enable the agricultural departments
of all the States to join together,
and make arrangements for taking the
whole of the cold storage space for so
many months in the rear, or for the
whole year Now, the Minstry favoured
not only protection at the ports, but also
favoured new protection, which had for
its aim social justice between class and
class The Opposition had no policy to
use that of the Government, because
Mr Reid's proposals were still only a
necklace of negatives. Australia had only
one practical policy in front, and that
was to make the best of its resources by
protection, the development of its resources,
the education of the people and
a policy of defence ample for all require
meats
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