Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

THE; FijbERAL SESSION.
charges , again8t day.
laborer8.
rift in the labcr lute.
"Spinlrial lunacy" was a phrase that Mr.
O'Malley directed at the bead .of some of
his newipapor critics yesterday. The •Minis
ter wMinclicerful vein. He had quite re-
covered .from the .fit of moody contempla
tion , that -had 's'eircd him after his' outbreak
overfthc.5iiinn,case last month. It was Mr.
Bruce 'Smith who gave him the opportunity
of expressing ' his fcelingR to the House.
Tlie'nietther'for.Pnrkes jumyeil to his feet,
as Eoon' as questions were called oh, . and
waiited .to Unotv yhctjier' Mr. O'Malley in
tended to1, call, for a; report, oti the alleged
delinquencies 'of ' tiic men -workiiig on day
labof.'It was then Mr. O'Malley showed a
glimpse of tlie. form, Jhat llad dazzled his
admirers li fortnight ago. He' was not con
tent with describing his press . antagonist
as a sufferer. from "spiritual lunacy"; . he
was ifflietod with "Chinese leprosy!' as well.
That at least was the opinion that Mr.
O'Malley liad formed of him; or rather it-
was the opinion" that lie, as.a mim of per
ception, had (liscovofed his officers to enter
tain of the erifio. in question.' That waii all
the information that Mr. Bruce Smith.after
his two spirited inquiries was able to
glean.- : > . -
The business' before' the House was nomi;
nally the 'works estimates, In actual fact,
if was that "of day. versus contract labor.
Tlie.'prdscnt' Government, otving. to a va
riety -of ciroumstancos, is 'in the remark
able: position of having more 'money than,
it caii spend. ' Jt cannot find workmen, or,
engineers, ..or' architects oriougli in, Aus
tralia -'.to push, on with :tho whole of- the-
works, estimated- to cost £3,985,000, which
its enormous" customs : revenues enable it
to finance. The first item, in ! tho works
estimate's— a /comparatively small : one in r
the Home Affairs department-hfurnished a
debate that. lasted all .the afternoon, .'and
evening. ---Not a word' was' said about the-
item; itself.. .iScaively : anything was said-
about any of tlic works . in : detail. Mr.
Dcakin drew the Prime Minister early in
the afternoon- by asking -whother the Go
vernment intended to' reply! seriously— lie
emphasised the Word "seriously" — to
clmtgcs. in relation to the men on day
labor. "What, generally speaking, are
the charges?!' asked Mr. Fisher. His tone
implied that he had never even heard of:
them. .'Mr; Deakin said -they were charges
being made on every hand. 'They were, in
effect, ' that the -day labor men Jon Govern
ment works were idling in a- rather shame
ful 'fashion,' It was then Mr. Fishor made
what was -.intended "as an authoritative
statement Sf Government, policy. . ""We,
employ no. one," he '.said, "and-we intend',
to employ'rio one who is hot giving what
we consider! a 'fair, equivalent in labor for
the pay :he receives." Most of the mem
bers on "Mr. 'Fisher's side cheered this
statement: -hut-, one- of them— Mr. Barn-
ford; of -Queensland— sat -gloomily silent.
%ow.. dp! you khpw yon ! af.e getting an
equivalent?" he asked. The question was
chcqred loudly., from the other side of the
House. ;; ;; "
. Mr. : Fisher. seemed to dislike. the;in-.
qiiiiy. ire replied in effect, that the Min-.
ister in charger of . a department was thcid
to see that en .equivalent was being given!
He diad.-of coursej to rely on' tlic reports
of his officers. Even if the Minister were
a spring-heeled .Tack, or an archangel, lie
could not get. about , among every one of
the thousands-of people who wero in Com-
liiohwcnlth pay. - What "Mr: Fisher im
plied, though, 'he did ;'nct expressly say so,
was that the departmental officers ridi-.
ciilcd- tho. assertions made in certain .places
about day -laborers. Mr. West,- a Govern
ment supporter from Sydney, said flatly
that, the charges originated, in tho first
place from . the Contractors' . Association
:n N.cw.South Wales. "Of course -they want
tomakc.out .the worst cascthoy iiean
against day labor," said' Mr. West. The-
discussjon that followed wW largely oh '
party lines. Members of the Opposition
! wanted an inquiry,. a report, a commission
—they were, not quite sure what. , Mr!
Fisher ' sat on ! the front bench 'looking
sternly unconvinced. From the expression
of his face, as well as from his occasional in
terjections, it was clear that, he had no
more intention of granting an inquiry into
tile day labor system' than he had of grant
ing one into the best means of 'commune
eating with' Mars. . ... .
, A feature of .-the debate was the part
played in. it by two Government sup
porters, Messrs. Ho-.ve and Baraford. "Un
doubtedly," said the former,, "the Minis
ter ought .to give ...attention to the
charges." He added that if any man, even
the > 'unfortunate 19/ a day man,, failed in
; his duty, -.'he shouid "go out." He said
f nothing about' the ease of members of Par
liament. getting' much" more tlian 9/ a day,
and drawing . pay for . the whole of the,
year, while -they- worked about a quarter
I of It. Mr. Bamford took , the same view
( as; Mr.. Howe. lie, too, thought ' tlic.
charges were "serious." .The Prime Minis
ter; who had glanced with . some im-
: pttienco at "Mr. Hoive, looked over his
( shonldey, in . ! frank 'disgust at- Mr.
Bamford. "You mean to. say," lie
interjected,, "that ibeca'use there has
Keen .something said in- the streets or
something written in the newspapers, we
; should hold an -inquiry?'" Mr. Bamford,
though rather taken aback by the point
v blank -., question, . screwed - up" courage to
J »B»wer "Tea." -Mr.. Fisher. contented him-
self with a shrug of the shoulders. It was
:> eloquent of what ho thought of hit-; -Bam-'
3 ford— and the proposed inquiry.
.: Tlie evening was taken up .with dissorta-
tions,- more or less ..practical, more or less
; general, by Mr. WV Fj. Johnson, Mr. Fen-
tn, -llr. Mobster, Mr. Palmer and others.
Mr. Fcnton said frankly, that -he was not
J! satisfied with, the action of the Common
ly wealth .Government in getting articles
made, outside Australia. He referred, par-
ticiil.irly to the purchase of li dredge from.
, abroad. The Aus.tralian . tenderer was, in
many cases,, not given . enough time, "and
the excuse was invariably made' that the
Government was in a great hurry. On the
4 motion , for the adjournment', Mr. Fisher
I -; thrciv out a hint of late sittings in the
j sarly future. ' ' . .
$