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RINGING CHEERS GREET
THE PRIME MINISTER
Referendum Speech in
Adelaide Town Hall
From "The Age" Special Representative
ADELAIDE, .Tuesday.- — Ringing cheers greeted 'the:
Prime Minister when he appeared in the. Adelaide' town,
hall to-night. As Mr; CUrtin walked on to the platform
the packed hall gave him a roar. of welcome;
Mr. Curtin said the referendum was for the purpose
of making good the failure of the Parliaments of the
States to transfer to the Commonwealth Parliament the
14 powers in question,.
Mr. Gurtln declared there could I
be no assurance of Justice to any
section , of the community . in a
dislocated .order, after the, '.war.
Therefore there would necessarily
be required a continuance, of
certain controls until , such : time
as the reproductivet-capaclty.-of
the country had been restored. .
A Voice: How, long . will , that
Mr. Curtin: As long as, It takes
to produce the things that are
necessary. (Applause.)-; -
' Mr. Curtin continued:— "I can
not specify- the period of death
or birth. I do not know when
Germany and Japan will sur
render. I can say that now the.
road is clear' and we can see vic
tory at the end." (Applause;)/,
Mr. Curtin contended that the
. Government of /Australia, should,
not, in respect of 'Industrial
Sowers, have less powers . than
ie Governments of New Zea
land and England. (Hear, hear.)
He could not for the life of him
see anything wrong with that.
(Renewed Hear, hears.). The
Prime Minister declared empha-
;ically .'that he knew of no. people,
who, In the great struggle for
the preservation- of liberty, had
more to be thankful for than the
people of Australia. They had
been saved from all the horrors
experienced by overseas countries,
not only by the exertions of the
fighting forces, but by the exer
tions- of. the Government. Plan
ning had been necessary: to
achieve that end.
N o. Permanent T ra nsfe.r
The Prime Minister added that
no question of the permanent
transfer of- powers to the Com
monwealth was Involved. /
A Voice: Why not ?
1 Mr. Curtin : Because of the
agreement that was reached at
Canberra by.. the; Premiers. (Hear,
hear.) The nation is greater than
any part ot it.
'In the- world of to-day, stated
Mr. Curtih, there should be no
room for the parish pump.
: A Questioner: Why the fourteen
powers in one question ? : , ;
Mr. Curtin : Because the , four
teen powers are really one in
purpose—to give the Common
wealth Parliament power to . do
lyhat the six S.tates do at the
present. (Hear, hear.) "
In any case, Mr'. Curtin said,
the 14 powers all fit Into one an
other. They all Interlock. . -
Another Questioner: -Why not
abolish State Parliaments alto
gether?; . t
Mr. Curtin: Because we agreed
at the Canberra Convention to
restrict the referendum to the 14
powers — no more and no less.
Having made that agreement, I
am sticking to -it.
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