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TUB MURRAY WATERS AGREE
MENT.
"The" Murray River Waters Bill intro
duced to the State Parliament by the At
torney-General (Mr. Mackinnon).'' writes
the Melbourne "Argus."' "is designed to
give effect, so far as Victoria is concerned,
to the agreement arrived at in April last
by the Commonwealth and the three States
concerned. It may be hoped that the
measure will become law before the session
ends. The arrangement is based upon
views which have been advocated in
these columns for many years, and will
embody, when adopted by the four Par
liaments, a really notable triumph of true
Peel oral spirit. The contention that Vic
toria and New South Wales were entitled
to take full advantage of their position
as the States owning the upper waters of
the Murray and its tributaries, without re
gard to the interests of South Australia,
violated every consideration of reason and
justice as completely as ib'd South Aus
tralia's claim to an unimpeded and undi
minished flow. Year followed year with
the controversy seeming to be no nearer
au end, the greater [<art of the much
needed waters: flowing idly into the sea.
This ever-present picture of gross waste
showed Australian statesmanship in a sin
gularly unfavorable light: The impulse to
action could not. possibly have been
stronger; but, with Victoria insisting that
irrigation should be regarded as paramount.
South Australia refusing to subordinate
anything to navigation, and New South
Wales not knowing quite what she wanted,
every step came to nothing."
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