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HINT OF COMPROI SlsI
REFERENDUM PLANS
Mr. Hughes Appeals to Labor
SUGGESTS AMENDMENTS TO SUIT PRIME MINISTER
r Speaking in the House of Representatives this after-
! noon 011 the Government's proposal to seek greater Federal
powers by referendum, Mr W. M. Hughes, former Prime
Minister, said he would , support Labor's amendments if they
were recast in a spirit of compromise with the Prime
Minister. .
He said the passing of industrial power to a body out
side the Federal Parliament would be setting up a Soviet.
He was against that, favoring Labor's proposal to hand
the power to Parliament,
jj. Mr Watt supported the Government proposals.
The motion before the A.L.P. that the party support the
proposals stands adjourned. If the voting remains equal the
motion must be decided in the negative, which means that
the party would give a free hand to its members.
: CALLS COURT SCHEME A SOVIET
Speaking on tho Referendum Bill
In the Houho of Repre.sentntiveB this
afternoon, Mr. W. M. Hughes (Nat.,
.North Sydney) snitl when the Com
monwealth was constituted, the
people wcro told that its purpose was'
to Incrcaso the power 'Of tho people
and reduce the cost of Government.
They had been sadly disillusioned by
% years' operation of a Constitution
they had never understood.
Time and time again tho High Court
hnd decided that in matters ofmost
vital interest tho Commonwealth Par
liament had not tho powers it needed
In order to govern for tho woll-belii#;
of tho pcoplo.
The industrial question was of vital
Importance, as shown by the position
of England during the recent strike,
when that great country was within
a few weeks of final ruin.
Change Desirable
it Hit-' LUIIIv LU IJL llll 111 1 Lll.U IlOT\
by all sections," proceeded Mr Hughes,
"that some amendments of the con
stitution aro desirable. Unhappily
thorfc has clustered round this great
Js'atlonal question the clinging tendrils
pi party.
''Every amendment that is brought,
forward in this Houso is looked tit1
jhroygh cloudy: spectacles. ... Thut,..of
course, is in tliq nature of-'iivah: If
has occurred to nio at many times to
bring forward amendments to the con
stitution, and always they have been
regarded with suspicion and distrust.
Put years have passed, and those
efforts have not been entirely in
vain. Pcoplo generally now-- and
this is borho out by the figures of the
various referenda — people have be
come alive to the necessity for amend
ments.
Humiliating Limitationi
"It was stated last night by the
leader of the Opposition that these
amendments camo upon us somewhat
abruptly; that they were hot heralded
by Fomo announcement which it
teems to mo would havo been proper
under the circumstances. But 1 am
hot going into that aspect of the' mat
ter. 1 urn not going to look a gift
hor.se in the mouth because of that,
it Is enough thnt amendments aro
propusfnl, and it is our duty to give
the proposals most careful considera
tion in order that Parliament may he
llfietl from the humiliating postion in
which it is now placed — that It can
neither deal with Uabor nor Capi
tal. Never could there be a greater
rcilection upon this Parliament than
that in its 25th year. It declares
that It cannot even muko a uniform
company law.
"Much less can it deal with tho
activities of companies or corpora
tions which may bo regarded as be
ing one or some of the causes which
make for Industrial unrest. This Par
te settle, so far as it can, tho state
of industrial unrest that so unhap
pily, from tltno to time, disfigures the
fair body of Australia.
Get to Root of Evil
"I am ghtd that tho Prime Minister
has given the country an opportunity
o consider this matter. It would
have been well perhaps that It had
boon done earlier, but it should be
done, if the country la to go for
ward to its destiny industrial unrest
must be limited to minimum. The
remedy must bo one that goes to the
very root of tho question. It is no
UHo attempting to deal with It by
tinkering. ;
Mr Hughes said ho had known
several agitations in the House on tho
Constitution, and although the amend
ment had in each case differed slight
ly from one another they had not
done so in effect.
fiog-in-Mancr States
The Commonwealth had boon ham
pered and fettered by the dog in tho
manger attitude of some of the States.
I no Commonwealth should have tho
sovereign power and should invest the
Slates with specific powers.
Power over commerce should be
» est ea solely in tho national Parlia
ment.
Mr Hughes agreed with Mr Charl-
jon that tho Commonwealth should
have power to deal with all industrial
disputes, whether extending beyond
ne State on not; and ho also agroed
that it should not bo tho sole authority
to fix loeal wuges and conditions.
"hut would load tho Federal Arbi
tration Court with too great a mass
of small detail.
Objection RidjctilUtd
The States' objection to giving. the
t ommonweulth greater powers on the
Ground that they might he abused was
"acinous, Any power given to any
Person or party might bo abused, but
pot for long, and retribution would bo
wjtt and severe.
'Vou must prepare," Mr Hughes
went on, "to deal with Industrial un-
rost under all circumstances. Nobody
(an ever say that the future 1ms
merited tho. past. No ono can .say
now you are going'to uho this power
beyond this — -that you aro going to
bee it to protect tho pooplc, .
"Tho Government proposes to sot
bp, a Court. ' This authority will
v
determine the hours of work,
wages to be paid, and the
hundred and ono other things;
and once it is set up this .Parliament,
can do nothing. Eighty per cent, of
the people In this country are. wage-
earners, and these authorities are go-
Ing to deal with tho only things that
really matter to them.
"This is a Soviet"
"Mombertfon this side of the House.
Including myself, aro the last pcoplo
in the world to set up n Soviet. I
nslc what is this but n Sovlot? It may
he a Fascist Soviet, but in any caso it
is a council which determines the
hours and conditions of labor of the
whole community,
"In it there is nothing to pre
vent the creation of individual So-
viets in every industry and over
that u council. I nslc Ministers
to look into that. J am ngainst
it. This Parliament must be su
preme."
NjojControjjofCom
;v . '' :.w
. V-nMn\tlrt-lUs:f'.6hJectlc>iti''i'.to '.'the
granting ofr too much power on the
Jincs indicated in the Bill, Mr Hughes
said that he hud onco calculated the
amount of capital invested in this
country. It was prodigious. It in
volved hundreds of millions of pounds
over which the Commonwealth had
no authority whatever. Notwithstand
ing the plain words — and they were
very plain words — in the Constitution
there was no power over corporations.
The late Mr Alfred Deakln had passed
a Companies Bill, but it had been
found there was 'no power over com
panies. There was power to usher
in a company, possibly over its obse
quies, but there was no power over Its
live acts. Thnt wus the 'position
clearly, although It might be that
Home gentlemen hud recently altered
He claimed that power if granted
should ho absolute. The granting of it
should bo in languago not open to am
biguity. That was the danger of the
present Bill. Every additional word
was a danger. Always, when it was
attempted to cover a wider field, an
equally largo field was vacated.
-ur j-iugncs sniu no was In sym
pathy with Air Charlton's amendment
concerning trusts, but ho pointed out
that the form of the amendment
would not glvo the desired control
over trusts, combines and corpora
tions.
"Air Charlton has said that this is a
non-party matter," Air Hughes con-
eluded. "I ngrWo with him and,
standing behind this party I am pre
pared to support the intention of his
amendment. If ho will re-draft his
amendment In the spirit of compro
mise, so that it will bo acceptable
to the Prime Minister, Air Charlton
will be able to avoid going to the
electors and conducting a campaign
In an unfavorable atmosphere, and
not only that, but ho will assure the
carrying of the referendum and will
be able to point to this amendment
in the Constitution giving this very
vital power to the Commonwealth and
ho will be ablo to say' that ho put
it there." '
Air Hughes had spoken for ono
hour and ten minutes.
"Dogs and Bone1
Air Watt (Nat., Vie.) said that the
two parties seemed to him to resemble
two well-bred dogs watching a bono
hold in tho hand of the Prime Minis
ter. Tho Opposition thought the ;
bono was not large enough' and did
not contain sufficient meat, but was
inclined to snap it, although it mis
trusted tho hand which offered It.
Tho' stnnd of tho Ministerial port
of tho House was reversed. , Ho did
not think many wero tempted by tho
appearance of the food, although they
had implicit faith in the bona fides
of the man who offered It.
Agreed With Government
On tho general policy of the Bill,
apart from its form, the procedure
associated with its introduction and
apart from the method by which it
would be sent to tho country, Mr
Watt said thftt ho agreed with the
Government. Ho believed in tho sur
render of complete industrial author
ity to tho Commonwealth.
Mr Watt then said that ho openly
renounced his former views on the
two previous referenda. It appeared
to him that the situation had Inten
sified by the practice of compul
sory arbitration throughout Australia.
Tho situation had become such that
there could bo no other cure than that
the Australian parliament snouui ue
given full authority in tho Industrial
arena.
"Wo have triod by discussion with
tho States and b.etweon purtics to
bring about a cure," ho declared. "1
have hecomo' convinced that by no
process of discussion with 'the Stales
will you secure tho de-limllutlon and
reassignment of Industrial activity , of
Industrial authority. It Is loft for
this Parliament to act."
The debate -Is 'unfinished. ' \

Referendum Moves
(Continued from Pago 1)

NATIONAL VIEWS
More Time Needed for
Campaigning

Members of tho National Campaign
Council, who mot In Melbourne today
to endorse the candidature of selected
Nationalism for Htuto Assembly elec
torates. discussed Informally the pro
posed Federal referendum. Prominent
members, while not desirous of em
barrassing the Brucc-Pago Govern
ment, expressed tho view that It
would bo unwise to rush tho poll.
Sulllclent - time, It was contended,
should be allowed to educate tho
public liy campaigning.
LABOR COUNCILS OPPOSED
Tho Interstate conference of Trades
nnd Lubor Councils, Hitting at the
Trades , Hull today, decided to recom
mend to the workers of Australia that
thoy should vote against the iltoi atlons
of the constitution which will be the
subject of "the referendum the Fedenil
Government proposes to take.

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