Image TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage Tile
Image size: 6144x7680 Scale: 35% - PanoJS3
Page overview thumbnail

Article text

Progressive
S.A1.- T^aws
Snnnliml 4tv Thf I-C.I.
True to its reputation', the
Playford- Government has in
troduced a- number of progres
sive and useful measures dur
ing the present session of the
State Parliament.
One of the most important is
the Electricity Supplies (Coun
try Areas) Bill, which carries
out. a commitment made by the
Premier in his policy speech to
facilitate the extension of elec
tricity supplies to sparsely
settled areas.
It enables the Government to
appropriate up to £lm. for that
purpose out of general revenue
and to subsidise on a £1 for*£l
basis local governing bodies
which submit approved plans
for the generation and exten
sion of electricity supplies in
their districts.
Technical advice from the
Electricity Trust's own staff will
be made available.
Parliament this week passed
the Prices Act Amendment Bill,
extending the operation of State
:ontrols for another year. On
the subject of price controls, it
should be pointed out that the
Playford Government is well
aware of the necessity to do
everything within its power to
:heck rising prices in the in
terests of the wage-earner and
the average citizen generally.
Although Labor critics are
pointing to the rising spiral of
prices and claiming that con
trol should be in the hands of
the Commonwealth and not the
States, it must be realised that
:ven if the Commonwealth had
retained power to control it
:ould not have done any more
than the States have done.
Apart altogether from the
tiigher prices caused by the
Commonwealth's sudden re
moval of subsidies, there would
still be the unprecedented high
prices being received for our
primary products overseas, the
effects of the 40-hour week and
the wage adjustments resulting
from Court awards— factors
which every Government and
Every industry has had to face
and which have made their!
effect increasingly felt since the
Commonwealth vacated the
field.
The best way out of the prices
difficulty is that indicated re
cently by the Prime Minister
(Mr. Menzies) —a sustained and
co-ordinated national effort
to produce.
Stale Basic Wage
The Industrial Code Amend
ment Bill is a measure which
is supported by Labor but for
which the State Government
must take the credit. It is de
signed to bring the South Aus
tralian basic wage almost auto
matically into line with any
alteration by court order. While
such alterations naturally re
main subject to the SA Indus
trial Court, long hearings of
applications can be avoided.
The appointment of a Fores
try Board to control the State's
reserves is provided for in the
Forestry Bill.
The State's coal supplies are
safeguarded by the further ex
tension of the Coal Act, and the
Building Materials Act also
carries on the existing legisla
tion for another year. -
$