Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
TUESDAY, JULY 5.
The PRESIDENT (Hon. Sir R. CBaker)
took the Chair at 2 nan.
THE HOSPITAL DOCTORS.
The CHIEF SECRETARY (Hon. J. V.
O'Loghlin) told the Hon. H. R. Fuller that
th* lio-rernment had extended the term of
thft original appointment* of Messrs. J.
I'lth -apter and Ramsay South on the
HncpitaJ ftaff for five years, and that the
trna of the original appointments would
n»t expire until June 13, 1899. The reason
for the haste in extending the appoint
ments so long before their termination was
'That the appointments were recom
mended by the Board of Management of
the Adelaide Hospital, and a precedent ex
b» in the case of General Downea, and it
has been usual in the case of officials en
paced outside the colony to arrange before
the expiry of engagement if their services
arc to be continued.'
BUFFALOES IN THE NORTHERN
TERRITORY.
The CHIEF SECRETARY informed the
Hon. J. Warren that in reference to a
paragraph which appeared in the
'Advertiser' of May 10, extracted
from the 'Northern Territory Times,'
which stated — 'Buffalo shooting will
anon be in full swing on the Alligator
River. As a source of profit buffalo shoot
ins is mid to be on its last legs, as this
year should about finish the inglorious
slaughter'— and to a resolution passed by
thp Council on July U last—That it is
desirable that steps be token to regulate
and limit the wholesale destruction of
buffaloes in the Northern Territory/' and
*a to whether 'the buffaloes were as nearly
exterminated as the paragraph inferred,
thr Government could not say how long it
would take to exterminate the buffaloes.
The answer to the question— ''What steps
have the Government taken to comply
with the resolution of this Council?' was
that the Government Resident had been
communicated with in the matter; and, as
VT'.iniHsi by the Hon. J. IL Gordon ta
July. 1697, all special leans iwued con
tained a clause reserving all cattle of any
kind, whether buffalo or otherwise, to the
I'rr.wn.
ii:lephonti? communication to
altuorpe island.
The CHIEF SECRETARY, in reply to
tK Hon. H. R. Fuller, stated that telc
,- li.vnir communication hail nob been re
stored between the mainland and Althorpe
Island, the reason of the delay being that
cxpnriuice had tthowu' that owing to the
rw-ky bottom, strong tidal currents, and
heavy neai-. the ruble, which wan of the
heaviest shore-end type, wa* constantly
liable to injury -iud interruption. It was a
nncstion, therefore, whether iti wns worth
while to spend more money on repairs. Ex
fH'rimr-nth would diorily be mode with
wireless telegraphy.
THE BKLTAr/X? RESERVOIR.
11i-- linn. J. L. Stirling was informed by
the rirrEF SECRETARY that the pre
fnt r.iu: of roit*uiiiptiou of water per
wrr-k 1mm the Uectaloo Reservoir Wai
rnmi I to 5 uiillion pillon*.
TIFK OVERLAND TELHMAPIT LINE.
The « HI KK SECRETARY told the Hon.
M. I*. F. Ki.Wow that the estimated cost
??f r'n«- d-nihlini; nf the Overland Telegraph
li'io t/. port Ifcirv in. as pm-toccd by the
(i'v,-iumcnt, would be from £40,000 to
aoO.OQO.
THE STAN'DARD TIME.
The nrffiP SECRETARY replied in the
Tl.-n. .1. L. Stirling that Parliament would
l'- .i.-kod to niter the provisions of the
Standard Time Ait.
PUBLIC HEALTH AIT.
The CHIEF SECRETARY obtained
\*r.\-i- to introduce a Bill relating to
pi;Hic health.
THE ADDRESS I.V KKPlY
AdtAurned debate on the motion for the
Md'fiti--n ni the Addroii in reply. Ad
j'*irued (roni .lune 29.
The H«n. E. WARD siid that the Preri
cle.it hdii ruled correctly that having
»--in-lod tlu» adjournment on Tuesday he
- -miM not move th* adjournment on \Ved
np.-la-. but the Hon. Mr. Warren had
-Of(»'d to his retcue and bad kindly cun
i-ciitei| t/- allow him to precede him that
?ln\. He had x purpose in doing so be
?musi* the thought the time had really
i ---iiip when a dear and detinitc imuc should
he put tn the people of the country as to
ih«» relations of the Government of the
?lav and the Legislature. If no one eL--e
?*??'» uilling to do it he was willing to
virrilire himself In do what be believed
'n |M- essential. They had been existing for
I ho las-t five years— lu* would not xay under
tin' .ulminifttration of the Kinpiton Uo
Vfn-m»nt. l-ei-aiit* tlirrr- wrrc only two of
tlio orisinals in it— under the autocratic
---?nir.il of the Rich! Hon. -'. C. Kinpiton.
it liioi Nrrrtary— 'And Iip rtill lives.'!
? -i cnurfo ho lived officially, and 90 did the
i hicf Srcretar-', hut only by favour of the
RUhl ll«-n. C. C. Kingston. The Chief
So.-tvt.ir-- would not venture to a*gert that
any cue wnuld hflicvt; tliat hii- opinions
had aiiv conlrnl over the dwision* of .Mr.
Kiti-^.-t-T.. Ho did not want to Kay any
thing oftVnuive. |n the 'monipnts of
Mi-.imniUti-in they might ho merciful. Th«
? Jovcrrnient hid no~pn|ii?r at all, except
tli.»t of keepint; their pla- ?«-»». He
did not \ri«h to inflict an elaborate essay
?-n the I'oimril. hut he want--d t» nay a
f-« simple Htniitslit Horde .thrnugh the
i'-Min--il to the country. And hiiil he not
a ti^ht U- d-- i-o? Thi-re «.v no particular
assumption in hi- d.iiiii; :--. He was not
a nc»- memlvsr of fii-* t''oiin--il. He bad
lirl.) his feat consecutively |on-zt*r than any
?nh.-r man alive. an«l longer than any other
n-.tn n;«« likely to -i». It *??.& *. gnut -4d
ni.i\i':i of a tmlile old man who had re
.ptiilv died— 'It* the jwrt hath lent
1 1 ? wtsd«m, pay it to futurity.' lie
« l-utnci that hi* long cxjitTiemc and his
': p'Oonitien ot cotnraitniiatinc with men
??' i it h»r i-ounrrie* than South Au»tralin.
hi.- opportunities lo influence public
th.'ijchr rii^wheiv than South Australia,
civ.- htm at least some right to say that he
«,l» u«t. .Lvutmnu tj»-- iniH'h it' he cdine to
rite front in a matter of that kind. Look
::i rh-« rirst page ot' tho S|-otxh that wok
Ki\f« to them the other dav. Then* wa*
ii'»t a r.«g -m policy in it. there wctv one
it two aovrtions of what some people
c.i!lii| facts. There H4- jo allusion, tor
wrUjii-p. Xf Ihe Hon. T. Playtonl. and
'h.«- ina«l» Flis Exci'lWiiry tell them that
in- hnl perfnnned i-n cllfiit fnirc*. 5-ime
p»--l-le thouehi so. but others* *li«i not. He
wn* nor aware thai tt h.id ln-eit the ??t!*r«»m
t:- hnnc down men»ly expre«i-ions of Mini
»'.-rnl opinion about |-ers-naliti--F. Indi
.iti.mi of polii-y wa* what they wanted.
.its'l what they ha«l ni»t pit. TTiore wa*
v.' thmc exrvpt th:it they wer«* gninc to give
up the Alien Restriction Hill. and. at the
.-iiu2i-»fion nl the kuht ll'n. .). ('hambtr
! mi. intro-1iice the Natal Bill. Where was
t'i-- «trencth .v the Mtiiift.rj-. or their con
»n-r-r\ ^ Where was there »ny eviden--«
-i\ their faithfulness lo the prinnplcs they
»?? ~» t»n»i'-l!«o'l t» the Council— that they
I &h»uld have a white Australia.? It could
n--t lw» n whiw* Aurti it'*, because one ciiild
n..r Itve in the N'..n--. m Territory tor a
)t ??u.irter oi a century u-ithoiit bemnmc
Im.n-n. A whitf Ai^:r.-!ia w.i* a farcied
.'I'-iinhry. ajid it atu-inpt^l would n^ult
in :h» ilet^pulaiion ev*?i .?: the part of the
rrrriN»ry that w*» »et:l.~:{ Unlay. Tlie
'? 'v.-.nmcut bad dincheti trom their po*i
«i'c. T*hey axMimcd u» «-tue m .v the
frv-ml of the working H«M-es and they fe
? ui'.i i he *iip(ion ot the Uiihiur member*
«'f Ur-h bninchcji of the l^gi-laturp ho
i.ium» they prMex*U— nrofe^d only— de-
mo.-raii-- principles, ana one of the demo
cratic principle* was that no coloured man
wo* to be allowed into the contintnit of
Australia Thit wa* absunl. (Hon. \V.
-\. K--bin5on — ^'liiat u an absurd stato
mcnt.'i That wa* mid. (Hon. W. A.
IWiiiuon— 'It wa» not mid.'*) The Natal
Itiil micht lie something that the C-ouuvil
might Sfice t«-. but -liil they Mipposo that
the pivswnt tvan the only Mini-try that
would ;u««i-t the atlviu- 1« the Ilisht Hon.
.1. 1'hamlK-rlaiu? Other men would be glad
t«i do tlic Kinie thing. He wa* not sure
that the Bun.lalcvr waterworks scheme
wuji as good a* the cnKineen* t-aid it wa*.
He wu mire that the people nettled in that
area wanted water, nnd they must get it
by Home ms*ni» or other, but let them pet
it by sound practical Hues of common
Mm.'e. Let them have it --u constitutional
grr-unds. Let them noc hive the -\-ntinual
atflietion of the vxt^vnditure of pnbiic
mi)tiey by mere resolution. Let the Govern
ment know while there were- two branches
oi the (.ecylaturc that the Co«n«*ii tv.w one
of the estates of the realm, and that iu
atticm was Ok esrential to the passing of
any irsamre as that of the Assembly or
the Crown. (Hon. W. A. Robinson— 'they
(brew it oat last yeac'). H«3roted for it«n
account of the extremity of the men who
wanted the water. He hoped that ulti- ,
mately thin *e**ion they would authorize i '
the expeuditure of the money for the ; -
uwrks by the constitutional lines of a Bill. ; ;
There was one other item in the so-called
isneech. (Hon. J. H. Gordon— 'Is that not |
*. reflei-tioit on His Excellency the Ctever- :
nor? ') Not in the lea»t divrec, bccati-« j
every one knew that liu Excellency dul
not prepare the S|-eevh, and the prc
*enb one had been prepared by wry
inefficient aud disastrous advisor?.
The Government had the stupidity, the
audacity, to come down with a proposal
to build a railway to Innatnincka 'with
out any assurance that the stock tax would
be repealed. (Mr. Charleston— 'Why did
they change the route''') He assured the
hon. member that he was ui-t in confe
rence with the Ministry. Could there be
anything more absolutely absurd to a
South Australian politician than to ask
him to vote for the expeuditure of some
hundreds of thousands of pounds for this
railway when at the same time £1 cash
down on the nail was required before a fat
beast could enter South Australia from
Queensland and be carried down tbe rail
way? It only showed the absolute incom
petency of the present Government, and
he hoped that it would not be long before
they had another one more devoted to the
interests of the country. (Chief Secre
tary— 'You in it?') In taking the action
he had that afternoon he had not the
least assumption that he would be in the
new Government He bad never exchanged
a single word with the gentleman in
another place who apparently was the
only man who could effect a change of
administration. Probably that gentleman
would disagree with some of his poinU.
He could serve his country, and the Chief
Secretary need not taunt him in the way
he had. They talked about their 'have-
beens' and their 'might-have-beens, but
did he look like a man who was done yet?
(Hon. J. H. Gordon— 'No; we all wish
tou were.') He had often admired Mr.
Gordon's eloquence ? (Hon. J. H. Gordon
— 'I don't mean it.') Mr. Gordon had a
singular faculty of making interjections
and then getting out of them by saying
that he did not mean it.
What might be done if men were wise—
What glorious deeds, my suffering bro
ther,
Would they unite
In love and right,
And cease their scorn for one another!
Oppression's heart might be imbued
With kindling drops of lovingkindness,
And knowledge pour
From shore to shore,
Light on the eyes of mental blindness.
All Slavery, Warfare, lies, and Wrongs,
All Vice and Crime might die together;
And wine and corn
To each man born,
Be free as warmth in summer weather.
The meanest wretch that ever trod.
The deepest sunk in guilt and borrow,
Might stand erect
In self-respect,
And share the teeming world to-morrow.
What might be done? This might be done,
And more than this, my suffering bro
ther-
More than the tongue
Ever said or sung.
If men were wise, and loved each other.
It was on those sentiments, written by
Charles Mackay— «. noble man who had
re to his rest— that he took the course
had followed that afternoon. His de
sire was to bring about not only a better
administration of the affairs of the coun
try, but the more humanitarian principle
of trying to be a little less jealous of each
other than they had been in the past. The
only other material jwlicy iu the Gover
nors Speech was that referring to the
constitution of the Legislative Coun
cil. He had been seven yenrs
in the Council, and in two years
he would return to his constituents the trust
they bad placed in him. The trust was
that he should represent the men who
sent hint there. There was no absolute
similarity in the constitutions of the two
Houses, but that wu* what they wanted
to bring about. There was no doubt about
that; the Government could not be ac
cused of ambiguity. Paragraph 18 of the
Governor's Sin-ecli ojicucd— 'You will be
asked at an curly date to provide for an
cxt-*nhiou of the franchise for the Legis
lative Council to all householders, as pro
vided by the Bill of loot year. By these
nicaiM it is proposed that the home, what
ever its value, shall alone coaler the fran
chise.' There was no definition of a house.
I Chief Secretary— 'That will be in the
Bill.') He did not think the Bill would
ever come to them, and if it did he knew
where it would go lo. Was the definition
of house in the Bill that was introduced
into the other branch *of tfie Legislature
last »*-*ion? (Chief Secretary— '& «'-
be put it if desirable.') There was another
crat'itt. Did not this proper**! undermine
tbe whole principle* ot the Constitution
and «!«iBtioy the very purpose for which the
Council was established: What the Go
vernment propo*«l t-» do was more
than the Ldlmur Party had ever
a»keil for. (Hon. H. S. Oiithne
— 'Yes. but we were modest.
Chief Secretary— '1* '? not as much ss the
tVdetiil Convention gave them.') It went
a Ions way further than reducing the quali
m-ation t' £l» -value. Mr. KibweM was
lilt-dittd again-t the Bill, and if he was
goinc to be consistent he would vote to pre*
i^rvt* the Constitution of South Australia.
On the hustings Mr. Ruswell said he would
not go Mow £15 in value, and he would
daim his vote on philosophical and logical
reasons. (Hon. W. A. Kobmxpu— ''He is
too »!d to be caughV with chaff. ) Did any
oue supjioso for a moment that the Pre
mier cx|M.cied to carry the Bill? Did the
Premier know that more than an absolute
majority of the Council was against it? It
was only lUnglol beloic them u- keep alive
the bone et contention, to keep open the
mm: that divided the two brunches ot the
Legislature. The members of the other
Houm\ no doubt, faithfully and coniiift
tenllv tvpremutcd the interests of their
c\:uv.'. but they had yet to learn the leseon
taught in Kngland. and which might be
learned here, that it was not their profes
sed Liberal', pMeHced Democrats, who
were the truest *ym|Ntthizers and the best
*up|iorur!- ut the interests of the working
clxsne*. UiMiicli not ouly taught that lev
t-.Hi, but he broitsht tbe working elowes to
hi* MipiHirt, and, more than that, he
brought the Duke*, the Earls, and Mar
-iuiscs of England to his heels. He moved
to add— 'We regret your EscdlencyJa
statement that it i£ the intention of your
present advisers to introduce a Hill for an
At-t to Mibrftitute tor the franchise upon
which thi* Council is constituted a house
hold tnuituise without any value limit.''
(Hon. 1-. M. Charleston—! 'P' you expect
to get the Labour Party with that?'* If
they were conMstentt in their reduction to
£15. That was what Mr. Ru**»ll was
pledged to. (ll»n. W. Russell-' I have
iiotlnus to ?!?» with tue Labour Party.'')
He i-onqratulatcd the Labour Port}-. (Hon.
W. Kurs*ll--'Ymi do not inxert £15. If
you do I will go for it') He would almost
do it to secure the distinguished honour
of the -tupnort of that member. I Hon. \V.
Kuitfcll— 'That shows how iax vour prin
ciple* go.') The amendment Mr. Ru*«ell
wanted was only a technical one. and be
could nuke it read that ti»e Council regret
ted that a Bill was to be introduced to re
duce the franchise beluw a value of £15.
That would secure Mr. Ruswll. and would
bf perfectly consistent. iHou. D. M.
Charleston— '*Ie would not secure much
support.') It should secure that member's
vote. He did not expect the Labour Party
t« vote tor the amendment. He recog
nifeJ they were a power in the Legisla
ture. in«l lo a certain extent they had the
controlling voice in what should be the
future administration of the country. He
wauc?-) to ivmc to an understanding, and
he belieieij tlioy were reasonable enough,
if the amendment were carried, to accept
the position, and the matter of the fran
chise would then no longer be the means
of preventing their best friends and the
bc«t friends of the country from cooperat
iug with them. After having disposed of
that stumbling-block was there any sem
blance of the possibility of a polio* that
would harmonize whab had hitherto been
the conflictinc elements in the Chamber. He
thought -©. ' He knew that the Labour
Party did uot approve of the policy or ad
ministration ot the prwent Government,
but th«y wotiM ?et nothing better from
the present Administration. If they could,
bv ourying the amendment, convince the
Labour Party that it was hopeless to con
tinue the difference between them, then
the party misht a*fc wh*t they proposed tn
help them, aim, he was prepared to indicate
that. He had consulted with Mr. Guthrie.
and he thought he could foresee lines upon
which they could agree, upon the under
itaiulincthat they would lira of all accom
plish thorn lines, and for the present leave
tu abcyauvc those matters upon which they
t-ould not agree. He would place the inci
dence of taxation on a more equitable basis.
That might be siid to be on empty phrase,
but should any one *ay it should not be
given effect to, and that they would not
welcome any propo^U that would do so.
He would relieve the poorer claxcc of the
ctMitn-unity and make the rich jay in pro
portion to tbe beaeiiU they received from
the State by the protection of their riches,
lie would remove all unnecessary taxation
from the food of the people, which was
taxed inequitably. He had carried in that
Chamber a motion for the repeal of the
'lock lax. and Mr. MePhcrnon had moved
the *ai!ie motion in the Assembly, but was
defeated. Tbat showed that he was eon
*i*t-j»t in hi* present actioo. He hw
moved, and would do so asain, to repea
the excise duty on beer, ana when h«j had
taken that action before he had the tup.
-ort of all the Labour Party. Then he t
vould repeal the income tax, and if that s
ould not be done he would increase the ft
exemption. It was insufficient, and had been | a
gradually reduced to extort money from d
he poo»r classes to prevent further taxa- t
ion upon the richer pocket*. There was a r
argc class of men throughout the country
\ hose wages were between £300 and £400
«r annum and who were not dependent
ipon manual labour, but who had to keep
-p an outward .-cniblance of form that was
lot required by those otherwise engaged.
V man receiving 14 or £5 a. week, and with
l large family, was uot the man to pay
axation. (Chief Secretary— 'Those are
nutters for the Assembly.'') They could
-.\pross an opinion that would guide the
)ther branch. It was strange for the
Leader of the Council to imply that taxa
ion was not the busiucss or the Council.
It was, and under the Constitution they
vere sent there to protect the people.
Chief Secretary— 'We have not the right
o initiate.*') That watt a matter of detail.
They could suggest, and he did not want
0 be taught such matters by the Chief
ro-retary. The Council had a material
'oice, and should have a material power in
iciliug with taxation. To recoup the re
venue he was prepared to place a tax upon
icvumulatcd wealth. That wealth bad
-e«Mi protected bv the Government, and
should pay a lair share. There wns
mother nutter upon which he thought the
Labour Party and Mr. Warren would
igree with him, and that was that the
federation scheme was not satisfactory.
[Hon. Sir E. T. Smith— 'We shall never get
one better.') It was a very singular thing
that that morning he had received a letter
from Melbourne, which he had shown to
some of the members of tnc Council, from
the Democratic Federal Union, Tempe
ancc Hall, .July 4, giving in detail their
proposed scheme, and requesting him, or, if
not he, some other member, to go on Fri
day next to a conference in Melbourne, and
he would be pleased to place it at the dis
posal of bon. members. There was a good
deal of it he agreed with. There wasa strong
movement afoot in the other colonies to
obtain a better scheme. (Hons. D. M.
Charleston and Sir E. T. Smith— 'Not for
South Australia.') He was surprised at
some of his Conservative friends who
thought that ' the proposed federation
scheme was in favour of South Australia.
It was more against South Australia than
any other colony. By the Bill South Aus
tralia had everything to gain in the aboli
tion of artificial boundary lines, and every
thing to lose by the retention of the insis
tance for State rights. He would stand by
that. (Hon. D. M. Charleston— 'You are
not a Federalist; you are in favour of uni
fication.') No; he was not. ' Unification
was an absurd name, and reminded him of
unicotn. He took the trouble some time
ago to consult the best dictionaries in the
Parliamentary Library as to what unifica
tion really meant. He wanted to define
the difference between union and unifica
tion, and he contended that by the diction
ary interpretations it was ungramraatical
to apply the term unification to the greater
policy of the union of Australia. The defi
nition was:— Federation— The act of unity;
a league; a confederacy. Unity— The state
or property of being oue; singleness as op
posed to plurality. Unification was the
least expressive meaning. It was the act
of unifying, and that was all, and it was
ungrammatk-al to say when unification was
established that the union of Australia was
to be expressed as unification. Let them
consider the union of Australia, not the ab
surd, silly 8ystem that was proposed for
their consideration. The artificial boun
daries between the colonies had not even
been defined. AVhen they came through
the fence from Victoria they were South
Australians, and they had to niter their
watches one whole hour. Why should
they not be Australians all over
the continent? It was that for which he
bad pleaded always. In tbe early days,
when he represented Gumeracba with the
late Sir Arthur Blyth, a banquet was given
to them, and he told his constituents that
the union of Australia would be for the
benefit of South Australia, and what they
wanted was the abolition of artificial boun
dary-lines. As a representative of South
Australia he would not consent to a scheme
which would prejudice the colony, and if
be was convinced that it was to South
Australia's gain to be included in the
great union instead of insisting on States
rights he wa* right in endeavouring to
Force Miat opinion. Hon. members would
remember that he once put before them
a map showing how much of the areas of
each colony on the continent was really
nearer to South Australian ports of
cx|iort than to their own, and
mice they abolished those bouu
dary-liocs, once they said they were
-nc |ieoplc, would they not attach to their
rxferinx ports of export the interests of
the producers who were nearer Sosith Aus
tralian ports than the ports of Victoria,
New ?South Wales, and -{ucefu-iand? So
long as they insisted on maintaining States
right* it could not he done. Some people
fiiid that intercolonial free trade would do
it all. It would not. It would be of great
Mivantage to them all, and it was for that
reason that the people of South Australia
bad voted for thn wretched federation
farce, because they had been taught to
-elieve that it was the only way to seem
intercolonial free trade, tree commercial
intercourse could be obtained without
federation at all. If intercolonial free
trade was accomplished under tbe present
Bill the}' would atill maintain those arti
ficial boundaries, they would still have
their State* rights, and also an inter-States
Commission of the most terrible character
that was ever proposed to be imposed on
1 free ptoplc. i Hon. R. S. Guthne~'Ir-
responsible.' Irresponsible and expen
sive for the time it existed. Tbe avowed
purpoft! of the Commission was to main
tain those little advantages which one
colony could claim on one side of the
border as against the other. They did not
want that. iHon. D. M. Cbarleston
'How can you bring about inter
colonial free trade without federa
tion?'') They could have nothing
which was forced upon tbe people. They
must have what they were prepared to
agree upon. They could agree as individual
colonies to the unrestricted interchange of
their manufactures and products, and they
could do that without federation. When
he was in the Ministry over twenty years
ago he proposed to his colleagues— and at
that time \ ietoria had become strictly pro
tectionist, and aspired tjr- be the workshop
of the continent— tbat they should ap.
proach Queensland and New South Wales
iind a*k them to enter a treaty for the
free ictrrcliangc of manufactures and pro
ducts A eiteci&l mcctiug of Cabinet was
called to consider that, but tbe Chief Sec
retary, the late .Sir Henry Aycrs, after
wards reported to the Cabinet that it
would not da for Soutli Australia at all.
At that tune they got some £30,000 a year
for sugar dutie*, and if they entered into
that treaty they would lose that. For that
twoper.nv-halii-enny object ioo it was re
jected. They were not opfottcd to union,
and the proposal of tne Democratic
Federal Union would bring it about. (Hon.
1). M. Charleston— 'Do you think it easier
to brine about intercolonial free trade now
than when you tried it?') Ye*, because
South Australia would be wise enough not
to raise objection to a grand scheme of
unity simply because it would lone £30,000
a year in one particular line. (Hon. J. II.
Gordon— 'We tried it with New Zealand
and it failed.') They could not bring New
Zealand into the question of federation. He
« anted to let Victoria know that three
colonies could unite on a commercial basis
of union, and that if they did not agree it
would be to their own low. If thafi policy
had been adopted over twenty year* ago
Victoria would have verv soon abolished
her protective dutie* and her assumed am
bition tn be the workshop of Australia.
There was no colony in the group which
wanted intercolonial free trade more than
Victoria. The. people of South Australia
were mi*led on the tsmie on federation, and
if it was put to the \alr again thejc would
not be another majority in favour of the
Bill. He mint have known something
about it, because the Democratic Federal
Union of Melbourne had a*ktd him to
form a branch here. (Hon. D. M. Charles
ton— ^Perhano they anticipated yon would
become the leader of the Labour Party.')
The i*«ue be put was. how many of them
did not regret die promised introduction
of a Bill to destroy the franchise of tbe
Council? If a distinct conscientious vote '
were taken he believed that Mr. Russell j
and the Labour members thenwelveit would I
be content to accept a reduction to £15. 1
He wanted to uphold the trust his con- '
Ftitoer.ts had given him. «md not have tn ?
say that he had sacrificed their interests -
and brought in a whole lot of men to j
smother them. A better public-work* ?
policy could be introduced— something !
that would import British capital and' give j
employment- to all in developing the
dormant resource* of the country. (Hon.
D. M. Charleston— **Aiul a living wage.')
Undoubtedly. The labourer wa* worthy)
of his hire. As matters were somewti.it
complicated he would move an addi- '
tional amendment, and ask that '
the two should be put seriatim, i
His second one wa*— 'It is our
opinion that your Excellency's advi*T*
have failed to jn«tify the confidence
hitherto extended to them by the Le«i«la- ,
rure.** That wait straight enough, and
come who might not be able to vote tor ?
the fint could support the second. iHon. :
R. S. Guthrie— ''That's only a not with a ?
smaller me»h.'- His fellow-members ;
would admit that if he had mu: crimes ,
made mistakes he always nvan: whit he .
*aid an-i said what b» mean*.. That wa« ;
mer* than couM be *i'd o? th» present.
Pr»^ni«r. He merelv wu*hed t« claim that I
credit in taking the action be had that!
anemooa. The «nly ajabttioa he bad ia{
he matter was to assure his own con-i
ciccce that he had served bis country!
uthiully He had and always did havei
n earnest desire to promote the policy of;
ievclopment and progress. He wanted
0 tec the vast, solitudes of our
ic-h interior peopled with occupiers of
-rosperous and independent homes, and
iiat could only be accomplished by as en
iditened iwlicy of accessibility. Every
hing depended on accessibility, and if that
fas given employment would be given to
11 the labour \yc had and all we could get.
1 great deal of it would become absorbed '
a the settlement of the interior, aud Aus- 1
ralia— lie was not pleading only for South i
Australia— would become a wealthy aud
?rospcrous natiou. But it never could be
ioiuo so under the system ot' adniiuistra
ion of legislation we were afflicted with
tow. He wanted something better, and
le would give them a Jair watchword—
'Liberality, Union, Advanccmcui, and
or.fiequent Success.'*
The Hon. .1. WARRfcN reirrctted the
[»»- which the Council had sustained by
he dtaih oi the Hon. W. Haslaui, who
-a* an upright, thoroughly honest, and in
lustrious man, and a good Councillor. At
be same lime he congratulated the Council
ipon having in their midst the Hon. J.
^ewi?, and also bis district upon their
hoicc. Ic showed that ihc electors of the
torth-Easlcro District v.iiued sterling
iork, and returned meu who would uphold
be interests of the people at large, Mr.
^ew is. he believed, had travelled from one
nd of the continent to the other, and was
horoughly acquainted with the require
cents of the colony. He was very pleased
0 find that the business of the overland
elegraph required the duplication of the
ine, but he regrelted th*t the Government
lad not obtained the sanction of Parlia
ment to scch an expensive work.. He
toped that the negotiations for an outer
larbour would be successful, so tbat the
vork in connection with vessels of any
iennage could be carried out with perfect
tafety in the rtormiest of weather. He was
)leased that Her Majesty had not assented
» the Coloured Immigration Bill. If
that measure had been assented to
it would- have been a direct insult
to something like 130,000,000 of the
Queen s subjects. In this way it might
nave helped Russia to win over India to
her Government instead of that of Eng
land, and on the whole the Bill was too
large a contract for a small colony like
South Australia to undertake. Ue pre
ferred a Bill similar to that passed in Wes
tern Australia to the Natal Act. All true
federalists would see that the nearer w«
made our laws to those of tbe other colo
nies the easier it would be to federate,
rhe Western Australian Bill permitted the
introduction of coloured labour north of
the 26th parallel— the southern boundary
-f our Northern Territory— but required an
education test south of tbat line. The
N'ata! Act required an education test of all
zoloured people. Natal, however, was verr
different to South Australia, which re
quired coloured labour lor the agricultural
portion of the Northern Territory. Natal
bad got native labour of her on-n, and the
test was applied so that too many coloured
people should not come in. It seemed to
bim that the Government were determined
that the Northern Territory should remain
t. waste and unpopulated. We were losing
lomething like £70,000 a year over it— this
year he saw that it was likely to be
£85,000. No one could say that the Go
vernment Resident's latest report did not
show that the Territory was going to the
worse continually, without any signs of im
provement. There was more agricultural
land in the Territory than in Queensland
md Western Australia put together, and it
tvas a most disastrous policy tn keep the
country iying idle. (Chief Secretary—
'Good land?') The Chief Secretary
could see for himself if he looked
iip the different documents which were
in hi* possession as a member of
the Northern Territory Commission,
tie would also find that tropical plants
u ere thriving exceedingly well. (Chief
Secretary— 'Look at the- report of the
special agent.') He went there for a
month or two. and then the. wet weather
Kune on and he could not travel, and he
-uly went along the coast, and how could
iny one in that position say what were
the capabilities of the country? To say
what tt was capable of producing would
require a person to travel over it from
rad to end. There was only between
90.000 and 100,000 acres of tropical agri
culture in Queensland, and let them com
pare that -with the great extent avail
iblc in the Northern Territory- When they
knew that Queensland exported half
1 million worth of sugar they, would
realize the value of the Northern Terri
tory. In Queensland one might pass
jver a barren waste and then come sud
ienly upon sugar growing, so that a per
son required thorough knowledge of the
ivhole country before he could say what
I was like, and if he did not have tbat
ie should depend upon the reports of those
hvhc had. There was not a place in the
whole world which had progressed with
jut agriculture, and so long as they pre
sented the development of the agriculture
n the Territory so long the place would be
jnutilized. Where would South Australia
ie but for her agriculture? Once the 3gri
:ulture of a country was placed on a satin
factory basis the rest of the other indus
Lrieti would prosper and tlourish. Air.
Robinson hao referred to the state of
Queensland and the introduction of lep
rosy there, and said if coloured labour
rcu introduced into the Territory leprosy
icould follow. That disease was there
ilready. and about 300 years ago it was
rery prevalent in England; and at present
it existed in every nation in the world,
ind India was just about as free from it
is any other nation. The same member
bad referred to slavery in Queensland.
Fhat was a slander, because there was no
such thing. He had also inferred that if
poured labour was brought into the Ter
ritory slavery would follow, but the Indian
Government would take care tbat such a
thing did not happen. One condition
iras kid down that the Indian Government
ihould have an officer, appointed by her
i-olf, whow duty it should be to look after
the labourers and to protect them. (Hon.
R. S. Guthrie— 'The same condi
tion exists in Queensland.') That
was a Queensland officer, but
the Indian Government would not ac
cept a local man. but appointed their own
man. and he would do his duty tbe same
is the other officers bad done. He asked
those who said that white men could work
in the field to point to one place in the
world in the same' latitude where white
men worked in the field. There was no
place. If the opponents could not raggett
wine plan by which the Territory could be
developed, turned to account, and made
habitable they should give up their oppo
sition to coloured labour. It was said that
the number of kanakas in Queensland was
ieerearins. but when the Commission was
Lhere the number was about 7.000, but
now there were 8,000; and, besides that,
there had been an influx of Japanese,
fhinefe, and Indians, so that the number
u-as iiirreasinn. If '-ey would allow the
employment ot Indians— and the only con
dition was the appointment of an Indian
officer— capitalists would be soon found u»
turn the country to account, and instead
ot being a loss to South Australia it would
become one of the most flourishing parts
nf Australia. The place was fart going to
ruin, and a change must be made. They
could not go on, because the debt was accu
mulating, and it must break down of iu
own weight. Another matter war the re
fukal of the -Government to obtain offers
for the construction of the. Transconti
nental Railway upon the land-crant prin
ciple. The Chief Secretary had replied
that it was not part of the Government
policy, but the Council had not asked the
Government to accept it as their )H-liry.
They had asked them to set offers and lay
them before the Council lo **?» whether
they would approve of them. The Govern
ment were not justified in the action they
had taken. Were they to he placed in the
position that whenever they brought for
ward a motion they were to ask the Go
vernment if they would be gracious enough
to carry it out if the Council adopted it*
He hoped the Bundaleer scheme would not
be carried upon a motion, it was mon
strous that such enormous 'expenditure
shonM be incurred— it might perhaps be
a million-^ without a Bill. He hoped the
Council would ttand tirra until they had a
Bill before them. They muM have ihe
fullert information on Uk- matter, and they
could not secure thi* upon a motion, be
cause a man could only --.wl: .fi.r on a
motion, and there wa,* uo opportunity
for reasonable du-ct:s-:on. lie tiiouzbt
South Australia ought to K* wry grateful
to New South Wale* for having si ven her the
opportunity to escape trom the -n,uv the
Convention delegates bad tried \* lend ber
into by mi.-repr».-sent«xii»n and wo;*?.
(Hon. J. II. Howe— 'That is unworthy - f
\ou.') He would not. nuk- -uue:nents
iie could not j-m\v. lie h.id studied the
Bill closely, formed an opinion, and he
stood by it. He n-cretU'd the n.atu-r had
been rushed throupli before the tt'iniitcs ??{
the Melbourne Convculion w»-re av.iil;t;-V.
(lion. .1. II. 1 low o — 'Mi'Kr-tmu.* o-v.
*piraey.'l The hr*i. member «licl_ not lTv«'
his hair ruffled the \vr«a^ way. I' ruler ;\w
Bill South Australia would U- at the tneuv
«?! tho es!-t«'rn c'l'rtiit*. U- \v tratni'lid on
and snubbed at thrir swcei will. ivwcr!«--
t» rcM«t. He charsiixl the delicate* with
luviiig brokiMi impiiiJ i-lciltfis. m:u!e whet;
rair.-i-.-i'^ tvr eltction. !:»?-? one .ind ;ii}
lia-1 *r-o'»en oi tbe i:n}«vr.itivc netvscu'jv --f
a -tnuj2 Sen.it*'. The iion. .1. H. Howe
had «.iii— 'The Senate «i'uid !i*ve eiuoj
power as the House »t Repri-.-vnlative.*.'
The Hon. J. H. Goniou -t«ted --Thr -*-:--
r:cj -h.--uld have t^iutl roprv^eatauon ;n
the Senate, and its rowers abniili! b* rra- ?
tically co-ordinate with ti-OM of the House
of BtBttmUtUM; oo^r a csssr uader«
standing on this critical question would
save the Federation from being a hollow
truce.' The Hon. F. W. Holder remarked
—'If there were coming into tbe itdera
tion only the colonies in tbe Convention
it would be at once apparent that without
a powerful Senate they dare not commit
themselves to union with two much
more iwwerful States. In any ea*e,
the sheet-anchor of the smaller Stales
must be the Senate, as powerful
as the House of Representatives.'
That was a fair sample oi their pledges.
Had they redeemed them? They had not
attempted to explain to the people why
they accepted a powerless Spnaie nor what
would be the effect of its acceptance.
They advised them to accept a Senate that
ntight be compared to a huge, costly iron
clad, well manned with experts, powerful
gun*, and powder, but without *hot or
shell, powerless to repel the torpedoes or
tire of the Hou»e of Representatives, where
New ¥nulh Wales and A' ietoria would
have had a majority when the two Houses
Mt together. iHon. D. M. Charleston—
'New South ^Vales objects to th;it.') Of
course they said it would be too strong.
Mr. Reid would say anything. It was sur
prising hon. members should pay any
attention to what Mr. Reid mid. He had
condemned the Bill wholesale, and then
void he would vote tor iu lie sup
posed he was a sample ot' the great
meu the delegates m»t, and who
had led the South Australians away.
The Bouse of Representatives' uujority
would keep a Ministry in power, wuo. if
'they might judge by South Australian ex
perience, would pander to those who kept
them in onice. and neglect or do worse to
tho^e who had fewer votes, just as the Go
vernment here had treated the paj&oral
interest, which have little or no voice in
the Assembly. He was lortitjed in that
opinion by Sir James Lee Si cere, one of
tne Western Australian delegates, who had
expressed the same opinion recently. (Hon.
D. M. Charleston— 'Like the pastoral legis
lation, it will come all ri;hi.'- The pasto
ral country would never be the same -u$ it
had been, and if tbe hou. member was
going to kill South Australia in the same
way he was not prepared to go with him.
Another implied pledge was to secure to
South Australia the u.-c of the -Murray
waters. There was nothing in the Common
wealth Bill to prevent the Federal Govern
ment establishing irrigation colonies, onc-in
New South Wales and one iu Victoria, and
dividing the waters of the Murray between
them. Why did not the delegates explain
those and other poinis to the people? He
considered they were in the same relative
position to the electors as an agent ap
poinicd to enquire inio a business his prin
cipal thought of purchasing. The agent
would be expected to report to his princi
pal all the good and bad points of the
venture, the probabilities and inabilities,
both pood and bad. Tlie delepties had not
done this. They began with grandiloquent
?speeches about 'one people' 'one flag,'
'oue destiny,'' and s-uch like rubbish, as if
they were not one people under that grand
old'Hag 'that had braved a thousand year*
the battle and the breeze.'' The proudest
JK«st they could aspire to Mas that we
were « part of the British Empire. Then
Mr. Archibald made a hole in their wind
bag, and they then said a little more ot' a
practical nature, but so covered by mis
representation and incorrect statements
that it was almost impossible tor tbe
people to get at the truth of the matter
irom the data available, within the time
between the circulation of the Bill and the
day of voting; nor wa* it possible far the
opponents of the Bill to post themselves up
and show that the delegates were deceiving
the people. The Federation would take
over the Customs, Excise, and taxation, and
for the first five years otter uniform Cus
toms were established they would nay back
three-quarters of the Customs and Excise,
but they could do with the money derived
from taxation what they pleased. Aftet
the five years surplus revenue, whatever
that might mean, vould be divided as Par
liament deemed fair. They might collect
what money they pleased, spend it as they
pleased, and return the surplus to each
SUte in what proportion they pleased. He
was supported in that by Mr. Kingston,
who, in the Town Hall, in Apnl, said:-^
'After five yean from the introduction of
a uniform tariff the mode m
which that £4,500,000 shall be returned,
and in wliat proportion, would be left to
the Federal rarfiament, and they would
have tbe distribution of an annual
amount, beginning at £5.000,000, among
the States as they liked. He did nod like
tbat provision, and would have preferred
the return of tbe money according to popu
lction for all time. There was a posstbiJity
of a scramble for that money.' His own
cpinion was that there would be st
scramble, and that the larger States would
endeavour to get the lion's share of the
money. Then again, if they wanted money
ta build a railway or other public work
they would either have to go bat in hand
aud pray the Federal Government and
Parliament (that is the House of Repre
sentatives) to let them have tbe money,
and wait patiently till they were pleased
to grant it, or borrow the money as a
second mortgage on the State at a higher
rate of interest than they paid at present,
He was supported in that by the Attorney
General of Western Australia, who had ex
pressed similar opinions to. those of Mr.
Kingston. Another point was clause 104
of the BUI. When it was before the Con
vention in Melbourne it provided that the
Federation 'shall take over the debts of
the Federated States.' The delegates at
Melbourne altered the word 'shall to
'mav,' leaving it optional for the Federa
tion 'to take over the present debts. Sup
pose they refused. When the bonds became,
due they would have to borrow as second
mortgagors to meet.thera. What a costly
and humiliating position tobein? The reason
given whs that the present bondholders
would benefit largely by the increased
value given to the -bonds by federation.
Suppose they did, what injury would that
do to Australia* Absolutely none, but
would cause Australian bonds to be held
in greater favour. A more childish reason
could not be given.' ^Either it was certain
that they would be taken over or it was
uncertain. If certain, the bondholders
would benefit all the same; if uncertain,
what an awkward position they would be
in. Some of the delegates said the fede
ration would take over the Northern Terri
tory and relieve South Australia of the
annual loss which was increasing year by
year through misgovemment. Mr. Holder
said at Kapundi that the Federal P»iu
ment would take over the Northern Terri
tory. (Hon. D. M. Charleston— 'Abso-
lutely!') He had the words from the
'Kaminda Herald.' They were:— 'We
diall be relieved of ihc harden of the
Northern Territory. The Northern Terri
tory has been said to be a white elephant,
but it is still a valuable asset. If South
Australia was willing to hand it over tn
a Chartered Company it would be pur
chased at once, and not only would we re
ceive what it bad cam us but Rome millions
to boot. The Territory has been going to
the bad at the rate of £73.fXM) per annum,
and under tbe Bill as stated we should
be relieved of this.' (Hon. D. M.
Chsrlefttoo — 'I don't see. anything
in the Bill to justify that.')
One of the detecates told him privately -
that his fellow-delegate* were deceiving the
people in saying that .the Federation would
not take it over. Sir John Downer, in
his speech at Williamstown, said the ques
tion -had never been diseiuwd in tbe Con
vention. As a matter of fact the Northern
Territory was not theirs to give, and Mr.
Holder knew that well, lie had looked
through the minute* of the Adelaide and
Melbourne Convention', and could not iiiul
one syllable iroken al»out tln» Northern
Territorv. What justification was there for
Mr. llolder to make the siau'invul «t u-
publish the s.iuie thing in efiwt m * letter
circulated tbrouch^ut th* hwctlt and
breadth of the land ju-t hcf«-re tV p«!l:ns
day* It rojoio bim t-cl iiutte .-ui^ry at
unch misrepresentation. Anmm-r sr.ur
ment that wa.« made t«- indium p«-p|«- to
support the Bill wa* that :f they entered
feoeration mouey would l»e bArr-»we«l .?« a
lower ra«e oi jntrrr^:. Wrnii.-«* ?''.iiM'ivin
bonds were ot inor** value than South Aus
tralian. Me b.vl l«-ki'd up ijuotatL.tis in
the leAiIinc financial lourn.ils. arid had
f.--und that. Srtuth Australian rvrurti^were
higher tl:au the «. an.idi.in Hnnns the
months ??: Marrh. April, and Ma\
thc very ?i:uo the d;*le-.rii's
were fpeakmc a^d publishing
IK'S* inronvct *:auwent* In the. i^nrs.
The delegate* hail iiJ.-'o worked on the
parochial feclinp- of the peoj'!'. and had
tried to ins-pire them viih prwk.n. pat
1 rioti*m. When they went to th* North
! their cry wa* ''Federate. -vr you will lose
ithe Broken Hill trad ?.'' Wh*n they
I went Ka«« they told them tluu.
1 tl-.ry would lo-e the Murray tmtiic.
, 'll:e wooi would co to Melb-Hirne. where
: hisher pnecs ruled. iH'«r. O. M. Charies
' ton- --'Wo hive a mrket here.'' There
: w:i.« an i'ioa th it bet:*? value wa# obtained
lor wo--! £|ia\ii --n t lie rv-h lands i«t Yii
t'-ria than t'i»r lira t-rndurcl «'ii th»' |''»-nT
? p.Lstutos -?: Sirtith Austr.ili.u ;ind thc-nt'i-re
;i i'l-'.U1' f|tl.jiiv wot-i -»;u- t-» be h.id i:i the
' Yict'rinM ni.-.ruci. iHon. \\ M. -.'hiHi-s-
toti— 'The t'iiycn» art- not deceived in that
way.'» Hir *ui«-munt that the cist o« j
ii^'cnitioi! t' S-'iih Australia iwiii! v. : «';?
«-.-od i;«.--ji) wa* orroiu-ous and ur.r'. ?..[?
? inc. bei-aur* the Kcvic:-il l\iri«ta--ii; ^..i.*
'. m.; ir.uiu:icllol in nisy way .i- t-i :he
amosiu: oi the ??\p»i..lit«rc. Tho.-» who
KLii'.e the a*«.Ttion th.u the co*t ot t'vdcra
? t!t»n wi«u!d \*f uict by increased trainc on
ik? ra:Ka-- w--re -'srciul no* t-- -tate of
. vhv the increased trai£c would
consist. !' wai- a].^ mirieadiDS
to sir that £4ft.n(W would be
? gained by reduction in inurest. Another
? e\tnuM^iaar-' j'aVMnenr w.w rhit it wAidd
-coa South Australia BoUusg, btoaass the
ncreased Customs contributed by New
^outh Wales would pay our share. Did
iny one think that New South Wales, hav
ing such a big representation, would pay
mother colony s expenses. They were not
so stupid as all that. And after all these
misrepresentations only about one-fourth
rif tbe electors of the province voted in
favour of the Bill. (Hon. D. M. Charles
ton— 'You must remember that you al*-
were in xhe campaign working up the
people against it.') They must also look
it the disadvantage' that those who op
posed the Bill were placed under. The
ten delegates had been educated up in the
question for twelve months, and had every
thing at their fingers' ends, while at the
same time they were exceedingly well
paid. The Government took care to rush
on tho voting within six weeks or two
months after the BUI came into the hands
of tbe people, and before the minutes of
the Melbourne Convention were in the
hands of those opposed to the Bill. He
thought that a miu-n simpler mode of fede
ration could be obtained by an extension
of the powers of the Federal Council, so
that it could bring about intercolyaial free
trade of colonial product* and manufac
tures, to give it control of the defence*,
to establish a uniform tariff on the rail
ways, and to deal with other matters oi
mutual benefit. They mi^hs bepin in a
small way, and gradually feel their way,
and thus would !-e built up a far surer
and safer Federation than by adopting a
cumbersome, intricate, and difficult Bill a|l
at once which nu one but the delegates
understood. He was glad u- see that Mr.
Holder himself held the same opinion at
the beginning of la$t year. At the Burn
on February ?-. 1S07, Mr. Holder said—
'1]be Federal Council which had been in
existence for a number of years should
have proved tbe stepping-stone to the
Federation we want, gradually growing,
it by somewhat slow but certain degree*
as we felt our need, and made sure our
grouud, from a small beginning to an ulti
mate maturity. Federation was too im
portant a matter to be rushed at without
some experimenting and much caution.
Better to have grown into the scheme than
it is to leap into il in its fullest form.
He could conceive that by making the
Council elective, and by gradually remit
ting to its control from time to time new
subjects, we might by this time have rea
Ii7«d the benefits of all the federation we
want and have had no revolutionary move
ment.' He cordially agreed with all that,
because in the way suggested we would get
a Federation suitable to our want*. The
United States and Swiss Constitutions had
been quoted to them as models, but in
those countries there was not the disparity
between the population, wealth, and pro
sperity of tbe States as in Australia. That
was the one great stumbling-block The
two laree colonies had a great deal more
power than the smaller ones, and were not
inclined to give in on many questions. Tas
mania and Western Australia realized
that with their mines and other rv
sourccs they would become much
more important in the future, and
by-and-by, u South Australia were
properly governed, she would also be much
more important in time to come. It trus
only through mugoyernment that we were
in our present miserable condition. A
great deal of ^tress had been laid on the
fact that 200 merchants had signed an ad
vertisement advocating the adoption of the
Bill. He had spoken to . several people
about it. One said that he had read half
way through the Bill and could not under
stand it very well, but when the ten dele
gates advocated its adoption he decided to
vote for it. Another man said that the
fact that the Labour Party were against it
was enough for him; he would vote for it.
What was the use of giving the referendum
to these kind of people? It only showed
the absurdity of the referendum. He^ioped
tbe Government were sincere on the pasto
ral question. Under the rule of Messrs.
Playford, Coles, Kingston, and Co. the in
dustry had been going headlong to ruin.
There were now only three or four of the
early pioneers left who went to conquev
tbat country, and they are nearly all
Scotchmen. Many of those who succeeded
them were either gone or were
leaving, disgusted with the treat
ment they had received from the
powers that be and their mismanagement.
The Government stemed to delight in
harassing the industry* in every conceivable
way, with the result that tens of thousands
of miles of improved country developed by
wells, dams, and fences paid for by the
Government, where hundreds of thousands
of sheep pastured, giving employment to
thousands of men and yielding produce to
the value of hundreds of thousands for ex
port, increasing the wealth of the province
and the revenue from Customs, rau traffic,
rents. &c., was now deserted— a home for
the rabbit and wild dog, a howling wilder
ness, and. -improvements going to ruin.
The men were being demoralized— wander-
ing over the country in want, and living
on the charity of other*. It had been
alleged that the drought had caused this,
but that w-» not so. an we had had wore
droughts before. He had done his best lo
prevent the country from being deserted,
but had been unsuccessful, and before
many years they would regret that the
policy that he as well as all the pastorafct*
bad advocated wnce 1SW — the very policy
which was now law — had nor been adopted
in the first place. Tt would he for tluw
who' fought againxt it to nhow how the men
who bad deserted the country were going
to be replaced. Supposing it bad been
adopted earlier, trho would have, fttiffcrcd?
He regretted that the question of the de
fence forces had not been mentioned in the
Governor's Speech. We had only an
apology for a defence for.*e. The arms to
a great extent were, obsolete, leaving those
who had to use them powcries* against
men with superior weaimns. No one would
have dreamed twelve months aro that
Spain and America would be at war now.
and no one knew how boon a war would
break out in which Kngland would be in
volved. Then our forrt* would be re
quired tn defend the country, and it
was urgent that they *hould he placed
on a better fooiin? than ai present.
He did not want them i-lad in warlet or
gold lace, but he -vanted them to be otfi
cient and have better weapons. The C-v
verumeut of a country that would, in the
face of recent event!1, allow the defence
force to remain with inferior weapon*,
would be morally guilty of murder. (Chief
Secretary— 'We have the latent weapons
ready to issue') Had the men the wea
pons in their hands, and were they mvii*
tomed to them? If they were not, they
would be placed at a disadvantage, nun
pared with those who were accustomed to
the Use ot the weapon:*. lie heard there
wen* about 500 Leo-Metford nH« in the
Mores, and some Maxim pinr, but wore
there any quick-tiring i.r'ins or dvnamilc
guns, i' 'hief Secretary— 'We are the most
upu-d.Uc of all the -«-lonie».'li That was
not the t'-ucstion. Wore tii- y up-to-date
with the rest ot tho world?
Possibly Spain micht b* a* w«J|
prei-axtil &* roruiiUtl and Italy, but
she waii uot u*- forward a* Ainerii-a.
He repretted that the Anca5t»n t/- Ciwler
Railway was not men.ti-.iied. The traihc
from Angastnn to Freehna. and from
Tannnda, hyndnrh. and Wiiltunst^wn tn
Gawlcr. was greater t!nn the iwds--o:ild
bear, and amply justified a i.iilway. which
would Bike tho'tratfic oil Mb reads. List
year 4*40.*) had Ixvn expended ujmn four
'mile* of main road.'', and uow it was in
a worw- condition than ever. The traftV
had in-Tei.!«cd two 'r ihjv tines anrc the
Commission hnd taken evidence. lie. re
gretlfj. in', that, nothing was pmpwd
t/- reduce thr number --f member? of Tar
lLanicii'. . their saJ.-irii-s. and the general cewt
of government, winch «-is altogether un
warriuud. lie eumwtly hop»«l the time
would z-oon i-tiiK when !'-outh Aun ralia
would be ruled by men who under
stood tho want*. and would
rh'-v by their .i-tion* that they
bad he' inifrr-u.- a* h'-art. When
tJiai time du! rom« SoiitH Au»rr»Ka would
?;-?- loticf-r have to ktnickl* down to th«
other colonies, but il»ey would be clad to
get her t« help pn? the «??« of ffderatioB.
Tl'-n. ??wtPAd oi 1'nrt Aujista boine Oie
n.i-erab!e jhvt it now was it would regain
its former *3«-uris4)ine condition, and they
would Iw-e * line of steameni plying b*
twc«-n Port Adelaide. IVrt Darwin, ajid a
h'-ft of other port;* that wouid spnni; up «-n
our northern roust. There would be ample
etnji''-rat-ni for the outrr barbotir; a gniv
inc dock at Port AdelaidV would berome a
ntveasity ; there would tie atpple employ
ment w all: mtllionu would of fsp^nded
in the nwnutftctun.' of marhinrry: tne p«o
vmre would procreM by Ie4t-5 and bound':
and they would look back and feel aa-
toniihed* tliat th«»y -iad tolerated tmch bad
eovernincnt. But thai wou!d_ never eom«
.-?o lone v such men u Mr. Kinjraton held
the power. He was like the Turk, for
wh-'ivver he tn-d the era** era***1, to jat»w.
The Hon. D. M. rilARLESTOX »«-ured
;he ailjournincnt trf the debate until Tues
day, July 1*.\ *
PAPF.R?.
P.y the f'llIEF SKiRETARY: Purswnt
to f'wtuu— At:i«-nd«l law* i»f the Alls«f
nu-iiie l)eitt*«-lie Kraukt-r and Sterbe Kas»se.
I'ui-r.ant \» Miituu1— Amonde«l law* of tlw
Add:tide Dirtrivt of tiie Soutli AurtnUian
Order of Fore«u.-i-' Friendly Society. Re
v.tu to OrdiT of the Council (Hon. J.
Warren. June 2»i— Immwration K««xic
tion Act, 1SIC, of W««rn Australia.
ADJOURNMENT.
At 4.40 the Council adjourned until Tues
day, July l'J. at *2 oclock. ?
Ckra-'Was be bashful?' Maude-'I
had to tell him *t Iwt diat I would cer
tainly scream if he attempted to kins me.'
A note to the board *fhool nu'm ran—
'Dear leather, please enue Freddy for
st«yi3g home; ne had tbe mecseli to oblige
$