Legislative Assembly TUESDAY AUGUST · Quretion put and passed. ADDRESS IN REPLY. RESU:\lPTION OF...

$: Legislative Assembly TUESDAY AUGUST · Quretion put and passed. ADDRESS IN REPLY. RESU:\lPTION OF DEBATE. Mr. HYNES (Towns1.•ille): I .desire to prekce my a.ddrte's by congratulating$
Queensland

Parliamentary Debates [Hansard]

Legislative Assembly

TUESDAY, 18 AUGUST 1925

Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy

Questions. [18 AUGUST.] Questions. 185

TUESDAY, 18 AUGUST, 1925.

The SPEAKER (Hon. \V. Bertram, Maree) took the cb.ir at 10.30 a.m.

DESTRUCTION OF BALLOT-PAJ;>ERS. The SPEAKER announced that he had

received from th<l Clerk of the Parliament the following le'ter :-

"Legislative Assembly, , "Brisbane, 11th August, 1925.

"The Honourable the Speaker. " Sir,-J havo the honour to report

that, pur.~uant to resolution agreed to by the House on 29th July last, all ballotpa pe1:s t-he period for the safe-keeping of which had expired bY law were this day dcs.troyed by firo in 1ny presence.

"I have the honour to be, "Sir,

" Your obedient servant, " c. A. BERNAYS,

"Clerk of the Parliament."

QUESTIONS. 0PF.RATIOI";S OF STATE ADVANCES CORPORATION

IN RE .WORKERS' DWELLINGS AND \VORKERS' HOMES.

1Ir. KERR (Enoggera) asked the Secretary for Public 'Norks-

" 1. How many applications have been received for homes under the \Vorkers' Homes Act Jrom 1st July, 1924, to 30th .June, 1925?

"2. How many applications were granted and the home,, actually completed or in course of erection?

" 3. ·what sum of money was spent during the period on the purchase of land for the purpose?

" 4. Will he please supply the same information asked for in Questions 1 and 2 in regard to workers' dwellings?

" 5. How many applications are now outstanding-(a) workers' homes: (b) workers' dwellings? "

'.rhe SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC WORKS (Hon. M. J. Kirwan, Bri,bane) replied-

" 1. 351. '- 2 Applications granted, 297; homes

completed for 1924-1925, or in course of erection at close of year, 326.

" 3. £14,319 10s. "4. Applications received for workers'

d wcllings, 642; granted, 615; dwellings completed for 1924-1925, or in course of erection at close of year, 777.

'' 5. (a) 65; (b) 209. These app:lications arP. in various stages of progress, such as awaiting inspection of land, awaiting local authority's approval as a building site, awaiting applicant's reply to offer of advance, etc."

REFUSAL TO COAL H.M.A.S. "BrLOELA" AT GLADSTONE.

Mr. CORSER (Burnttt), for :\Ir. SW AY="'E (.Wirani), asked the Secretary for Railways-

" 1. Is he making any effort to ascertain who it was on Friday night (30th .July) or early on Saturday morning (31st ,July) last, apparently in order to prevent H.M.A.S. 'Biloola'. from completing her coaling, tipped about 9 tons of coal on the G ladstone Jetty branch line?

" 2. If so. and he is successful in establishing gro-unds for 1a prosecution, is it his intention, with a view of preY<3nting similar obstructions in the future, to prosecute? "

The SECRETARY FOR RAILW~.\.YS (Hon. J. Larcombe, I1 eppel) replied-

" 1 and 2. Careful inquiries were made, but unfortunately the culprits were r:ot discovered. I may say that the pohce report attaches no suspicion to railway employees or to waterside workers."

::Ylr. CLAYTON (TVide Bay) asked the Secretary for Railways-

" 1. Is it a fact, as reported in the 'Dailv Standard' of 3ht Julv, that <>mplo.yees of the Queensland Rail-i\·ay Department refused to haul coal intencl-ocl for ihe naya] Sl!pply ship 'Bilocla' at Gladstone a fe>•: days ago, such coal having been declared 'black' by the ·waterside \Yorkers' and Seamen's "Cnions?

"2. Is he awar-e that in industrial circles this ineid.ent is regar-ded as the baptismal ccrcmon:- of the 'Queensland Transport \Vorkers' Union'-a department of the 'One Big Union'?

" 3. What action has he taken in the matted

" 4. Does he regard such alliances of thcs<> public employees with the unions mentioned as being in the interests of the primary producers, other producers, and the general public? "

186 Questions. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

The SECRETARY FOR RAILWAYS (Hon .. J. Larcombe, Kq;pd} r·eplie.d-

.. 1 to 4. Abont 1,100 tons of coal were loaded. The strike is now settled."

SoLDIER SETTLER SELECTIONS AT Mouxr HUTTO:\.

::VIr. :YIORGAN (MuJ•illa) asked the Secretary for Public Lands-

.. 1. How many portions were opened for selectioll in the Mount Button soldier 8Cttlemcnt area?

"2. How manv settlers have selected land in this area·?

" 3. How many settlers have surrendered or otherwise forfeited their ~electionf'?

"4. How many settlers are remainiug?"

The ATTORXEY-GENERAL (Hon. J. Mullan. Fliml•rs), for the SECRETARY FOR Pl:BLIC LAXDS (Hon. W. McCormack, Cairns), replied-

" 1. 164. " 2. 131. "3. 60. ,, 4. 71."

FAT\L ACCIDE:\T AT HELIDOX R.\.ILWAl STATIO:\. Mr. LOG~\X (Loclyu) aoked the Secretary

for Railways-,, 1. \Yas an inquiry held in connection

with the recent accident at Heli.don when a young man named Dovle was killed at tlte railway stat.ion?

" 2. If so. \\ill he furnish the House with the information that has been supplied to him';"

The SECRETARY FOR RAILWAYS (Hon. J. Larcombe, [1, ppel) replied-

• " 1 and 2. No. The papers clearly shm,· that the deceased met hi's death as the result of an accident. The Commis'ioner for Railways and the Police Commission€''' were satisfied that. an inquiry was not ne~essary. The papers may be perused at the Railway Office."

ExPEXDITcRE ox PROPOSED RAILWAY STATIO:\ AT LAIDLEY.

1\lr. LOGA::\ (T..ockyer) asked the Secretan- for Railways-

" 1. \Vhat amount of monev has been spent on the foundation work~ of the proposed railway ,,tation at Laidley?

" 2. In view of the dilapidated condition of the old st.ation, will he recommend to Cabinet that money be provided to complete the new station with as little delay as possible?"

The SECRETARY FOR RAILWAYS (Hon. J. Larcombe, [( eppel) replied-

" 1. £3,082. " 2. The matter will be considered.

The building is not dilapidated."

A:~wcxT ADVAl'iCED TO QuEEl'iSLAND BY FEDERAL LOAN COUNCIL, 1924-1925.

Mr. KELSO (}Xundah) asked the Treasurer-

" 1. What amount was advanced to Queensland by the Federal Loan Council for the year ende.d 30th June, 1925?

" 2. \Yha t amount has been allotted for the current year; or, if no ancount has been allotted, what amount has the Treasury applied for?"

The SECRETARY FOR MINES (Hon. A. J .. Jones, l'addin{lton), for the TREASURER (Hon. \Y. N. Gillies, Eachum), replied-

" 1. Xo amount was advanced by the Loan Council. but it was agreed at meetings of the Council held last year that, during the financial year 1924-1925, the loans to be raised by Queensland in Australia and overseas should not exceed in the aggregate the sum of £4,340,000, plus an amount sufficient to redeem loans maturing during that year.

"2. The information "ill be available when the matters recently under the cor!siderahon of the Loan Council have be<'n finalised."

PAPER. The following paper was laid on the table,

and ordered to be printed:-Thirtieth Heport of the Auditor-General

under the Supreme Court Funds Act of 1895.

INRPECTlO::-.J OF MACHINERY ACT A:\IENDMEXT BILL.

lNITIATIOX. The SECHRTARY FOR PUBLIC WORKS

(Hon. M. J. Kirwan, Bris!mne): I beg to D10YC-

" That the House will, at its next sitting, 'esolve itself into a Committee of the \Yhole to consider of the dc,irablt'nese of introducing a Bill to amend the Inspection of Machinery Act of 1915 in certain particulars."

Question put and passo.d.

TRCST ACCOUKTS ACT AMENDMENT BILL.

IXITIATION. Th., ATTORNEY-GE::-.JERAL (Hon. J.

Mullan, Flinrl· r,,) : I beg to move-" That th0 House will, at its next

sitting, resoh·e itself into a Committee of the \Vhole to (onsider of the desirableness of introducing a Bill to amend the Trusc Accounts _\et of 1923 hi certain particulars."

Quretion put and passed.

ADDRESS IN REPLY. RESU:\lPTION OF DEBATE.

Mr. HYNES (Towns1.•ille): I .desire to prekce my a.ddrte's by congratulating the mover and seconder of this motion. I think all will agree that the speeches made by tho,e two hon. members compare favourably with any speeches which have been delivered during the debate. That goes to show that they will be a .decided acquisition to this House. However, their presence in the Chamber seems to me to signify something more important. It signifies that, after their experiences of the last ten years, the people outside endorse the administrative and lee:islative record of the Government. In Toowoo~nba the issue was a clear-cut one,

Address in Reply. [IS AUGL'ST.] Address m Reply. 187

and our opponents said during the can1paign that they would make the issue the question of whether rho people still reposed confidence in the Labour party. The present hon. member for Toowoomba doubled the rr.ajoritv obtf1ined by his predecessor, the pre1H-'11t :1\:Ir . .J ustiec 13rennan.

As disclosed in His Exc'llency's Speech, rr considerable amount of social legislation is to be dc·alt with, the most important of whieh is the Chilclhoocl Endowment Bill. That will be one oi the nwst irnportant social reforn1s ever attempted by this or any oth _,. parliament. I do not intend to dwell upon the!t scheme at this juncture. Suffice it 1 o say that it is economically sound and socially JUSt, and must commend itself to a large majority of the citizens of Queensland.

As a representatiYe from North Queensland, I um particularly concerned about the sugar induotry, and 1·ead with Yery g.reat jnterr st Ihs Excel I ency's remarks in -connection ·vith that industrY. I realise full well that the progrL '·S m{d prosperity of the peopl0 in North Queensland depends almost PntirPly upon Hw progn•q and prosperity of the cugar industry, and therefore the industry is of vital interest to me. The sugar industry is the, most important agricultural industry in the State, paying something like £6,000,000 per annu1n in ·wages. A11art from its industrirrl and cuJnornic in1portance, it constitutes a national asset; and in this connection I would like to draw the attention of J,on. members to a passage in the report of the Commonwealth Royal Commission whicn inquired into the sugar industry in 1912. That rE'port states-

" ·while the social aspect of the sugar industry is more important than the industrial, and the political aspect is perhaps more important than either, the nnsf'ttlrd areas in tropical parts of Australia are not only a sourre of strat£'gic weakness, they constitute a positive temphi tion to Asiatic invasion, and may give to the White Australia policy a complexion which must incYitabh- weaken the claims nf Austealia to cxtcr;.,al support. As we hav-_, already remarked, the ultimate ond, in our opinion, the effective justification nf the protPction of the sugar indmtry lies hevond questions of industry nr wealth production; it must be sought in the very existence of Australia as a nation."

That is a very signifteant paragraph, and brings home to us the national importance of this great industrY. I desire also to point out what this pai·ty has dono to stimulate and foster this gr,'at national industry since its advent to office in 1915. His Exccllenm· in his Speech refers to the assistance give;> to the great ,sugar industry by the Commonwe<>lth and State GoYernments. I ask hon. membcn to cast their memory back to 1914, when the Commonwealth Torv Government fixed the price of raw sugar at £14 5s. per ton and prohibited its exportation. That act meant that sugar production in Queensland was up against a dead-end, but happily, in 1915, the l.tt" 'I'. J. Rvan led the Labour pady to Yidory, and ·immediately placed th<:> Sugar Acquisition Act on the statutebook. 'Cnder that Act an agreement was effected with the then Prime Minister of the Commonwealth, Mr. Andrew Fisher, and as a result £18 per ton was fixed as the price to be paid to sugar-producers iu Queensland for their raw sugar. Throughout the whole

piece the Labour party has clone l'Yerythinapossible effectively to promote and foste~ this great national industry, and the progress which has been made in the industry sinoe Labour came into power in 1915 is remarkable. Tlw sugar area north of 'I'ownsvill~ ]Jrcduced thi" amount of sugar of 94 net titre during the years mentioned-

Year. Tonnage.

l9H JS,6i7

1924

Yalu-

£ 1,050,1:38

4,!)38,8:.:::!

That is a clear indication of what the Labour party has done for the sugar industrv during the ten years that it has b<•cn ii1 power. In addition to that, our l+m·ernment have expended £2,000,000 in constructing .ugar-mills in the area I haYe just referred to.

I anl just leading up to a, rnuch-dcba.ted probll'm in the sugar industry-that is, to the ir1yasion of Southern Europeans into that industry. There is a real and gcnui11e pro~ tr._'"t and a genuine objection by the British Oi' Queer:sland sugar-workers to the influx 1tttO thf~ sugar areas of Queensland of la-rge l' umb<>rs of unskilled labourers. \Yhy should it not b0 so '! I ha vc been connertcd since boyhood with the fight for better conditions in the sugar industry. and I appreciate the rr.;;:cnhncnt of tlv~ sup;ar-\vorkers of (~upcnsl~tnd at such largo nUrnbers of these immigrant;,, ·who have been coming into the industry during the last tweh·<> mouths. The p, escnt labour conditions in the sn~ar industry, which as compared with the conJitions in other industries arc pretty decent, ],an' been broup;ht about s-)lely and \\·holly b· sacriflces made by the industrialists ";'gaged thcr<>in. I remember the time ~s a boy working in the North Eton Sugar ~1111 \\hen the wag-es paid were 3s. 4d. a day and tucker. I would like to noint out what that tucker consi·ted of. The whistle blew ot 5 o'clock in 1he n1orning; the emplDyee got out of bed and went to the breakfast j able, where he received a pint of black tea, black sugar, a bit of tough steak, bread, salt, a ne! treacle. That was the didarv that the RHgar-workerR were obliged to · C:Jn1.nenco '' ork on at that )'eriod. At dinner the menu consisted of boiled or roast beef, what they called " a svvect buck," and on rwre oc-casion.-. a little rice. Supper consisted of cold cm·n0d or roast beef. which was left oYer from tho }'l'f'Yious n1cal. V·le worked from 6 a.nl. to 6 p.m. with ono hour off for lunch. \Vo also worked on six days of the week-an exrc:-siYe rate of sixty-six. }1:ours per week for a remuneration of £1 per week and food. 'the accommodation in those years was cquallv as bad as the food. 'l'hore wac no attem)lt made at sanitation. The lavatories were neYer emptied; the contents \V(~re nlloJ;-ed to rot and fester in the sun. There \Yas abs0lutolv no drainage, and as a rt'3ult of those conrli tions dozens of good honest wotkers were sacrificed to the ravages of j,. phoid fever. What is the position to-clay? The minin1um wage paid in No. 1 sugar district is £3 17s. 6d. and keep-and decePt food-for forty-four hours a week. Is it "nv wonder that we should resent the im: as ion into the industry of a large number

Ji1·. Hyncs.]

188 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

of immigrants who have a lower standard of living than we have? The workers must protect themselves on the industrial field in order to guard jealously those conditions, \\hi eh ha vc been won by the sacrifices of the workers themseln<l. None of theso Southern Europeans were looking for work in our sugar industry when the conditions were as I dr<cribed them to be in 1909 and 1910. Good Australians put up the :;-ood fight that made the conditions which exist to-day. That is the rea· on why w.-l l"cscnt the inva.,ion of our sugar-fields by thes 3 people frmn overseas.

On th0 first page of the report of the Royal Commission on social and economic effect of incretBc in number o£ aiiens in J'\ orth QHcrllsland. >vhich was held this year, 1Y1r. Ferry states-

" C H:SES OF hniiGRATION TO AUSTRALIA.

" The main reasons for the increase in the number of aliens arriving in Australia a·re-

.1. The action of the United States of America in reAtricting the rnigrat.ion of Southern Europeans to that country;

2. The propaganda conducted by steamship agents;

(This propaganda flourishe' in every en1igrant-furnishing country in Europe, and emigration is promoted by foreign stoan1ship companies as a paying lnaritimo enterprise.)

3. The present political situatiort in Italy, and the prevailing- eco1comic conditiens in Europe;

4. The ad vice and a ssistanco of friends and relatives in Australia;

5. The publicity obtained bv Australia during the war," and particularly the better conditions and higher rates of pay enjoyed by members of the A.I.F., as compared to other soldiers in the Aliied armies."

In my opinion the 1nost significant para!>:" a ph of the whole report is the last one, >Yhich read,-

" At the present time our foreign in1-migration appears to be largely induced and controlled bv selfish and unscrupu:ous interests 'entirely outside Australia, and the question for consideration is whether it shall continue to be controlled by such interest, or bv a resnon-sibh Government in Australia." "

Th •t is the question. \Vho is responsible for the large influx of immigrants into this country'!

That leads me to a statement which wa' made b:;- the l10n. memb<:'r for Ivlira'Ji. The hc·n. member stated that the Queensland Gon'rn:.1H~nt al·ready have po\ver under section 3 o£ the Sugar Cultivation Act of 1913 to exclude Italians and Southern l'~uroplans fr~n1 our ~ugar industry. That statement has occn maae by the hon. member for Mira--i throug-hout the whole of fhe State; icttcrs ha ,-c app0arod in our country Prc·s oYer tho signature of the hon. member, which, in rny opinion, can be described as T·Prnicious . and nefarious Tory propaganda to try to disparage and discredit this Governnlent in the eyes of the workers engaged in tbe sugar indw;try. As an old politician the hon. IIH'mbor for :\Iirani must know full' well that, if this Government attempted to

[llh. Hynes.

prohibit the entrance of Italians or Southern Europeans Into our sugar industry, such e.ction would not be endorsed and would bo r-r·,entod by the Imperial authorities. I point out that under the Sugar Cultivation Act of 1913 there are regulations expressly exempting the people whom we are disC'l1ssing to-day. 'Those regulatjons were r·otsspd and ratified by a Govcmment behind which the hon. member for :\Iirani sat solidlv. I shall read c1anso 3 of those regulations-

" RE~TRICTED APPLICATIOl\' OF ACT A~D REG cLATro:-;s.

" 2. Xothing in the Act or these regulations shall apply to the following classes of persolls, and all <;!uch persons shall be exempted from the operation thereof:-

(1) All native-born residents of Australia of EurorJcan desceut.

(2) All residents of Australia of European parentage."

:\-lark that, Iv1r. Speaker. That expressly '""empts the people whom we arc now discussing. 'rho regulation continues-

(3) All r0sidents of Australia who a1·e descended from any resident of the Continent of ::'-Jorth America other than from any aboriginal native thereof or ncgro or aboriginal of African or Asiatic race.

(4) Subjects of the Kingdom of Italy who are not of European race so long as the Treaty between His Majesty the King and the King-dom of Italy, datHd the fifteenth day of June, 1883, remaim in force in Queensland."

Not only does it exclude Italians and other Southern Europeans, but it also exempts coloured people who are natives of any of Italy's dependencies, and the hon. member has

the temerity to g-et up in this [11 .a.m.J House and accuse the Labour

GovernmPnt of inaction and of not putting into force section 3 of the Sug-ar Culti' ation Act in order to prohibit Sou them Europeans from entering the sugar industry. It mav be said that the Governor in Council could .. pass fresh regulations, but that is not the case. lf the nresent Government attempted to do anythin-g of that nature,_ it would b<' looked upon by the representative of thn King as a contravention of our treaty obligations. There is no doubt about that. An instance occurred in 1911, ,-hen the Leases to A liens Restriction Bill was before this Assembly. In that Bill no provision '.Vus made to observe trf'at:v obligations, and whftt ''as the result? The then Gov<'rnor, 8ir \Yil!iam MacGregm·. sent a message to this Assembly insisting that a certain clause should he included in that Bill. and it was ultimatelv included bv tlw anti-Labour partv supportc".:l bv the> hon. member for ;yiirani that was in powN at th.ot timP. For the edification of the hon. member for :\-Iirani, !et me read the r.ws:<agc sent by l~is Excellency-

" LE.\SES TO ALIEXS RESTRICTION BILL.

"Amrmlmtnt l'ropos ·Z by the Gor, rnor.

" Vi',r. MAcGREGOR, " Goyernor.

::Vfesnge No. 42.

"A Bill intituled ' A Bill to restri< t the leasing of land to aliens.' as passed by the Lcg·islative Council and Legislative Assembly, having been presented

Address in Reply. [18 AUGUST.] Address in Reply. 189

to the Governor for the Royal assent, th,, Governor, in pursuance of the authorit: in him vcst,d, herewith returns the said Bill to the Legislative Assembly, and recommends the following amendment therein:-

"New clause to follow clause 6-" Nothing herein contained shall pre

judice the rights of any of the subjects of a foreign power between which and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and lre!ar;d there is now subsisting, or shall hereafter subsist, any treaty of commerce whereby reciprocal civil rights of the subjects of such treaty Powers are reserved, granted, or declared, and to which treaty the State of Queensland has acceded or shall hereafter accede.

" Government House, ''Brisbane, 9th January, 1912."

That clearly indicates that the Queensland Governor has not authority to give the Royal assent to any measure3 or any regul tions vassed by this House unless the treaty right• of favoured nations are observed in those regulations or Acts. The hon. n1mnbcr, as an old parliamt,ntarian, kne\v tht'-:JC thing., when he mark thmc statements and broadcast thcn1 thronr(hoat tht~ length and breadth of Qt\een,l md; and I sa cc that it is pur·e hypocrisy c,nd humbug for the hon. member to gPt up in thi, House and inform us that we> have the poo er, under section 3 of the Sug:tr Culti\ ation Act. to nrohibit the invasion of Southern Europe a no,. into the sugar-fields cf 1'\orth Queensland.

I desire to make a f0w remarks regarding the position in the Korth. I have pointed out thut the existing conditions in the sugar areas in North Queemland haYe been brouglrt about through sacriftCes on the part of the vvorkcrs themsclves~b:v organisation in tl ~ industrial f10ld. \Yhilo it is a notorious faet that. the Labour GovtTnincnt have done a gTeat deal tov;·ard.s improYing the conditio-ts of the produo0rs. the \YOrkers themsC'lvc~. b:· their strength in the industrial field, hav,, been able to bring about the conditions thev enim· to-d:t-:. Thev have not received tho sn~ui; nsslstllnco frorl1 the legislature that tbe gTO\V(~rs have. Probablv thev l.vere solid eno•wh to fight !be empioycn in' the industrial fideL liono members opposite have hurlc,;l the cheap jibe at me that I am an agitator--that my only concern is for thE' workers in thE' industry. I admit that m.r first con"crn is for the under-dog-for the worker in tht industry. I can look back to the time when I Vi,-as sevcnte+~n ~~cars of age. rrhat was nn early a::;e to be an agitator. I \Yas branded as an ag-itator jn the North Eton Sugar Mill in the Mackay district. I was sackd and put off the job because I took around a petition asking for better food and for the Jrains to be cleaned out occasionally. I w:1s kicked off the job and described, like the hon. mf\mbor opposite described me, as an ao-itat.or. However, this agitation has gone 7m since that dav. The conditions were so bad that the.v made agitators-made rebels, as it wore-and the result is that to-day the :mploycos in the sugar industry are "cnjoymg probably as good. or better, conditions as arc enjoye·d by any indus'rialists in the Commonwealth or the world. The su"'<ll' industry, as the hon. member for Bura~da has happily pointed out, is still progressin~r. -:r:ho prosperitv of the industry dates from the t1me when the workers started to organise and demand a fair deal at the hands of their

employers. The employers saw the benefits of organi:-:ation, and in turn the growers organised their forces to combat the rapacity of the milling combines and refining monopoly, and to-day the sugar industry is the most important and prosperous indl'strv in Korth Queensland. '

I would like here to mention that the cause of the_ big influx into Queensland in recent hmes 1s due to the prohibition placed on the entrance of foreigners into the United Stat8s. Mr. Ferry in his report indicates that at the prosent time ~ur foreign immigration appears to b la.rgely mf:lum;ced by seliish and unscrupulous mtercsts enhroly outside of Australi:r.

)~cforriJJg to European immigration to the umted States of America, he ,;tates-

" J?o?isions by the CommiUce to limit admissions to quota in1migrants to 2 per c,•nt., based on census figures for 1890 111stead of 3 per cent., based on census of 1910,_ was _reached after long and careful con~Idc~at::o_n Df e;;ery element of the entire Immigration problen1."

Tha.t was done under the Johnson Bill whic:h was passed by the United States Governrn:nt.. ~\s a result of this legislation in ~\mPnca there \Vas an in1mcdiato increase In t.ho number of these immigrants to Au 3-;rall,::t.. Th:>t ;n.ust necessariiv follow. Bnt .he chmg- v,· OOJCCt to IS the het that immigrants are being achni! ted to Australia who w~uld not be ph:, sic ally !-it Pnough to be ~amit~cd to other countries of the world. That 1s not a Yery sound state of affairs. }'.;0 ono-not cvcu the hon. Inc1nber for lVTiranican. !~lam" this Go:·crnment for physically uufJt In11n1grants being aJ]owrcl to con1e jnto Qnecnslancl. Tho whole of the immigration laws arc operated bv the Commonwealth ~oycr~mon;, Tlwsc people arc coming h ,re. ' Hcl toy Commonv,-citlth Govcrnmorit are responsible for allowing tlwm to eome. On pitge 5 of Mr. Ferr;,''s report it is stated-

." Th~ Con1nionw'(~alth GoYcnnnC'nt a _r_

nses: '.'It seems to be impracticable f~r Australia. wluch has no foreign service to enforce a quota la\v." '

The inforenre, is that it is not thf'ir intention to e~force a quota Jqw to prohibit this Stat~ b~tn~~ s~Yampcd b.v SouthPrn Europeans and P• oplc ;~·om other parts of the world I d· I•ot o'J.Jcct to the Southern Europe~ns 0;' rae1al grounds, _but I object to them comi:J~ hcr:_,on ccon~lnic _gJou_nds. I think that such ~ sy.,te_ni of ImmigTatw.Q as this n11u:.t ineYi' ab~y. lJrove a danger to. the working- classc ~ c:£ ih1s State and to our mdustrics hero \V•' ffJ~c1l on page 17 of Mr. Ferry's repo;t th~ o. ovv1ng staten1ent :-

" \Vorkers !vho for years h '-VC sctcrificcct mu~·h to oht&m favourable industrial conclitwns naturally resent the intrusion inio then- Jmd--t of largo numbers of immi~Tan~s, n1any of "l\'f1om are of a hopclesslv mfenor type. easily exploited, and who ~re as great !1 menace to th·~ better c!a,s iOI'Pign Immigrant as they arc to th Bntrsh, The admission of race-s that n~ m;ver make good Australian citizens onlv Widens the breach between the Australi; a and ~ctter ~ypo of foreigner. It daub! , the difficult~es of assimilation, and results Ibn tho creaf:wn of racial organisations and r~eds racJa] hatreds which should not

exist.''

V\bTe are not agains~ ~mmigrants who can c. absorbed or assimilated in our indus

tnes. But we find from the information

lYir. Hynes.]

190 Address m Reply. [ASSEJVIBLY.] Address in Reply.

which has been given to us bv Mr. Ferrv that a very largo number of So"uthorn Europeans went northwards. The position is !hat every ovcr~ea i1nmigrant who went mto the sugar Industry this year or last year displaced one Britisher-one Australian -possibly ono man who had suffered and starved in strike camps in order to build up tho conditions in that industry. \Ve had in the sugar industry-in which production has hrt•n r<shictod b:v law-there is no doubt about that-sufficient men to garner and harvest tlw, crop before these immigrants arrived, so that every man, whether Southern European. or other immigrant, who got a job in the mdustn must of necessity have displacec~ ono Queenslander. That is the point we Wish to stress. _That is the thing we wrtnt to. protest agamst. The report says the officwl ftgures supplied by the Commonwealth Go, "rnm<mt showed thrtt the excess of foreign race•·· arrivals over departures for J an nary, February, and 11arch was 668: wh~reas the Railway Department furnished to tho Commissioner figures showin"' that during that pPriod the aliens who left Brisbnn<, for :'\orth Qucenshnd numbered 1 300 This indicates that there has been a 'con: sidera.blc :fpflux of aliens to Queen.~land from othn parts of the Commonwealth. Tlw po.,ition is that those 1.300 aliens who g·ot >York in the industry must have displaced 1,300 good QuC>emlanders-1,300 good Amtrahans-~each of whom probablv had a good_ Australian. family depending' on his earmngs m the mdustry. That is the hard part of it. I know 'thn.t thp Australian \Yorkers' T ___ "'nion. '1\hieh has ·done a O'reat clc ,,.] for thP improvement of conditim~s of \York(·rs in t ho indu:::try, is looking 1,\·ith a grP_at deal of concern upon the situation which has arisen. r\s a Yice-prcsidcnt of that !)rgar1i~ation, I am looking \\·jth a great J~aJ of {'O~lc0rn and ~on1e dc~TC'C of suspiciOn upon the situation which has a1·isen thl'rP.

::\Ir. ::VlAxwELL: '\Vhat did the hon. memlwr fnr Chillagoe sa,- about it?

::Ylr. HY:'\ES: Ho can speak for himself, ~nd I can cpE'ak for myself. '\Ye have no o_bj0ction to immigrants; e ha ye no obje<:tl_on to_ lJP'lple C'oming fron1 overseas prondi'd tltcy do not displace anv Australian worl.2rs, and prodded thev ca'n bc a"'imilatcrl in Queensland or Australian industries :vithout proving inimical to the economic mterests of the peonle alreadv here. That i' thco8position whi~h the Australian Worker,' "Gnion takes up and which J_ tak0 up. On page 25 of the report Mr. I< crry aho pomts out the need for striote1· medical examination of mi"'rants and I would like to ask the hon~ me~Ibor for ::\lirani whether he blames the Queensland L~hom· Government for the position >vhich is indicated by this paragraph-

" In regard to the n1edical exainination of migrant· .. on arrival. some further rtction appears to be necessarv. On the 23rd March last an Italian.' unable to s;wak English. was removed from the t.rain at Bundaberg and committed to th•, a.sylum for thP ·insane at Goodna. The evidence disclosed that the patient was a recent arrival from Italy. and that between Fremantle and Brisbane he tried to jump overboard. and had been placed under restraint for several days on th0 boat. Yet, aj)parentl,-, he was allowed to land without objection.''

[Jir. Hynes.

Dealing with the immigration of Maltose, ::\lr. Ferry has this to say-

" Maltose are permitted to enter Australia at the rate of 1,200 per annum, and many of them come to North Queensland. They are hard working and honeot, b1it mostly uneducated, and their standard of living is inferior to that of the British or Italian. One Maltese witne3S in Cairns mentioned a case where a countryman of his was induced to work for le,,s than award rates because he could not read or write or speak the English language.

'' He considered the Maltese should have a reprcscntatiYe in the union to see that Maltese are not cheated out of what was due to them for wages.

" In a Jlamphlet issued by the Maltese Government, entitled ' The Maltc'e Emigrant and the Secret of His Success,' the Maltese is described as a ' docile and conscientious worker,' and this description is fairly accurate.

"The arrangement with the Commonwecdth Government provides that illiterate- '\Ialtese will be allowed to enter Australia prO\·ided they obtain special permission, on the application of relatives a"d friends residing in ~'tustralia who arc prepared to find work for them on arrival."

rrhe Con1Inissioner further ;:,tatc::i~

'' The report issued by the lVIaltcse Govcrnn1<'nt contains the following under the heading: 'Appendix E. Conditions of Entry into various Countrir,,' :-

''ArSTRALIA. , .. (11) Domiciled persons;

(c) Age is no ban to their re-entry into Australia.

(d) They arc admitted unconditionally c•ven when suffering from some form of disease.

So that rnigrant.s that Canada will not admit at all are accepted by Australia and on re-entry whether aged or diseased, and thu fact is advertised by the ::\laltese Government."

The Commonwealth Tory Goycrnment are to blam" for allowing diseased people to come iuto this count.ry. I have just quoted a case of a n1an who \Vas obviously dn'3ane on anival 1vho was allowed to enter the Commonwealth, I am sure the hon. member for :\Iirani cannot connect the Queensland Labour party up with that position.

:\lr. }L\xwELL: The Federal Labour members do not do much for the ''ugar industry.

}lr. HYNES: The hon. member knows that t·hosc connected with the SUI)ar industry of Queensland could not get a fan deal until Labour came into power in this State. The hon. m"mber knows that his crowd refused the producers of cane the right to a voi'ce in the fixing of a price for their commodity. It was the Labour party who gave the sugarproduc.crs the Cane !'rice Boards legislation. It was the Labour party who were· rcspomible for building up the sugar industry to its wonderful state of prosperity to-day.

Mr. ::viAXWELL: What did Mr. Scullen, :M. H. R. ha vc to say ? He said the people 'hould charge like the Light Brigade in orde1· to have the price reduced.

Address m Reply. [18 Ac:GUST.] Address in Reply. 191

:Ylr. IIYNES : I have had considerable experience in organising industrialists, partiw cularly in the sugar industry, and it is obYious that, when a certain class of industrialists possessing a lmver standard of living than Queensland or Australian industrialists enter a field of occupation t-he inevitable result is that those PO'dcssing the lower standard of living displace those of a higher standard. The Commissioner appointed to inquire into the social and economic effect of the increase of the nnmber of aliens in North Queeusland also said-

" At Mackav a witness stated that Habana in tha't district is often referred to as K~w Malta. IIe had visited several farms there recently, and with only one exception all the employee-s were newly arrived Maltese who had no previous experience as sugar-V\~orkers, and he wa:;; of the opinion that the.1· connivc•d with the employers to evade the provisions of the Sugar _\_ward. There had recent! v been a numba· of prosecutions agains't foreigner' for breaches of the indust.rial laws in that district, and fines to the amount of £150 had been imposed by the Court."

1 do not desire to quote at any further length from that report, but I commend it to hon. members opposite. There are some hon. members in this House and there are p0ople outside as well who cannot underst.a.nd why members of this party and the big industrial organisations object to and re,.ent the intrusion of a large number of migrants from Southern Europe into the sugar industry. They could pasily understand the position 1f thev would become conscious of the fact that, \~h<'n a class of migrants possessing a lower standard of living than the Australian citizen comes into an industry where t.here is no room for him, the in~vitable result is that he displaces the Australian-bern citizen, and the indmtrial conditions which have been obtained at a great sacrifice by th1• workers of this country arc considerably impaired. The Commissioner b<'ars out- mv contention in that re,pect. •

I e.m going to deal with another matter which has caused me considerable concern and that i, the question of hon. member~ opposite and their connection with the National Union. (Opposition laughter.)

Mr. MAXWELL: Another election stunt ! Mr. BRAKD: \Vhat has that got to do

with the government of this country?

:\fr. HY::'\ES: I agree with the hon. member for Bnrrum that the bickcrings and di~··ensions in any part:: ha\e nothing to do w1th the people, and I am not perturbed by their bickprings and dis<Sensions; but on this occasion we find there has been a definite split in the ranks of tlw Opposition. ""e find that men who have been associated with the party for very many years arc now excluded, and the~Y have adopted the mistaken tactics of going· into the public press to wash th"ir dirtc· linen. A·s a result, something has comn to 'the surface. We find that there is somE·thing decidedlv sinister behind the whole business. (Opposition interjections.) \Ve find that the Opposition. by accepting funds from the National Union, are acting inimicallv to the best interests of the State. ·

Mr. CORSER: They have not done so.

Mr. HYNES : It i, just as well that I should explain what tho National Union is.

Hon. members will agree that the bo:1c d contention between the two sections of the {_)llfJOSition \VQS the fact that SOJJ.!1j o:£ tbe1n objected to he dominated by tlw J\'ational Union, that they objected to receivin'; funds from that 1}nion, and, aB a result, ihcy 'Vl're placed outside the party altogetirer.

Mr. BRAND: Nothing of the sort.

Mr. HYJ\'ES : That is generall;v· cor:c••ckd. The :ifelbvurnc " Age" says this of the :\ationa1 l~nion-

·• T,hc ~ational r:nion is a EC'CI'Pt little bodv of rich men who act in defiance of tllC spirit. if not the kt: -r <•f the law. and endPa.vour by the expenditurt of scores of thousands of pounds to buy into power accommodating politicians."

l-Ion. members opposite are asking wh:.:.t this has to do with the Addres< in Reply.

Mr. CoR~ER: Or "hat the liqum tra.clc has got to do with your part}.

Mr. I-IYNES: Hon. member,, opposite have been prating about the liquor li'aclc and the Labour partY. I say that every shilling got to enable the Labour party to carry out our campaigns is obtained from the workers. There is no ga.insaying that fact.

Mr. CoRSER: And "Liberty Fairs.''

::\Ir. HY="'ES: The official org·an of the Opposition has described what the National Union is.

::\lr. f'OR~ER: V\'hat does the "Railwu:v _\.dyocate" say'?

:Ur. HY="JES: It is rather peculiar and strange that thP new party is n.llcd the County Progrcc~ivc party. The\' are e\ 1-dcntly going to pandor to the larmer and f~ndeavour to sho\v tha.t. theY are ~o1ieitous for the welfare of the mun on the land. For the edification of von. members I will read a letter published in the " Daily ::\Ia.il" on the 8th J uno, 1925, over the signature of Mr. \V .• J. Smout, who wac Torv .;hndidate for Paddington at the last Stat~· election. Mr. Smout is looked upon as being a prominent anti-Labourite.

Mr. BR•,xn. He said he '"oulcl soouer support you than us.

:VIr. HYNES: The following are extracts from Mr. Smout.'s letter:-

,, \Vith regard to the Parliamentary party majority decision to recognise the l'lational Cnion as the solo collect-ing authority, and Colonel Cameion's sug· gestion for a representative finance committee, will Mr. Moore deny that he rejected the latter because he had arrang-ed with the National Union to provide his parh: with funds for organising the country electorates to counter the activities of the local producers' association:-5.

. . . . I notice that Mr. :Moore is oilent on that matter, and it. will b0 interesting to know if he has repudiat0d or returned the funds he recently arranged to g0t from the National Union to organise the country electorat-es in opposition to the activitie' of the Local Producers' Association?"

That accusation is a semational one and has nevn been expressly or specificallv denied by the leader of the Opposition. '

The SPEAKER: Order! The hon. member has exhausted the time allowed him under the Standing Orders.

Mr. Hynes.]

192 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address ·in Reply.

::\1r, CORSER (Burnett) : I am glad to have the opportunity of saying a word or two in contradiction of the statements and misrepresentations that have been deliberately indulged in by hon. members opposite.

The SPEAKER: Order ! The hon. mem· ber is not in order in accusing other hon. members of deliberate misrepresentation.

Mr. CORSER: I bow to your ruling, Mr. Speaker. At the same time I must repudiate the statements which have been made, and leave the mat.ter to the people outside and to hon. members of this House to say whether those statements are correct or not.

First of all, I wish to express regret that Queensland is losing the assistance of such an able gentleman as our Governor. I am only sorry that. we have not a Government in power that would continue the service·, of Sir Matthew Nathan. \Ve hear so much throughout the country and from hon. mem· bers opposite with regard to " cutting the painter," but t.he whole foundation of our success and independence depends upon our connection with Great Britain.

The first contradiction I shall make to the statements made by hon. members opposite -and, if they have not been deliberately incorrl .. ,t, they have cert-ainly been con· Yenicntly inrorrect-is in connection 'vith the statement of the hon. member for Herbert. \vho endc:tvoured to ccJnnect the Opposition with the National Union.

:'.Ir. HARTLEY: Quite right, too.

::\Ir. CORSER: When the hon. member for Herbcrt was speaking, he was contra· dieted bv me, and I told the hon. member tha.t he V was mi_,quoting an ite1n from the ·· Couric:_'." 'J.lho hen. me1nbcr's remarks and my contradiction appear on page 37 of the (·mT,·nt "Hansard," as follows:-

" :Yfr. Corscr, Opposition whip, has bt,en i~tcrncwed by the Maryborough · Chromcle,' and stated-

' The "Courier " would create the impression that the National Union was comprised of a few self·interested individuals. That might or might not have been the case in the past, but the Country party has now secured eight of its supporters repr·esentation on the National 1Jnlon.' n

That is all the hon. member quotAd. I have the extract from the " Courier " of 18th :Yiay, 1925, and I shall quote it to show that the hon. m13mber for Herbert was not correct.

:\Ir. HARTLEY: He was correct.

:\h. CORSER: The hon. member was not , orrc,ct, and I cannot better denv his mis· ~tatement than by quoting the ,·; Courier " Jt.'i>lf-

" At Maryborough he said that the :'\ational Union was not composed of a few self·appointed individuais. ' That,' he added, 'might or might not ha Ye been 'o in the past, but the Country party had asked for and had secured ei'ght of its supporters as represent.atiYes on that body.'"

The words are not " hac; no'v secured,'' but " had asked for and had secured." That proves that the statement of the hon. gentlerwm waJ deliberately incorrect, and I will

further prove that the statement [11.30 a. m.] of the " Courier " deliberately

misreprs;ented what I said. It is not right to take one sentence from one

[Jlr. Corser.

paragraph and delete the rest at the eon vonience of the speaker; and it is not right for that speaker, when purporting to quote a statement made by me as appearing in the Maryborough "Chronicle,'' to read an extract of that statement which appeared in the " Courier," and which was incorrectly quoted.

IV1r. HARTLEY: Don't apologise.

Mr. CORSER: My statement in the Mary· borough " Chronicle " goes to show that not only did the hun. member misquote the "Courier" deliberately, but that he also very conveniently left out this paragraph-

" The Country Progressive party, continued Mr. Corser, would have its finance committee. It,, funds could only b<! secured by voluntary subscription, and not by the result of compulsory levies on workers, or by ' White Cities ' or so·called 'Liberty Fairs.' "

The statements bv hon. members are inenrrect and untrue. ·,rhe Opposition has nothing to do with the Xational Union. They are not ashamed of the National 'Gnion. The :'\ational Union is not composed of men who are frightened to give their names. It is composed of gentlemen, every one of whom is an honourable man, and I wish ban. members opposite were only half as good as them. \Ye are collecting our funds only by voluntar:~ subscription. vVe are not conscripting thn workers 0'1" putting a poll tax on them before thev can get work to keep their children, 'or secure funds for Labour organisations.

Mr. HYXES: You will have to dance to the !une of the ::\1 ational Union at the next election.

:\lr. CORSER: The hon. gentleman ma:: tell that to his friends, but he cannot tcli it to the people who read and think for themselves, and he cannot prove that statement Ly misquoting mn or by misinforming the public as to who compose the ?\ational Fnion.

l'Ir. H•·xEs: A financial oligarchy.

:\h. CORSER : Here is something more that appeared in the Maryborough " Chronicle "-

"If the union were self.appointe-d and something to be shunned in the past, said Mr. Corser, it would be interesting to learn if the ' Courier ' ever accepted any of the union's funds for its political services during the past elections, and how much? 'l'he ' Courier's ' bitterness t-:nvards the Opposition may have been influenced by the decision that any fund' availabk should, in the future, be more equitably distributed than in the past. Of course, this may not be the reason, but the necessity for such a decision ccr· tainly could not be judged until amounts previously received by that organ arc made public. The ' Courier' may, in its professed anxiety to give the fullest information regarding the whole position, publish particulars of what it has received, if any, of these party funds during the past ten years."

That is also contained in the statement in the lYiaryborough " Chronicle,'' which was not read in the House or reprinted in the '· Courier."

Mr. HARnEY: \Vhy are you so worried about it?

Address in Reply. [18 AUGUST.] Address i,~ Reply. 193

:\Ir. CORSER: I am not personally v.orried, but I am worried that the Governm• nt arc eo lacking in argument that its nwmber"s will mis'luote even a paper that is !w>tile !0 us to try and prove somethmg lgainst their political opponc·1ts that is untrue.

The SECRETAhr FOR AGP.'CL:LTl'RE: Do you ."ay the " Courier " is hostile to you?

:\Ir. CORSER: The " Courier" dccidedl,i.< hostile, and the hon. gentleman knows it. The " Courier " has been hostile ever since the London Rgreement, and it has been helping the Government by ih criticisms of the Opposition.

A GovERNMENT l\1E1IBER: Arc you n hacking the " Courier?"

Mr. CORSER: I have not op.cnl:v att,,cked tlw " Courier," and I am not going to do it hero.

The SECRETARY FOR AGRIC\:LTCRE: You would be very foolish to do so.

:\1r. C'ORSER: This is not the place to wash onr dirty linen. I k:nO\Y that hon. ~·c-ntlcn1cn oppOsitf' used to ~a:/ that that iourna.l was otw that thcv could not believe. .'\ow they 11SC it to tt·y and bash th" Opposition. Let hon. g"Cntlcn1Pn opposite not be 'o troubled with the power that they claim is \>:orkiEg- against ns, but rathPr let them be noubl•d with t'.c tJO••cr that tlw. , .. icJd <lgRinsL t~1eir o-·.·,n supporter~. Let th0m turn rn the c1ector:1tes. Let th<·m turn to ?,Iun\ lingburra. d10n~ they ba ,~c dii .-JW' ]j fird certain individu'!l Labour men a.nd prevented 1hem from standing- in 1hP p 1 cb' c't · \Yhat is the po,·er that the b.'lf-appoiJ:ltecl peopl· iu BrislHtrlP arc ,.._,ic~lding ngainc.t t1lO'"C' indj. ,·idunl~ \vl10 \vish to stand in fw plcbi3citc? T think that the Gonrnment s:.onld fi~>t of ~ll dPan lll/ their OIYn me\·"' ;~nd r~iYc a. fair ~·o to all work(n'·:: and people· ,,.:ho are sup-1J01'1<>rs Df their polic·i. \Yhy should one little .~nntn h'lVC_> thr--' prn<;'Pr to prevent nn hnn0::::1

,Jrking I11an fro1n standing in a p1clJi ;,:._:itc:? \Yh:v undrr any dornocrn.tic regime shonld 1 hat po'Yer b0 giYen to fl Go\"f:'l·:rmont? The i·lcctors in a didriC't f'honld dcciilc who :::.11ould run foj_ thP (•1cC'tion, and it should not be

to a self-appointed junta to dictate condjtions.

A GO\'EllX}TENT ME}fBER: ·whv did vou di~(jtutEty one ,,cction of your o,~:n party'?

:Vir. CORSER: vVe have not dmw that. ~:Ir. CARTER: You kicked out the "run1p."

Mr. (;QRSER: Whv die! hon. mcmh01"" opposite disf]mt!ify cort l.in people who ·:antcd to stand fm their platform? \Vas it the liCIUOr vote money that \\'as doing it' 1t is said that certain peoplt', because of ;heir liC{tWr views, are not to be allowed to -:-and as candidates for the Labour party because ljf!uor n1Dncys haye been contributed ro the party funds.

=•lr. HYNES: You are condemned by your cnvn Press. You arc unCler thP dominance of a financial oligarchy-the National Union.

Mr. CORSER: The hon. member may c<Jntinuc to interject with rcga,rd to the '\Jational UniDn, bnt there are no funds received by this party or the Opposition from that body. Neither do we receive them from "Liberty Fairs," where they take down lho workers, nor do we receive them from a poll tax on the workers. Hon. members opposite are at sixes and sevens with their own part~'- Let me remind tl-wm of the state

1925-o

of thing, which exists within their own sphere of influence. \Ye have onlv to take the Italian question. We find 'that thP hon. rnc;nber for Chilla.goc, ~fr. Thcodore, approve~ of the conditio-:""!S w11i·Jh ex\:'+, arjd RU,)\3 that there is plC'nty of 1'00'11 for Italians in l\iorth Queensland. The' Premier, on the following day, 15th April, is reported b haye sai·d-

" :\1r. Gillics, when asked to comment on tho cx-Pren1ier's utterance, and also on the suggc,tion that the YIG\\5 of the Stah· I\Iinistn and l\Ir. Thoodore were in direct conflict Dn this wbjcct, said' On the contrarv. Mr. Tht·.)doro'· remarks are quite" in at "ore! with my 0\Vll.' ''

On the vcrs snn1c da:7 th:~ Pxtreme "'r-:tiouonr frieEd fro•n Towns\·illc, and ot~~)r~-T .1n1 not mentioPirnr thr- hn:: n1l'nl_i·nr fol' Bowcn: he is more rcasonable-expressecl their vie\\'~. J-I('TC is a q >tc~l!lf'lt '-Yh1ch appc"rcd the sanw c: ty from a section of the Lal:oul' organisaJion---

" ...::\c Olc~in:, to t.hr~ of !f'i<lJ !abonr ~).l'gan. ihP ,scr:rc1- Lry of 1hr! Quf'C'll.;i,1ncl 11l'Rrteh of ilw _\.tl""IP lin.n \forkcrs' T~ninn (:.\Ir. \Y. ;; Dnn~;:·nn) h'ld :;.onlt thing to say yc::terc1:L,>' (~ll .\l!'. Th::o.-loi'c'-: l!ttcra nces.

'Assuming- that l\1r. Theodorc is rorrectly rPportPd,' "1icl 1\.Ir. Dun~tan, 'hi- rmnarks ~how that hP is entirely out of touch with 1hc A.\Y.U. and its member-. ,,nrl also ,.-ith the Labour LlO""f'mont throughout thC' Con11non~ wnlth, on the Italian quc'-tion.' "

The hon. nwmb0r for Chi!larrw makPs :L

iatoment, tho Australian 1-V-Jrkers' UHion s ·-.:rPtar~' ~avs that thEt hon. n1._lnlx~r if; out of toud~ y·ith thP Labour !TIOYCl11C'y1t. and the Pren1ier of the State sa~."s tbat his. :-:tatc 1Jent is in acf'orclan( ,~ \\ ith hiS own "\~ir~v:s.

:\Ir. H·\RTLEY: \Yell, ,,·hat. about it"

Mr. CORSER: It shows \'erv c1e.trlv that there is di~1·nption within t1w. ranks 0£ the L,.bour party. and that thr;)' h: vc not got a tn~itf'd front.

0PPOSTTJO)[ :\IE}IBERS: Hear, hear! :\lr. I-IYNES: There is no evidence Df

acC'cpting a bribr.

:\1r. CORSER: You have not had one offered yet. The hon. member who has just rc;.n;ncd h~s scat colnphtln-; YPry bittnrl:v ahont t1Je intrusion of the Italians~good citi;. ns v.ho ha.-" come lwro under the rcvulations which ha Ye heen dra\\ n un. Who c:m provont them from coming to Queensland and taking part in the s11ga-r indu,try? ThQ prc'ent GoYernment.

]\fr. HARTLEY: The Commonwealth Government.

Mr. CORSER: If the hon. member does not tr.v to pull his own leg, l1P must know that iho Su.<rar Cultivation Act nf 1913, by means of an~ ,,ducation test, distinoth· gives ]!O\Yer to dis'lualify any Italian from entering the industry.

Mr. HYNES: Have a look at the regulations.

Mr. CORSER: The hon. member very innocently says, " Have a look at the regulations."

Mr. HYNES: Passed by the Government you supported.

Mr. CORSER : The Governor in Councilthat is to say, the Ministry in power-is

Mr. Corser.]


directly rceponsiblC> for the ,·egulations. If ihosc rf'gulations were dravvn up by a socalled Tory Government, nevertheless the ]•resent Government have sat idly by and ha Ye not amended the Teg-ulations; and on that account thPY >vant to try to excus3 themselves and evade their responsibilities.

Mr. HYNER: It would be a misuse of the r•ower conferred by the Act.

:\.h. CORSER: The ho11. member ought to know, because :Yiinisters know, that these t•.'gulations an• rlrawn up by Cabinet and Cnbinct c.1u]d arnend an;; regulatio: s the_v "·ishcd. Tlw hon. member knows that tho s~'-called T'ory Goverrnnent which pas-~erl the Act rnade provision in it to guard agaiPst an influx int-o one pa,rticular industry, but 1 h n pros0n t GovcrrnnPnt have not a vailed thmnseh cs of the llOssibi]ity of preventing it, and now they want to evade the responsibilty. If anything wrong has been done, they are l'f'8nonsible. They can appoint a rcady-:made Comn1issioner and get hin1 to d;J C('rtain things for then1, but they are not guing to h:1Y8 tbcir linrn \YD"hed in 1ha.t , av. They arc responsible for anvthing

"hich ic >nong-responsiblc to the workers 1-vho arc cornplaining.

:vir. IIARTLEY: Don't worrv about that. We wi:l take all the responsibi'! ity.

:VIr. CORSER: I do net say that there is nny Y0l'J great 1vrong. I an1 \norc "''·ith the hon. member for Chillagoc in that regard.

A GoYEI:XMEX1' :'IIE:\fBER: A good " Dago" a,dyocate.

Mr. CORSER: If we can ,set European citizens to con1t~ here-as we havn to do if we want to keep it a \vhito countr_y-so n1uch the better.

Mr. HARTLEY: Cheap labour !

good shall good

Mr. CORSER: If the hon. m0mbcr for Fituoy knew the statutes, he wouid kno.c !hat it is impossible for them to >York in the sugar industry under cheap labour condlHon::. r:l'hc~v rnnst get the a\Yard rate. The hon. Ino1nbcr's cry n1ay hayc bcPn goJd enough to '' put over" the people in industries in the past, but thev realise the:- n1nst \\'Ork 1\-ithiu the four Corner-· of 1,hc A_·:_t and rnu.-t pa:· the \\-ag'• that !lH la\Y c n1a:r:ds.

0PPORinox ::IIE•JB£R>i: Hear. hear ' l\lr. HYXU: You know Yen· well th~l the'

..\et \VDuld not pr"--·\~ail agains't the Co'~llHOllWf'alth Con,r::-bturion.

J\Ir. CORSER: The GoYcrmncnt l:now that it is not po, o,ible for these immicra-lt; to engage in the 3Ugar industry under cheap labour conditions. ,

Sine<~ La.bonr has boon in ,,o\-..:Pr it lw_:". been rf :5ponsible for ;;erv pretty windowdref'sing prior to elections.~ The Uo;;ern.:1ent ;~: .different GDvernors' Speeches hayc becu accustorned to appeal to the eves of Hw people in the country districte, and to tickle J hen· cars; and we find that CYcn in this C<:,-ernor's Speech promises are held out iib• the pro,-crbial hunch of carrots beforP " donkey's nose-on],- that thev will find !hat the donkev is i10t behind' it on this of·Caflio•J. Tbe ~ Governn1ent ha;;e forfeited the confidence of the people,

Mr. I-IYxES: The Toowoomba by-election proved that.

Mr. CORSER: To mv mind th0 result of the Greater Brisbane ~lections i; a better demonstration. The GoYernment, by "their

[}fr. Corser.

redistribution of seats, their lavish cxpemlitun: of lonn money, b:v their rnisrepr?::wnt'ltion. ancl b_v n1a.ny other deYices 'vhiCh 110 fkccntlv eon,tituted Gm-ernment would stanrl fo,·, ha·,-,, b,,, n al•le to hold the majority of the se·tts in this State although the majority of lhr· peon1e ha.-c ..-oted against them. The G'""''litment tickled the (ars of the primarv t•mckcers with the promise of higher prices: bui "" HHl in the dairying industry thos" concc rncd hnYe not been through a period of gTt'cttor depression and ever increasing price.:..: i h . n hn.~ bee>n their experience during the iim<• that La bonr has held office. In 1915 Dnc of the ,,];ytionecring pamphlets pointccl out that thE' cc.st of liYing was constantl~., oq th0 incrca!'P. and that increased price' affC'('tC'cl the ron:-:;umt:rs of surh necessary {'Ol~lmoditi<'s of life a,s meat, sugar, bread, fish, kcrosf'ne. C'tc. During thf' 1915 campaign the ! '" 1--onr party informed the electors that there ,., ~nld b0 ro incr0osc in the price of conllJV··ditil·.-;. hut \Ye ftnd that, whilst wages haY(' lv n increased. no bcneftt has been derived o:-t h0 consnmPrs.

The Govcl'1Jn1ent haYe failed to stinlulate pmdnction. Thev have failed to develop sc~onclary industries. the natural corollary of the succ~'~sfnl expansion of our primary indus~ l.!·ies. The:-- ha vc failed with their own platform for the socialisation of industry. Although one plank of their platform demands the eocia!isation of industry, recently at a conf. rence of cotton interests in New South \Yaks, whPn it was proposed that the GovernJnent. ~hould tJke oYer the cotton ginnerie~. the Prc1nier ~aid. "No; vve are not going t~J ha',-(' :1~1v mor~' Stnte enterprises." That i~ c~'nclu:-:.1>·0 proof that the platform dealing 'vith ,,ocialis9tion canPot be nut. into effect nnd Jhat so,,ialisation has failed miserablv. Thf' GoYrrnn10nt are prepared to sociali~l! an,-thing- that is of ,-alue to the industrialists, Lvt th< v ask thP farmers to pay an exorbitant pri·'l' for the a-innPrir·~.. They are prcparc~d trJ S()('ialiSc' Oll behalf Of the indnstriaJists, OUt r heY an• Pot prepared to extend any benefits tn the fnrniPrs. Thev ask the farmers to tak<' oYPr n larg0r nninb0~· of ginneries than arP n· .-·",,'r Th0v will not S0°ialise for the' L1rr 1c:_·:.; l't'cansc. it n1ight b0 of somE' benefit to thr· fnr<, < ,.,_ Queensland has lagged behin,: the n•st of _-\.nstralia in the matter of nrodu,-tioP. Onr O\Yn Arbitration Court. aft·-,r C'arf'fqlly con~idrring· CYid0nco, has given adf'flUniJ' nrnof tlwt o,-pr a pc~·iod of ycarR. \vhil~t the Yil hw of ·onr ap:ricultural pr-ocludion ha;:;; incrr;.-;ed. thrre has:. hecn a vcrv c0nsidtlr~l1le dt ~ !'0(1 ~P in th" quantity of prodnction. Over th, Jn:-;t ten Yf'nrs the auantitv of ag-ricultul ·t1 proc1nction for CXl)Ort -llHS de-'CrcA~rd, as conlnarc.J with a formPr p0riod of ten y.·ar'. During· thos(' ncrior1s '"'ool 1ncn;:lshl in Yrtlnt• from £6.277.000 to £10,852.000. and that product has hocn rf';-;]lon~ib1e for n10 intaining th i" State in its present posit.ion. Over the snn-:•• p0rior-ls a~Tirn1tnral nrodurt.ion d9rreasf'rl to tlw f'xtf ''t of 28 per cent. in this Rtat0. Th,, rrrsPnt Pren1icr at a Labour Dav dinner .;ntpd that Labour must kepp ih miiod on i;·s cbic!'tin' of " Production for rse anrl tF;r. for nroftt." .-\;; a r0sult of that policy W•' IlO\r haye n considerable decrease in agrirnltnra l production. and a d£'crf'asf' in thr ''mnlyr of persons emploved on the hncl. Rince the expounding of that policv th · acrea((c under production has decreased \w 27,000.000 a "res. On Labour's entrv to offie,• they promised prorlucers good pdees, but they eet up a. Pri'ce Fixing Commissioner to deal large],- with agricultural products. In

Address in Reply; [18 A17GuST.] Address in Reply. 195

dea1ing with butter the Commiesioner oi Prices :·efused to allow the dainman to obtain a just price for his product: but t1-day when lmtter prices are lo\\ we do not f1nd the Commissioner endeavouring to assi"t tho3e engaged in that industrv to obtain c:t fair nd just remuneration f01: their labour.

The Government both during and after the war adopted State butcher shops as part nf thPir polirv, 'rhcv .are f'l<l1tnin!! a lot of kudos to-day for '~hat those sh';;p · have accomplished. Let mo analyse them for a minute or two. The Commissioner of Price' has since the war enalYled these butcher shops to extort high prices from the consumere. Dnring the war period the butch<:'r shops were protected by tho confidence th~t the British Government bestowed in our Strtte Government. They permitted them to act as their agents in the drawing up of an agrc~ment with the various meat exporting companies; but our State Government would onlo: conclude an agreement w1th ~ho compa_n~es to supply beef to the ImpcneJ authonbes for the troops at 4~d. per !be provided the State Government sccun•d all the beef it required at 3~d. per lb. Du1·ing the )Wl·iod that the Government '\ f'l'l' under this _agn'Prnent rereiYing thei1· rneat at. ~hat pncc the American grower was rcce1nng 1s. 3d. per lb. for his export meat. The State butcher shops naturally pa1d under such conditions, but the producer was compelled to carry the burden. \Vlwn the war concluded the British Govc-·1-rnent c~a:;:ed taking our rneat. Consequentl~,the )Jr!CB of beef ch·opped nearly to zcru Th? State butcher shops remained opcc1. wh1le the Government not only had their State etations but the PricP Comrnis'ioner. too. After the war the GovernmC'nt purchas~d the m0at required for th_en State butcher shape at 2d. per lb. With the. offal and by-products thrown in; but. not\nthsta";ding this fact, they sold rump steak as lngh as 9d. per lb. and filletsteak ls. per lb.

:Hr. liARTLEY: \Vhere was meat being sold at tho.::e prices?

~vlr. C'ORSEH.: :'.1y statement can b;:, J•roycJ. TIH' object· of the Government '. "' to o<'e that _the _State butche;· shop' ru~ull~ a pr0ftt. but 1_n donlf3'. _so they per1nitted aL bntclwr shop., 1n addit1on to their own to extort exorbrtant prices from the people.

:'.Jr. JJ.\RTLEY: Don't bo silly; that is not t r:.H:;.

r\ t 11.52 a. m., The CHm:,L\N OF CmrcciTTEES (Mr. Pollock

0 r, (JOI'!!), relieved the Speaker in the chair:

Mr. CORS!£ll: 'I'he Stote stations during that penod nad bNm sellmg t.hoir meat to the greatest ad.-aHtagc, but nevertheless had

, been tosing from £100,000 to £340,000 a year. Thcsn arc the State stations on v:hich buSint:~s 1 be Gov('rnrnc-nt we1·e going to rnake such big profits !

Hon. J. G. APPEL: \Vhat about the State trawler and lho State fish shops?

:'.Ir. CORSER: 'I'he action of the Government in regard to the d~irymen is equally soa:1da.!ous. In 1915, when the export value of nutt<;r was 228s. _per cwt., the Government set their Comm~es1oner of Price., t.o work and brought the price down to 196s. The ~etbourne butter merchants thereby made b1g profits, but our co-operative societies here cla1m that during this period the local

producers lost as much .as £500,000 pet· ann tun.

Mr. HARTLEY: And your party has lost every clrction since. (Govcrnnu~nt laughter.)

Mr. CORSER: \Ve have not lo't e,·erv election. We won the last election. b,;t through the jerrymandering of the seats the Government \vero returned to power. The people \Yi11 not st-a.nd for thc::o " Bill Sikes" method::; ail ihu ti111e. Thv t:i'uth rnust prevail in time.

The Gon'rnment have claimed that the Federal Government are the only Government which can aid tho primary producer. \Yhen the Federal Gov8rnmont have stepped in to aid any scheme in Queensland they have made a sncce" of it. Even to-dav we find the State Government. in order to· save their face, owing to their rotten policy in connection with the cotton inclmtry, appealing on their krwes to the Federal Government VJ proclaim a bounty for tbe industry and thu< relieve them of the subsidies paid to develop it.

Hon. J. G. APPEL: Shame!

1'Ir. CORSER: :'\ot onlv that, bnt the GoYcrnn1cnt wanted to give up the control of tlw cotton business in Queensland bcc:tuse they had rr1ade such a rotten mess of it. The rr;ttOll administration of thP Gov~rnmont has been repudiated b:>' tlwir own supporters in the country, and the only way they scL out of the difficulty is io pass it over to the Fcdrtal Governnwnt to have the industn· administered for them.

\Vc find that the Government hitve driven people off the land. \Ve have to build up this State, and if we desire a solid State w" must develop its primary and secondary industries. This Govcrnmeut have n1ade it in?po;;:.sible for people to carry on successfully.

If there is one thing of value to the country [WOple of Qucensiand, it is the esta blislm1011t of the Prickly-pear Land Commise.ion. Right along horL members on this side of the Hou ce determined that there "hould b ~ such a board, and ,Ye ha YC fought ~lrenlJou:;:ly for H. In 1912, in my very first SlWcch in this Ilouse, I asked for an inde~ pendent board to control the whole of the 11r:8T lands-a board not. under the control of ihc Lands DrpartnH'nt, and a board that would not have its hrtnds tied by tho,t department. I urged that that boarLl should have full )lowe1· to deal ith pear ];. ncls, and to grant -::uch con -·t-s;-;ions and consid-·ratio~Js ail ,-\ere C"':cntial. To-ch:v such ::t board 1:3 in exj.::t::·ncc. "

Hon. :] . _G. APP"L : Hear. hear !

Mr. CORSER: That bonrd is in exi,;tcnce bccau~e hon. mo1nbers on this si::ie ()£ thE.' Hon'<e have continually and persistently vnshed the idea. I refer hon. memL,ot·s to a que ::;tion of 1ninc which ,,vas asked in 1915, wherein I told the Premier of pc ntroubles in my electorate, and wher0in I aRkrd for an inq:1lry and the establi~hmc~t of a board. The hon. gentleman stated that such conditions did not exist. To-clay, ,;fter repeated efforts on th<! part of the Opposition. we have that board, but it is not going to be carried on successfully until prickly-pear poison is made available to those who have infested lands. If we can give out-of-work people £200,000 per annum, surely to g;oodness we can find £100,000 a year for those engaged in our primary industries to help them to secure poison and eradicate the pest-!

Mr. Corser.]


Our soldier settlements afford another illustration of the inability of tbe present GoYernment to administer primary industry. \Yhen our soldier settlements were discussed i« 1917. I moved thnt the soldier settlers should b,. granted better conditions, and a priYat0 member's motion was tabled urging the Goverl"ment to recognise their folly and grant bcttce conditions. Tho requf:st was iurned Jown.

~Hr. HARTLEY: You urged that the Government should lose £200,000 instead of £100,800.

Mr. CORSEH: We urged that the soldiers should be given better land.

Mr. HAR'l'LEY: You urged that they should Le given more n1orwy.

Ml'. CORSRH: The State advanced thtlm no money. We urged that the Government ,hould do what they promised to do. I shoJl (Juote from a letter, signed by J. 1. .\lcDcrmott, and dated 18th February, 1925-

" The "·hole fault of the calamity is the poor soil. """othing will grow \vith pros

of commercial snccess ... Out of odd "cttlcrs taking up portioros on

BPcrburn1m, Elimbah, and GJa,shouse :\Tuuntains. at present only 175 or le., remain. The majorit~- of thpse. buo ·rd up by the hop1 that :\fr. :\1:cCormack rn( ant ,vhat he said ,, hen hP bor:a1ne 01inistrr for Lands-' that settlers on nn!'iuit,,_bie rtrcts \Yould he transferr0i, and v. ould get a fair and just deal '-arc llO\V, in plflln English, 'a{;\Yll and out.'"

Dminrc the first nine years of the present Government _the shire councils have only ;ncrcnscd thmr population by 4 per cent.J10ti tbo natural increase. Durinf?' the same

period under the late Adminis-[12 noon] tration the shire councils

increased their population bv 34.8 per cent. The cities hayc about kept tlp the average increase of from 22 per cent. to 23 per cent., but the shire councils have failed to increase thuir population owing to the primar:v production policy of the Government having failed and the Government haYing· failed in their duty in that regard. Tho lack of primary production hfls resulted jn onr ~econdary industries not being stimulated. Queemland, in 1921. had fewer factory employe"s than in 1914. When wo talk about mwmnlovmont. let the Labour members know" that thry are responsible for it. \Nh:tt is the• posilion in the other States? From 1914 tC' 1921 the increase in the number of fe_ctory employees in the other States of the C'ommonwoalth was-

Per cent. Victoria .. . ... 26.43 New South Wales 32 South Australia ... 4.25 Tasmania 1.25 Western Australia .-+87

During the same period the number of factory employees in Queensland decreased by 1.034. A decr-ease in the number of employees in our secondary industries !

Mr. HARTLEY' And an increase in the value produced.

Mr. CORSER: Whatever the inference is, thP facts are that the Government of this State have failed to stimulate secondary industries, and in Victoria higher wages are being paid than in Queensland. This is owing to lack of confidence. The producer has not confidence in the Government,

[Mr. Cor set'.

and the man who wants to invest his money in secondary industry has no confidence in the St>tte. That is the reason why we have failed in both these essentials to the advancement of our StatE'.

Mr. \V RIGHT: The State has no confidence in the Opposition.

Mr. CORSER: A majority of the people o,f t!w State have confidence in them, but thr, jerrymandering of electorates, the ~xpcnditure of loan moneys, and the grantmg of dole, for certain nurposes have stimulated a false support, and the _Go_vernment ha:ce secured a temporary ma3orrty of seats m Parliament. But we arc going to defeat them at the coming election. (Government laughter.) The protests . by Gov;emment members a"ainst the Natwnal Umon, the protbts ag~inst the non-solidarity of the Opposition, the false cries of the Government part0 from one quarter and . another, arB evidence of the fact that theu chsumty IS

goin[( to be responsible in no small degree for the loss of con!idcnc,e of so many people who h c\'8 been deceiYed by their promises from time to iim0. Their promi"os to the public ~ervants and their promises all round have not borne fruit and at the next electiOn. -<Jlthough they p'retend the~~ arc going to bo ,-ictorious, they know quite well they are c-oinrr to have a verY rough time, and many ~£ .th~'lll are preparcCl to f<ay good-bye to their seats t.:ftcr this sctsion.

The administrc1tion of the Upper Bnrnett ·<he me is astounding to an0·one who takes the trouble to look into it. It is no~,\- sevcnto(?ll months since I pcrsonnlly took the Secretary for Public Ir.c.trurtion to the Upper Burnett. 1 comnlainod at that time that there ha.d bc·::n children there for thirteen months without edu-cation, and even to-day, after some two and re-half yP ,rs, some of the little kiddics hr,Yc ha·d no provision made for their education. ·while they are building in South Ilrisllanr " Tedmical High School at " cost of £30,000, there arc claims for folll~teen schools in that settl0:ncnt that has oeen created ar.d not one ha.' yet been built. Thref' ~)f these localitil'S havC been offered malcrial to build their own schoo's at their own cost. and at \Varat:,h the Department of Publi.~ ·works demanded that they should C'l'cet :t pc:-rnancnt building so that. it could cvcnhwll\· be lined and taken over hy the departm(nt. They :would not. even permit the sekct.ors to put rn round timber.

Mr. IVRTGHT: You must have made out a very had case.

Mr. CORSEH: The settlers and the unions in that. district realise that I put up a good case~,

OPPOSITION MEMBERS : Hear, hear !

Mr. CORSER: It scorns a tremendous mistake that when opening up a settlement; after thinking out the scheme as the Government have done for five Years, no schools werp provirled. Hero is 'the case a!l'ain;"t the Government. In 1923, when spcakmg m Vr'ct.oria and encouraging Victorians to co'lle to that district, the late Premier, Mr. Theodore, said-

" Schools will he provided right away." It is now 1925 and there is not one school built yet.

• The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order ! The hon. member has exhausted the time a.llowed him under t-he Standing Orders.

Addre~s in Reply. [18 AUGUST.] Addres' in Reply. 197

::Ylr. WEIR (Jim·yborr,ugh): It was interesting to hear what the leader of the Opposition said in his speech, and, if there is anything in what the hon. member who has just resumed his seat has said, it shows that his party is going to be defeated at the next election. vYhy do hon. members opposite howl' The trouble is that they are in for a continuing period of Opposition, and for a very good- re nson. They are trying to fortifv themsehes for the t.ime when they !Ttcet their constituent·. but, if ever thor·e was a lamcntn blc hO\d and reasons <hown wlw nobodv should come to this Siate, it i~ im1icatcd by t.he case that has been presmtecl by the Opposition. The hon. rnomb"· for Dun1ctt told us that population i.;; leaYing the country, and I do not wonder. If som of tlw people in tho Bm·nett. had boon here this morning and heard the s<1uenling and thunder of the hon. member. tl1ev would not remain in the Burnett if the\• had nnv intelligence. 'l.s a matter of fact, getting· dovvn to tin tacks, our gro1vth of population in this State is greater than that in anv other, and the hon. nwmber knmYs that. lmt he hopes that the pcople in the Burnett will swallow what he has said, ~~s rep~'rtcd 111 "H ansard ·~

Mr. ConSER: I referred to country districts. and you are trying to n1it.quote v;hat I said of the country.

Mr. ·wEIR: Another gentleman in your family is in a!Cother position, and he is misrepresenting tlw Commonwealth interests in this State.

Mr. C'onsEn: The electors do not think so. :;\h. \YEJR: Like your electors, the•.- have

not vet listened to t.he truth. I want to refer. to the figurcil quoted by the leader of the Opposition. who raised such a howl. I am surprised that an hon. member like the le~ckr of the Opposition should come into the Honsc and present a case which he knows is not fair and honourable. I refer t.o tlw case which he presented the other da v with reg·ard to labour in factories in this State. He usod an expression which it seemPd to me Dttcd himself-he referred to t~1e ;;1atL)r on th0. bas},s of ";nean pnr;nlation. I sa.y rhat 1s a mean ' compan:::on.

Mr. ::\loonE: It does not suit your book.

::\l[r. '.VEIR: I will tell th0 hon. member why. He talks about "mean" population. He thinks there is just as mean a population outcicle a·. the Opposition are. The hon. member kno\Ys t.b-is is the youngest manufactming State in the Commonwealth.

Mr. ::YfoOHE: I took the figures with regard to what ha" taken place from 1914 to the present time.

Mr. \VEIR: I will show the hon. member why he and hi;; people can reasonably be called anti-Amtralian; and I will show t.hat, if there is an;: case for dt:'portation, they aro the people who ought to be deported because thev arc not fair t.o this State. It is an olc( saving that. "Chickens will come home to r0ost." I hope that when our party are rho Feclcral Govcrnnwnt thev will use the rlcporlalion section of the Act and deport rhoso [Woplo from thi-, St.ate.

:Vlr. KELSO: You ''ould dq1ort anyone 'Yho -disagr es ·with you.

l\1r vYEIE: The hon. mc'mbcr ,!i,ag•·c•ccl ;.;-ith hi~ partY. and that tva,s ;vh.v he \VUS

kicked ont and i" now in the "R.nmp." L0t n10 take the f1gnrcs 1 have hero to combat

the ,,tatemont. of the leader of the Opposition. The hon. member used the figures on the basis of mean population. I am going to show that is not right. The only effective argument you can use to compare the growth of our industries in t.his State is the output of the worker. \\That other basis is there ? If I can prove that the worker in this State is prodncing more for his master than the worker in any other State of the Commonwealt.h, will that not give the lie direct to the statement that this is not a good place in \vhich to invest mone0'?

Mr. l\foon~: J t mirrht be only one man doing it.

:'-fr. \YETR: The hon. member know·• "hat that is net so. A' the leader of the Opposition. he kno\Y;J the nurnber of employe(!.; in the factories.

~o\\' I \Yant. to L:k~~ fig·nrcs to shov.· the 011tpnt per 0mplovcc in the factoric,;; of the t~ifiPrcnt State.'1 an i the valuE~ ar1Jc-d in the procE ":-:- of 1n:1nnfactnring, in crdcr to show rhat in QuPC'nsland the factory employee Rr ... ~ producing ntorc th~n the en1plo.ve(·..; in the other Stait'S in the Union, nnd that t~·1cy arc giving a bigi-!:C'r pound of fle~h than "nlplo~·t c in the (;ihcr Statf'~.

C.lr. KEL~O: That " a good "Red'' C':~prcs~·ion.

~Ir. 'YETR.: I know .vhat tbP hen. n;~:n1~ bcr has in hl~ n1incl, but let us tnk0 thP fignn,~ giving tlw toted V"llne per P•nploycc i!l rho factories in the different States. ~rs g'iY~ n in the Cornmonw£' lt.:-1 "Ye ,tr Book" for 1923-the last complete year that we call get-

£ Pncc11slnrd 871 Xc·w Socr!h Wales 872 Yictoria . . 729 South Australia 775 IY,'stern Ar"tralict 593 Ta.;rnania 622

So that th" Que€'n>"laud employee is well ah<'a,d of the cmploy8P in g-ood old Yictona. "hi eh the hon. member for :\Iurilla howls 'iO much about-the place he had to get out of and come over here. The Yahw if' n.uch n1orc, too, than in T.::t~rnania. whi,·h is ncvcrtheleh a State which has hvdro electric powN. Yet hon. membcrs oilposite try to argn0 Dll thP othPr basi:-:-: EYf'n this to mY n1lnd ls not the true Lasis. ThesP figures ~rcprP~ent n1crel.v the rnass prcduction fr01n ~the .~ross efforts. Let us takl' the amount of Yaluc added in the proc0 "'' of rnanufartnrc. vvhich means the value added by labonr in making the rct\\ comrnodih~ f1t fo1· sale. To nn n1ind th::tt is th0 lHt~i~ to iakr•. and .. trtki~g· that ba,is. \YC find tho fo:lowing rc,ult :-

Quren.<land ='lcw Sonth \Yale,; Victoria Sonth AuHralia. \Yestl'rn ... \ustralia Ta~mauia

£ 378 365 319 314 302 310

Tu thi..; Statt', dominated Lv ~,~,lwt hon. mr~·,llwr.;; 01HI03ih" ~h..,~cril)(> fl:"; a Bol--hcvjk Govcrnnu?ni _._ \vhich. according to them. i~~ ruining- thf' country and driving capital our of it cmplovccs arc givinrr better results iha;l in anv other Stcttc. ~Yet WO

are told th,,t they" arc goiiJg slo.,·, and \VC

arn asked to look at the mean population. That is no argument. It is a reflection

Mr. Weir.]

108 Address in Reply. [ASSE:'IIBLY.] Address in Reply.

·on the men who are engaged in the work. The,e men can add £378 eaeh in the proc-t'"s of n1anufacturc in Queensland as <'Omparcd with £365 in the older Sta.te of Xew South \\'alee a1:d £319 in Victorian ~1 :all State \vhich is well clen:-loped, and ha~ a Yer~, n1urh lJPtter chance of baYing ir~ Hl<lchincr~, up to date, and in a rnore nrotpcrous and efficient condition. Still \ve leave them behind.

X ow let me take some other figures to ~:hov. ·whether this country is progressing or nor.· Let mo take the percentage of costs ,,f t hr total value. p:irticularly all other .PXpr<ndi tul'<~. including intcn~~t and profits. \Ve fillC! l.hat the return vielded bv the workc1· ln this State is higher than ill any othPr Stale. In Queensland tho percentage is 2l.P9.

}.ir. KELSO: Is that all profit 9

:}Ii'. \YEIR: It is not all profit. I want to lw quite fair, a.ti.d I an1 not w~ing my 0\Yll \yc:_•cis. rr110 p('YCClltagf' is " all other cxpl'nditnro (including pront>)." The ratio or 1he nosition in tlw aggTegate iR th0 same ]u c·YCT~ State ac_ it is in Quee-nsland.

::-rr. KELSO: Does it cover all indn;trie,;?

:\Ir. ·wEIR : Tt covcro all indmtries f'C•Yl'red by the Commonw0alth Stati~tici".n, and. if the hon. member knew his job, he IYou[d knov.· that the Con1n1onwealth Stati6-ticia u doh not cover all industries. I am takinc: all that the Commonwealth Statis· tician~ giv·cs rnc, and the figures are:-

Queensland Tasrnania Victoria New South \Vales \Vostern Australia South Australia

Per cent. 21.89 21.16 18.54 18.41 16.83 14.85

There again we are well above the othe;· States. Let me go further and put forward another very good argument b.Y contrasting the percentage of wages cost to the tot.i11 cost of production. I can prove that \V<' are in a. better position than anv other State so far as that matter is conce'rned. The per· centagc cost of production reprr,sented by wages is smaller in this State than in any other State of the Union. These figures shO\;,' the ]l<'rcentagc cost for wages on £100 worth of co>t of production-

Queensland New South Wales South Australia Victoria Tasmania Western Australia

Per cent. 19.69 20.38 22.09 22.96 25.57 30.92

In Queensland we produce the highest value hut pay the least in wages cost as compar~J with anv other Rtate of the Union. 'Why ~hould . the leader of the Opposition come mto this House and trv to make a new basis of argument? ·

~1J:. MoonE: I did not make a now basis of argnm0nt. The figures were taken from the official "Year Book."

::\1r. ·wEIR: The hon. member took a hasis that was mPan in the extreme. HP knows pe;rfect]v well that the percentage of workers m this State cannot equal the percentagn of workers in a State like Victoria.

::-rr. MoonE: Why not? Because Queensland is in such a b~d state !

!Mr. Weir.

Mr. \VEIR : The hon. member tloes not think that we can do in ten minutes what somp of the other States have taken t\ven1y ycar3 to do.

;\fr. ::'vlooRE: \Vhy has this Stat2 gone back fr·onl its leading position in 1914?

:Hr. IIARTLEY: IY e ,., ere not ahead then.

1\il-. lVIooRE : Of course we were.

::VIr. \YEIR: I quotn those figures to sho ,how this State is developing, despite the fact tlnt the hon. member for Bm·nett is always wailing about capital being driven out of the cnmtrv. I do not wonder at it. if he is a fair t~•'lW of farn1er rcprescntatiye in thi;; House.

:\Jr. CORSER: I am the only representative to increase my nu1nbers.

l\lr. WEIR: I am going to ask the Secretary for Public Instruction to hurry on the construction of the schools in the BUI·nett. because so soon as the people become educator! so soon will the hon. member be dcfcate.l. From thrrt point of view I wish those schools to be lmniod along. Th0 hon. member for '\fnrilla is alv, ays comparing Queensland with \ 7ictoria in an f'ndeaYour t,o p1·oye; th::-t Qnet'neland is not in such a favourable poition as Victoria. If there is any Ste':Cl in thr l'11ion \Yith which Q.ueeneland should not be contrasted. that State is Victoria. \Yln-. the place is not safe to live in. Unless a ~an followed the example of Nod Kellv and bought a coat of armour for himself and took out a special insurance policy, his lif~ would not be safe. Half of the police in ~I" lbo:u·ne ha Ye been put in gaol recentl:,· Yet we have people liko th0 hon. mcmbN for :Ylurilla coming· herf' from Victoria and defamil1g this State. Probably they know Victoria. end that is why they are here. Pro· bohlv Victoria knows them. Qwensland can do what Victoria is doinll' If the only dut:\' of a Govet·nmcnt is to show a surplus. the··1 Queensland can do what Victoria is doin~:. Tt is as easv as ABC to ehow a surplus. It ].., ,only~ a Q1lcstion of credit and debit entries. If those who come hPre want Qtwcnsland to show th•' samE' sort of surplus, then let them come over here from the Opposition and do that dirt;~- work. I hope that this Government will never do what thev do in Yictoria. \Vc· do not want to show a -surplus at the expense of the people. Is the surplus in Victoria an honourable surplus? Let me take the expenditure on education in Victoria. I find that the educational vote in Victoria amounts to 25s. 9d. per head of the nopulation. whereas in Queensland it is 34s. 3d.. or a difference of roughly 25 per c<mt.· It would not bo so bad if in Vidoria thev w·ere showing good results, but tlwv are not 'shmving- the results. The growth of education in this State surpasses the growth of education in any State of the Union. I rlo not sav that in an:v spirit of hrav. During the recent electiom in New South Wales onD of the arg-uments of the Opposition was that t.he late Government were cutting down the education Yote and depriving the workingclas', children of education. EYorvbodv knew tlut. You can find this result by looldng at the figures showing the number of bursari'es granted in the last two years in New South \Vales. The number of bursaries, which stood at 1.427 in 1922. had dropped to 1.191. That was under the administration of a Government composE'd of men like hon. members opposite.

Address in Reply. [18 Ac;GUST.] Address in Reply. 199

;, the b:Jrt of thing upon which thc>y their surplus. They vvcre going to ruin

the prospects of the rising generation in ord·.._-,.r tu assist them to make a surplus. I trust that will never be done by our Government. I \Jopc they will lea Ye SUCh dirty WOrk to other people to do. They are 0ntitled to it, and \\ P do not vvant it. VvT c can build up our State only by giving our children the fulle,t poS'ible facilities to get a complete educatwn, and not by robbing them of 226 bursaries in two years, as I have just pointed out. Thn i.' but one factor which was contributable to Jlw result o£ the election in Kew Sm1th \Vale-.

::\Ir. CoRSER: And you deny the childre11 lll'inw.r.v education hero.

::\Ir. \VEIR: I am afraid tlw hon. mcrn],er's case is one of hopele5Sly defcctiv0 ilil rnory.

::\Ir. CORSER: I have had a number o[ chools approved of for eighteen months in

mv elC'ctorate and they have not been built :'--l'L

:\Ir. WEIR: The hon. member is eith<'r attempting to mislead the House or he doe· not know his case. I cannot wonder at h[s not getting schools after tallcing that sort of 'tnff. Does he not know that there is not a child in this State who cannot get a full and vontrlete erlur,ation? For the first tin1c in the hishrv of this Rhtc everv child in our l1ockblocks rc•Jnoved from the educational <:·entrrs can ohtdin a complPtc education frorn the little building in Turbot. street, which "'''ds out educational lessons to every child lH'Pcling th0n1.

:'.Ir. CoRSgR: But you expect the bmh ><·ttler's wife to teach them.

:\Ir. WEIR: Why should they not a'sis,; their children to get this education 1 Who are this busy farmer and his wife who will den·. 10 the .kiddies even ten minutes of thci'r time at night so that thPy may get an education? They are not fit to have kiddics if thev do so. The hon. member fo1· Burnett hdongs to the class of people who are r.·sponsible for allowing the children to go ;o sleep over their desks at school. He ought to be ashamed of himself.

~Ir. GORSER: You will not find moneY to "'sist those settlers in their struggles.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order ~ Order ! :\1r. WEIR: This merely exposes the

audacity of hon. members opposite in coming here and pretending they do know something about the subject. I had previously p;iyen the hon. member for Burnett credit for knowing something about our education~; sy,,tc,m, but I nm afraid that he knows nothing. Assuming he does know of it, then he is ',cilfully attempting to mislead th<' Honse. There is not a better svstem of education in the world for our backblocks children than we have. No Government with which the hon. member was aSsociated ev"l" made any attempt to give the backblocke children a decent education.

:Mr. BRAND: You answered to the crack of the whip.

Mr. vVETR: I never sold my soul to tho Xational Union.

"\fr. CoRSER: But you sold it to the liquor tradP.

::Ylr. WEIR: I did not, but not only you but your whole family did, and they live on it.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Order!

:\Il·. \\-EIR: If the hon. member does not bww the frrcts about education. I hope [ l1aYP giYL'n him a lesson this morning.

:Clr. CLAYTO": Dicln't vou travel from rr~v·-tnania in a " black" bOat?

:\h. \YEIR: An attempt has been made by innuendo to 5llrii)g this stuff before. The hen. mctnber doe:::: not knosv anything ubout it. I ha vc never travelled bn a "black " boat in n1y life.

:\Tr. DRI"D: \Ye know all about it. :\lr. \YEIR: I J;ever robbed the roof over

m:· opponent'> he 1d in the last elc>ction. If twn. membl rs oprwsite \ViRh to \',ash their diriv linen he interjecting, I have no objection.

Mr. Bn:o.:D : If von say I bought the roof OYCl' n1y opponent'<:s head, I say you are a liu!

The DEPL:TY SPEAKER : Order ! I ask tl](' hon. member £or Bnrrnm to withdraw that remark.

::Yh. BRAX!l: _\.ll I c'\n say is that I will ''ithclnnv, but the hon. member 1s a lJn!\~aricn.tor of the truth.

Tlw DEP'CTY SPEAKER: I hope the bon. mc•mbPr for Burrum will withdraw his r· rEarks nnr·c•.0rn,Jlv. I also ask the hon. member for :\laryb.orough to addr~ss the Chair.

Tllr. l3R.IXD: Very well, I withdrotw.

::Yir. \YETR: I hope I shall be allowed to continue in mv own way. I shall deal now ,, ith the qu,;stiun of the police Yote. in Yictoria. 'licrori<:t is a State to 1vh1ch 1t 1s Hot e~fe to e:o. and that is because the GoYCTlJnlent th'-cl;L aTe starving their police force. I1. Victm·ia they are spending 7s. 7d. per head of population on their police force, as comptl!'ccl with an. expenditure of lls. 7d. per hc·acl o£ populatwn on the Queensland \lolice force. I am not ono who flatters the police force or public servants ~;enerally; but if Victoria could get for 7s. 7d. per head of flOllulation an inst-itution as efficient as ours in this State thcv rnight well be proud of 1 heir policP £ore e.· I verily believe we have 1he· best police force in the Commonwealth. I sa•. that for the reason that to my own krlo,~·kclge and t!Htt of every hon. member in this House a " crook " commg over the borders of this State is less secure here than h0 would be in 'my other State.

Mr. BRcCE: He is more ;;ecnrc when they get him.

Mr. \YEll~: y, s. when they get him; but ho is less secure while our police are looking for him. It costs lls. 'Id. per head of population to maintain our police force, whereas in Victoria thc,y are prepared to sacrifice the lives of their people in order to save a paltry 4,, por head of population! Yet Victoria is held up to us as a model of financial genius ! That might well be so, because thn~e in office in Victoria are representative of the methods of hon. members opposite. \Yhcn educational matters were hanc1ed on to us from the Tory Government they were in a deplorable state. We know how well they are conducted to-day.

Mr. NOTT: Becaus~ our schools now cost twice as n1uch.

Mr. WEIR: We know that the expenditure of every department taken over b:v this Government has increased two or three times.

Mr. W e1'r.]

200 Add1·ess in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Add1·ess in Reply.

\Ve faced all the difficulties which were presented to us, and we are still facing any difficulty which may arise.

Take the matter of general hospitals. In a big centre like Victoria where they haYc a big population, it would be natural to expect the Government to incur a great deal larger expenditure than would be the case in a State like Queensland, with a much smaller population. Yet we haYe these figures-

AGGREGATE EXPEXDIT\iPE ox GEXER.\L HOSPITALS.

Queensland Victoria

£ 510,672 385,186

.That shows Queensland'q aggregate expenditure to be 33~ per cent. higher for main!eEanc~ of _genC>ral hospitals than is the cas-~ Ill VIctona-that beautiful Stai:e where people are killed on the roads like blacks ! Victoria is the State boomed bv hon. members opposite, and they can have it!

~~Ir. KEL"·O: What about pri;-ate hospitds?

:Mr. vVEIR: I am taking public hospitals, but the hon. member mav look into the math'r if he likes. Surc(v lwn. membcro oppos1t0 do not expect rne h take a '"eek to cducate them'!

:\lr. :\I oCHE: X o, you would h~ .-c to take longer.

1\Ir. 1\ EIR: I would, to educate the hon. member.

Mr. MoonE: The hon. member would ha Ye to learn something himself first.

::\1r. IYEIR: It is not that; the clifllculty i» to impart knowledge to those who hav·e not the capacitv to absorb it.

Dec;Jing with the question of windowdre,;smg referred to by the hon. member for Bur_nctt, we have had more wiudow-dressing d!-'rmg the last fortnight than I haye preVIously heard of. Has anyone seen the report. of th0 Federal Budget? If that is not extensive wmclow-drcc.sing, I do not know what 1t 12. It is an indication of what would happen if the Budget here 'vere prepared be: hon. member opposite.

At 12.30 j).m.,

The SPEAKER resumed the chair.

. :iYJJ-. WEIR : The Federal Government wdl_go to the country now and put up a case agam·,t Labour, and one of the strongest arguments th<'Y will have is that t.hev have reduced taxatwn 12~ per cent. \Vho pays the trrxatJon to the Commonwealth GoYernmcnt? Is it the people who back this Government or the people who back that Government' I venture to sav that in the main the J?Cople ''-'ho back this" Government-the workmg-class people-pay vcrv little. if any, Fed<>r'!l taxat!on, w that the 12~ per <Bnt. remission of n1con1e tax ·will not have any effect so far as the workers of this State are concerned.

~fr. CoR~E~ : They propose to increase the oln age pPnston to £1 a \Yeck.

"h. \VEIR: \Yhat. is the reason, anyhow' Th0 reason Is to remit 12~ per cent. to these people-that is to the National Dnion and t-heir friends-in order that they may find more mon0y to back their friends at the nr•xt elections. It is a business proposition. They arc trying to lead the people of this State and of the oth0r States to the belief

[Jfr. WPir.

that it is a charitable move on the part of the Government. Let us look at some of their charitable deeds in the past. Let us see what is at the back of their minds in a case like this. The hon. member fol' Burnctt just interjected about old age pensions. If there is one thing t.hey "hould not mention. it is old age pensions. Some few years ago the Labour section of the Federal House argued very strongly for an increase in the old age pension, but the people ,vho 'n're in charge at the time and are in charg<' now could not possibly see their wav to give these old people an increase of 2s. 6d. a week. Ko one in this House doubts the fact that no man and no woman can live on 17s. 6d. a week. Everyone is prcpnred to admit that. The only one who can liYo on 17s. 6d. a week is the man or woman ,-ho i' fortunate enough to have r son or a daughter vvho is able to ai''sist thmn by providing accommodation. If that is so, what a crying shame it \Vas that the Government at that time could not find a 2s. 6d. increase? They can find the 2s. 6d. now, but the'. could not find the 2s. 6d. the other day, although they were buil~ing up millions of a surplus and were tellmg t-he people how well they wore doing.

J\Ir. KELSO : Let us hear more about Queensland.

Mr. WEIR: Mv friend does not know that there are old-ago' pensimwrs in Queensland. Let me put the other side of the picture. While thev could not find this 2s. 6d. a week for the ol;i people they could increase thei1· own salaries to £1.000 a year. Now, after thev have been sponging on tho old folk for' three years, they are going to give these people an extra 2s. 6d. a week.

Mr. BRAND: They raised the old age pensions two years ago from 15s. to 17s. 6d. a week.

Mr. WEIR: Knowing something about the purchasing price of a sovereign, whv ,hould they not raise it?

Let. me say something now about State finances. \Vhenever there is a.ny disabilit:: or whenoYer there is a C'Be to put up for a. rebate to farmers we hear quite a lot about it. \Ye arc told that Mimsters should make special concessions. First of all t.he Secretanc for Railwavs should grant rebates: ,·econdly, the Secretary for Agriculture should n1akc~ concc~sions; and, thirdly, the Secretary for Public Lands in charge of soldier settlements should make special concessions. I do not mind it at all. but, if that is what JS in their minds. let us cany it to a logical conclusion. I know a lot of men and women in the cities who have workers' homes, and I know Immbers of these who are out of work and cannot pay interest and reden1ption on their ,,-orkcn,' hon1cs. If there i_, any argument about subsidising the farmer. what is wlJng >Yith making a rebate to thes!' n1en who cannot pa:v int.orcst and reden1ption on their homes., \Yould hon. members opposite bctck it' Kot on vour life! \Ve know that the Opposition to-rnorrow would have a big somersrrult if we attempted to give the citv >Yorknrs a rebate of monm s that t-hcv caT;not pac·· What do they do? Evcrybod}knmn 'vhat thev do. \Yhcn these men cannot meet their" .inst pa.ymonts for interest and redemption. it is piled up against t-hem.

:\lr. :YioonE: Sn it is with the farmers. If they get a remieston, it is always charged against them and interest is charged.

Address in Reply. [18 AUGUST.) Address in Reply. 201

Mr. WEIR: Not on your life. What happens in ('onnection with rebates in rail· way freights?

::Yir. MooRE: A rebate in freights was only given because they could not afford to pay.

;yfr: WEIR'· _Is it any wonder that they are m Opposrtwn? Let me develop that argument. The leader of the Opposition says that the reason it is not piled up against them rs because they cannot afford to pay. Take, for instance, a man with the basic wage of £4 who has five children, and who gets behind three months on account of sickness. Doe" the leader of the Onposition seriously think that in the next t~vo years that man can pay up three months' arrears of interest and redemption? It is not a question of whether they can pay or not but of whether they haYe yotcs.

11r. KELSO : The same remark applies to the farmer.

Mr. WEIR: Do not make any mistake a~out that. Tl10re is no difficulty involved with ~egard to the farmer and his mortgage for thiR reason: :i\Iany hon. members opposite know farmns, and come to the House with ca.scs of farmers who .. have given mortgages to banks and arc paymg 8 per cent. interest. Some hou. members opposite, like the hon. member for :Nundah, have intere·,ts in bankinr institutions which charge people the maximum rate of interest allowed under the Act, iJ.nd they come here and make out a good case why the Government should take m·er the mortgage at 5 per cent. They candidly admit that there is a cry for reduction of interest. I am going to instance another c.lSC. VV~hen a worker on the basic wage is out of work, what is wrong in remitting his pavments altogether for the period he is out o! work? Be has nothing to keep himself with. \Vhen he is sick he has less money than when he is working, which is \Vrong, becD.use a man who is sick is under a bigger expE-nditun' than when he is working. When he is working he keeps himself and his wife and familv in normal conditions· when he is sick h~ keeps the doctor and chemist and thereby faces abnormal circumstancf'i. There ib a good ca~"e for rmni~tiion of charges when a man is sick. Hon. members opposite make a howl about the dairv far1ner, and \VC can ,mak0 out a C'ase exact1~7

on all foms for the city worker; but I hope it will not come to that-pitting the man in the country against the man in the cite.·. \Ve on this side are not mean enough to do that; it is against our Australian spirit-, which does not lend itself to that sort of thing.

Hm:. W. H. BAR~ES (TVynnum): The speeches ddivered by hon. members this morning arc utterances to which one might renl;>.·, but I do not know that that would odd Ytlry ml!Ch to the debate. I '\Yould say, m reply to the hon. member who has just resumc,d hi' seat, that anything that has for its objrect the helping of men who are in difficulti0s through force of circumstances which they cannot control will haYe the fullest support and •sympathv of every hon. member on this side. ·

::\lr. \YEIR: Your expc•nditure does not show it.

Hm:. W. H. BARXE~: The hon. member is altogether wrong when he makes that statement. 'When the history of this good State> of Queensland is written, it will he found that nearly eyerything that went in thP dircctior_r o~ relieving and helping the worket was rmhated b:- men who now sit on

this side of the House. Any attempts which may be made by hon. members opposite on the eye of an election to discount that record are not going to be successful. There has certainly been a great variety in the speeches made by hon. members. One has also to come to the conclu,ion that the Governor's Speech itself was a particularly lengthy Speech, and in marked contrast to the Speech which was delivered in the previous session. Some hon. members on the other side this morning have ridiculed the idea that there is any electioneering propagand" in the Speech. Let me say at once, to be perfectly frank, that I suppose all Governments do something of that kind on the eve of an election. At any rate, they do not present the worst case to the public as a rule. They seek at least to show something attractive to the pecple just on the eve of an election, and no doubt-whilst one is not " in the know" at all-that custom may have lwcn one of the factors which were operating in the production of the Speech. But putting that on ono side, the Speech df'o.ls with very many matters, many of which one cannot say very much about at this juncture, be('.lUSC I take it that, when indications are given of legislation which is going to be introduced, one is not in a 'EJosition to attcm,Jt to criticise it until he knows the detaii~.

The SECRETARY FOR AGRICULTURE: You will get all that in good time.

Hm:. vV. H. BARNES: Evcrvthing is going to come " in good time," but I 1nu6t not ::tllm' hon. members opposite to side· track me too much. I am twrfectl-· certain that, irrespective of what hon. members on this side may be or may not be, or ,vhat their thonghts on other questions may be, t.he2 will all giYe their Ycry best con· sideration to the questions that come before them, becaus0 I take it that, whilst we represent certain constl tuenc1c" and certain principles. in tho main the obicct of "'·ery man sitting here ;, to b0n0fit the g-reat State of C'ueensland of which he is a pctrt. That shonld be the aim of every man in connection \v!th ever~·thing thrtt corr1t-~ before him. ·we shall never get men, whether they sit on this side or on that side, always to see eye to eye on every detail; but the great ain1 of n1cn occupying seats in this Chamber should be to leave behind them something which will etand their time in the affairs of this great country in a way which will be s." tisfactory to thos,· who come after them in the fullc·st and highest sense.

A GovERN:\IEKT ME:.VTBER : You sccn1 t') be getting ready to say " Good-bYe." (Laugh· (er.)

Hox. W. H. BAR:'\'ES: The hon. mem· ber may haYe a fear in that direction, but, if he comes back, he will find me horo. \V e a re dealing with something bigger than tha.t: but let me ea:: at oncJ th.1t it is the electors of each constituency with whom lies the settlement of that qnostion. Into their hands it haB to go and we have to abide b,,. their decision-all of us-there 1s no ,Jiscriminatjon.

Some of the Bills and other matters to hi eh reference i. made in the Speech 'tre

quc:tions to which I would like to giYe sorr1C' Sllccial attention. The question of housing is one of them. Lf't me sa~· at once that. speaking broadly, that i;; a ques· tion on which every man and woman in the

Hon. W. H. Barnes.]

202 Address in Reply. [ASSEl\lBLY.] AddTess in Reply.

conl'lll!llitv lvs the right to tlw fnllcst considc'ration: If there is anything at ail which wiH make for the bdternwnt of this great couutry it is improYcd liYing conJitions for the 1 ,uople engaged in the Yarious inJ.ustrics of the State, especially tho man on the bnd. I ha \'0 ><lid it before. and I repc.·t it aga-in, all honour to the women in our La, k bloLks who arc SPeking to help to huild up homes for their people.

Hon .. J. G. APPEL: Hear, hear!

Ho:-:. W. ll. BARC\ES: As one has travelled throngh some '-'£ tho sparselypopulated portions of our State whore these nH?-ll and \Voincn are toiling, one has noticed somEtinws that the housing condition;., have been entirely unsatisfactory, and anything that goes in the direction of helping there will be omething which will b8 for the good oi !ho communitv. It is verv funnv to mo al:5 an old parJiaillL1 ntarian to f1nd t.ha"t on one sidP of !he House there are some hon. members 1vho condemn previous Governments, and then there are others who are rnost readv to use previous GovernmeDts as a strong argument when seeking to drive bomo some conclusion which they desire to have ratilled. I speak ju~t for the. moment more particularly m connectiOn w1th workers' d\'c-dlings. which \i er,• dealt ,,-ith deliberately ll" proviou~ Government~. '

An 0PFO,JTIOX :\IEcrBER: The Labour partv opposed it.

Ho:-:. IY. R BAR"\ES: The public must kno"· rhat that is the position. The interjHtion is quito right. 11r. Lesina, 1vho ~as the If!('lnber for Clerrnont, and our present Dcpnty Gm·ernor when in this Chamber dealt wj~.h that legislation as though it v,ero son1ethmg that did not count, and said i£ was n;crely _ "- bunch .of carrots. They cpposed it. 'Iher•_ 1s one pomt that I want to sheet home tins morning, and that is that when that law was passed, it gaYe every man frePhold--

Thc SEcm:TARY FOR AGRICULTURE: He had to pos.sc•ss frecl1old before he could have a house erected.

HoN. VI. H. BARN'ES: Hon. members ?PPOS!te must soL,ersault politically if they mi:cnd to pull down that principle of freehold m connectwn with workers' dwellings. Freehold 1s agamst their po!iry, and I am smpnsecl at the Minister trying to sidetrack tJw question. ~\' C ha Ye a Serious position in connectiOn >nth land settlement to-day bc:ause th? s:, stem of freehold has been set aside. It 1~ only right at this juncture that It should be laid down from whom those housing co:r:d~tiom emanated, and by whom they "·ere Imt1atcd.

Reference is also made in His Excellencv's Speech . to arbitration. I want to ;ay emphatically that arbitration is assistance to wh!Ch eYeryone has an absolute right.

::Wr. HARTLEY: The hon. gentleman is a vc>ry n'cent conYert.

Hox. W. H. BARNES: I have always .been an a~vocate of arbitration. I want to look at this matter from both sides and I want ~o say that ail workers ~re not respons1.blo f_or a certain weaknr·ss in carrying out arb.1trahon. The weakness sometimes in connectwn w1th arbitration is that there are those w.ho are not prepared to abide oy arbitranon.

The SECRETARY FOR AG-RICGLTURE: The hon. gentleman cancelled an award at one time.

!Hon. W. H. Barnes.

Hox. \\'. H. BARC\ES: There are some who arc not prepared to abi~e by. arbitration. I am not in any way mferrmg that the gentlemen who occupy the Arbitration Court be•1ch are not imbued with any other idea but a de,ire to do the right thing. but thev cannot sa',' thev have I:!Ot given deliveranc'es which are not right. \Ve in ih0 past, tGo, rnay ha vc n1adc mistakes, but how can anv hon. member who has been here for any !eiigth of time get up on his feet .and say that e.-erything he has done or said _has been right" .Just in the same way m1stakes in arbitration may have been made.

Mr. HAUTLFY: Mistakes mch as the canc01ling of the carters' a ward in Rockhan;pton !

Hox. \Y. H. BARNES: There is a ncces~ltv 1n th0 cornmunitv to have arbitration It· is rumoured-perhaps the Government them,eh-e, hano i'i,-on us the idea-that they purpose appointing laymen to the po3Ihon of judges on the Arbitration Comt Bench.

The SECRETARY FOR AGRICCLTI:RE : A good idea.

Go,·ERX'.rExr 2\!EoiBERS: Hear, hear! Hox. \Y. H. BAR:\ES: The hon. gcntle

n1~UL bv lnterjeetlon, say~ the idpa is a good on'e.

Th0 S:-"cc~:..":.\RY FOR Aantcr LT1~HE: A splendid idea.

Hox. \'\'. H. B~\RXES: If it is going to bo an ad.-antage. we shall naturally welcome it. It is rumoure•d, and you know, Mr. Speaker, that jade rumour at times is not yery much astray.

ThE' SECRETARY FOR PcBLIC \VOR'KS: Run:-our is ~aid to be a lying jade.

Hox. W. H. B),RN'ES: He is not always such a good-tempered chap as the hon. gentleman. It has bee:1 rumoured that two hon. gent'cmen sittmg on the front G-ovcrnnH::nt bt:tnch are going to be the first layn1cn appointed to the Arbitration Court.

Mr. HARTLFY: You are very mild.

Hox. W. H. BARNES: The hon. member for Fitzroy might be the third member.

JI.Ir. HARTLEY: You can take a lot more for granted than that.

Hox. W. H. BAR:\'ES: The temperament >and class of men appointed will mean success or failure to the arbitration system. (Hear, hPar !) I b0iicve-and perhaps there m.ay not b<' another hon. member who agrees vnth me-i hat in some respects the old system of wages boards, with representa-tives of both sides sitting around a table, was very n;uch bette1· than the present system of arb1tra· tion. A new coalition between the hon. member for Fitzroy and myself mi?;ht be hcu1·d of in respect to that. (Laughter.)

:VIr. HARTLEY: You are at one with me there.

Hox. W. H. BARXES: SDmo of the cases which come before the Court COl!ld be more easily and successfully settled 1f they wore dealt with in the form I have JUSt suggested.. I'\' it~ fou:· . or five reasonable men of c1ther side s1ttmg aro-c:nd a table to discuso matters you are gomg a l<;ng way towards the settlement of any difficulty.

::\Ir. BRcCE: You can do that under the Arbitration Act.

AddTess in Reply. [18 AGGGST.] Address in Reply. 203

Ho:\. \Y. H. BAR:-.JES: 1 hope that hon. n1Prr1ben will not think I an1 oppo,cd to arbitration. bnt thP otlwr strikes me as being a more friendly and b, tter method. The repreeentatives then are in a position to corsidce the n1aftcr in all its •urround* ing;:, A rtrent deal of tl1c trouble arjscs ro-df:Y-~nnd the lonQ:'r-r one 1iYcs the more he r;. it-in the oll'tinacy displayed {)rt ~idc>. I n1ight be e.harg0d with advoL~·tir:g the IH>~ltion of empln:vcc or cnlp]o;;;)r. b1!t I arn convi:1ced th1t the ma~ol'itv of errplo~-f'r v.-ant io do the fair thin~. bnt on the other hand I haYC met employers vvho wnuld never do a fair thing.

:vir. CoLLJNS: They are generally in the majority.

Ho;.;. W. H. BAR?\ES: I remember the barbms carrying on business in Brisbane coming to me when I was Secretary for Public \Y m·ks. The majority. of the employers of barbnrs were prepared to do a fair thing, but there were two men who stuck out and said, "\Ye will not do it." What was to become of them in that position?

Mr. BRUC~: You stuck to the two.

Ho:-.~. W. II. BARNES: The hon. member for Kcnnedy is altogt'ther wrong; I ·did not. I brought in legislation to compel those two empkyers to get into line.

0Prosrno:s ME}:BERS : Hear, hear ~

}1r. I-JAHTLEY: 1.\'hat did YOU do when the Carters' U~;ion in Rockhampton waited on you about t be cancellation of their award?

HoN. W. H. BARNES: It is generally found that the great body of employees want to do th" fair thing and reason any difficulty out. but sometimes o:;e or two men dominate' the· whole position,· just as you will find on the side of the employers. That is one difficulty which crops up in arbitration. No hon membLr can get away from the fact that there is nothing so awful in a community as t0 have men out of work when they might be employed.

Mr. Bill: eR: Yes, there IS; sweating is YvorsP.

HoN. W. II. BARNES: I am not saywg that any man should submit to sweating, but we 'must all agree that people who ar<' <'mployed are better physically and in every other way than are people' who are drifting, because that is an unsatisfactory state of affairs. Anything that goes in the direction of minimising strikes is to the advantage nf the State and the people generally. It would POt matter ono bit if onlv the men themselves suffered. The man who. has not a heart for the children is not worth much in the community. I have been an employer for many :c-cars. and I know children are the best asset which the country has, and. every man should be in sympathy with the children.

:'111-. HAHTLEY: You did not have much sympathy for them in the 1912 strike when you brought out those batons.

Hon. J. G. APPEL: We had every sympathv "·ith them. ·

Mr. CoLLIKS: You batoned women and children

Hon. J. G. APPEL: And you shot them at Townsvillr-.

HoN. W. H. BARNES: There are times when :VIinisters have to do their duty to tlHJ country and to the public. I do not wish to discuss an incident which is to some extent

net concluded. but thoro now Pxists a cas~ where "" Minister is doing his duty. It >nmld brJ manifestly unfair for me from my posit ion in the House to express any opinion in that regard. There fLre duties which public men have to carry out, and those men are not worth their salt if they do not conscientiously carry out such duties.

Hox. J. G. APPEL: Hear, hear!

HoN. W. H. BARNES: When the prc,cnt hon. !1l('mber for \Vvnnum "'iihdraws from public life no man w{ll be able to say that h'e did not do hi" duty on every possible occasion.

Included in the business to come befor•l this House arc- bvo measures, one called " A Fruit Marketing Act Amendment Bill" and the other " A Bill to Amend the Primary Producers' Organisation Acts." I cannJt discus; tho"e Bills because I have not vet studied them, but I take it thov are the outcome of the recent High Court judgment. \Vhcn the :VIinister introduces them at a late>· date I shall have an opportunity of expres'in~ 1ny opinion in tho matter.

The SECHETARY FOil PUBLIC \VOHKS: Very likdy you will have an opportunity tolllOiTO\'L

Ilo:-.~. W. H. BAR="ES: Thank you very much. Tlwrc will be tim<> enough to discuss tho'··P Bills ,,-hen thev arc introdueed. I stand i1r'rr:· thL' n:orning .. as a n1an who believes tl1ot there "hould be no interference with l,,.;ii ir,JLde trade. I do not refer to the <.'>'f'" r is.· t ions dealing with State products. \','i'1t the <xc.cption that they do not st·•mp rc·t c·i pt' they a re on a level with the re>,t of thP traders in the community.

JHr. HAHTLEY: The' are a failure.

JloN. IV. II. BAR:'\ES: Why should they be a failure when they get ali the Government orders and have no competition in that reg-ard'! Still when one remembers th~t o;,pro:<imatcly only about 10 per cent. _of ?''r produce is marketed by that orgamsat10n it is a very striking argument in favour of leaving the public untrammelled in the m a ttcr of the disposal of then goods. I thon<!ht that we were a people who were supposed to be free, and that the man who produces could do what he liked with his produce.

Mr. C'OLLINS: Don't forget that you tried to comcript people.

lioN. W. H. BAR"'ES: The hon. member for Bowen knows that I never attempted to conscript him.

I now want to deal with another matter which, b:, innuendo, has been referred to a good deal tluring this debate, and I want to sav that I am not making reference to 1t \vrth a Yic"'" to causing a division in any direction. Any man who belongs to those

who view politics seriously on the [2 p.m.J one side-I do not suggest that

other hon. gentlemen do rotmust rc11lise that any army that is divided is a \veakencd arrny, qnite irre.c::pective of a;:y stntem0nts that may be made one \vay or tne other. The only reference I want to make to it is in roplv to the hon. member for Logan who, I regret to say, is not in his pla_ce just at the moment. The hon. member smd ihat thP Country Progressive party had J'othing to do with the 1'\ational Union-that they were not obtaining funds from the ~ a~ional Union and were not controlled by 1t. I congr~tulate the hon. gentleman upon his

Hon. W. II. Bc~rnes.]


statement, as it indicates that ·unity has been accomplished on this side of the House, bee a us" that is what the seven members ad Yoca ice! an cl was the cause of the difference in the United party. 'That is the only comment I haYe to m>tke in connection \Yith that matter.

]•lr. HARTLEY: Is this the olive branch' The SECRET,\hY FOH AGR1CLLTURE. Ha Ye

I h.:• ::.:a tional Union changed their name?

Hox. W. H. BARNES: I now wish to reply to statements made by :Ministers during the present session of Parliuruent, and iu onP -~·ase .I want to deal with the Secretary for Public Lands, who, I am sure '· e all rcp·ct is not able to be present lhrough indisposition. Ko one for a moment ''.:mid cl,,iro that any member of this Hou•·e should be prcnntcd from being present tlnough jrdispos}tion. That 'hon. genth rnnn \ras not in kcepiug with his high position \':he11 he rrplicd to inquiri! s ihat -wr<_·c n1adc on this side~ of the IIouso in regard to a ct:~rtain. pru,.('·cc;ion that took place in Drisbonc. I Jr• a kc the rem:• rk I do, nut bee a U3e of tho n•pl:. it·p]£ but becauso of what I think I chall b<• ttblc to show later on-that there arc forcc•p; at ·work which rcalh arc nndcrn1i1tincr the genuine Labonr partv_:_I say that dclibn:-: ately, Eot wtth tho view of uxploiting the pc>,Ihon JUSt novT-forces "\Vhich are so great that thev •<re going to undermine tbe comnmnity. That is the trouble. I haYn here a cartoon from the Svdnev " Bulletin " '"TI~ich is ('ntitlcd '' Hauiitcd,'', and it. -indicates a do~; ·walking behind a workC'r. The dog really repreH•nts Bolshevi•m, and it SDJ" here-

" Yotor: ' I don't much like the look of that dog of yours.' , ".Labour: ''E ai;1't n1y dorg, Iviister. E Jest keeps follerm' me about.' "

(Laughter.)

The SECRETAHY FOil PUBLIC WoRKS: \Vhat has become of the tiger?

HoN. W. H. BARNBS: The hon. gentleman knows all about the tiger. There is a force at work, to which I have made reference, which whatever genuine Labour may s~y in this connection is backing the Socialistic party at, every turn. That would not matter a bit, but we have to take into account. what is happening in China to-day. Some hon. members may smik at mP when I say. that I p1cked Uj) on Sunday morning a rehgwns paper prmted in New South \Vales, which contains excellent letter.' from ~ London. correspondent. At a public. meetrng held m London it was disclosed that the tronble in China to-day is the Bolshevik cvrl, and t~at Russian money is being found to nndermme and clestwy the GmTrnment. I take. rt that we should be out--hon. members on thrs side. are out, at any rate-to see that responsrble government is maintained in the wav in which I believe the majority of the members of ih1s House desire that it should be maintained. There is no doubt J.hat there is a force at work in Australia to-day--

:'lh. COLLIXS: In Groat Britain.

IIox. W. H. BAR~ES: It rnav be in Grc:,t Britain too. but the time "has not come, and ! hope it is a long wa~ off, when we are goWf:i to hand over the affairs of th1s grnt conptry tD a rabble which will destroy the ntals of the CDmmunity and leeve the people stranded as the re,.u]t of

[Hon. W. H. Barnes.

it. Can anv ono follow the course of events in Ru"ia ;,·ithout being amazed at what is happ>lning there in the name of libertyliberty which has meant destruction and death to so many people.

'The banners and d<wices which were curried m that proccs-ion in Brisbane are thing" that aro not in the best interests of the community. The Sydney "Bulletin" of 21st May !as~ had tho following :-

" Tackled on the scorll of having marched in a Brisbane processiou with Coinn1u11ists flR.untlng ~loscow mottoes, Charlton, the Federal Labour leader, pleaded that he 'could not see what was behind him.' Exactlv. Labour leade_s like Charlton and LaDg arc uever curioLis as to \\-hat is behind them. It doesn't pay."

Th,m another stat0ment ;,ppeared m the sa tnc issue-

" Banners of n1an::~ a strange device figured in the Brisbane demonstration on Labour Day. The most striking group carried inscriptions which shouted for revolution, expressed adn1ir.ation for ' Soviet Russia,' and de1nanded thu entrails of the wagepayer, otherwise the 'capitalist.' Walking humbly with this literature and in this company \vere a number of State Ylinisters and Federal Labour-leader Charlton. All the Communists who don't belong to the Communist. Lcaguo are eligible to enter the modern Labour party, and the J\IcCormacks and Langs and Charltons have to bo monstrous civil to them."

A Go\'EHN~IEXT MEofBER : That is a bogey that won't work.

Hox. W. H. BARNES: Unfortunately it is a bogey which is working in Australia. to·day. This is not a personal matter wit.h re'\'ard to the Secretary for Public Lands, but it is a matter that is vital to the comtnunity, and it is !:J,ing side-tracked and made little of. If it were some other grave danger which was facing the country I take it that every man, irrespective of his politics, \\ould risr up and say, ''Out \Vith it."; but apparently because these men support a socialistic Government things arc allowed to go on quieti;. in that particular way.

In His Excdlency's Speech railway matters arc• referred to, and particularly the increased mileage on the Korth Coast Railwa:o. Ma' "-" hark hack to-day to that great ·comprehensive policy which had to do with the Great Xorthern Railway? I know that again and again, from both sides of the House, ther3 are tilts at the men of the past that they did not do their dutv. No doubt that may be tru0 in some rases, but Jet me sa V tha't the initiation of that scheme came fro'm the GoYernment which occupied the Treasury Lwnchro, prior to this Government. The North Coast Railwav, to which I think the hon. member for I-Ierbert made reference, w:ts initiated and started by the previous Gm·e~nment.

::Wr. PE.\SE: Only promises.

Hox. 11'. IL BARNES: Tha.t is not ,o. Will the hon. member tell me that the North Coa't Railwav from Brisbane was on!v promises? It ·was proposed and carried ont by the Go,-ernment which preceded his.

0PPOSITIOK MEo!BERS: Hear, hear!

HoN. vY. H. BARNRS: Then we are toH how well the finances haYe been managed


during the year. I--Iave they been well manav,cd? .Just lot us look at the fact'3. vVho havo paid the increased amount which has been received by the State? I think it w~s .the late Premier who again and again <Wrmtted that, whenever taxation was impcHecl, the worker contributed very largdy to it. It may be said that he is exempt from income tax below a certain amount. So he 1s, but, on the other hand, there is no means of dealing w_ith taxation except by pas~in;s It on, otherwise t):wse who pay it in the first place would be msolvent before very long. It has to be passed on, and the worker has to pay it. \Ve find, in connection with a certain Bill which is to be introduced and come into operation in 1926, that certain monf•vs arc to be demanded in a particular way. I have nothmg to say about that Biil at this juncture, because I do not know what tbe Bill is. and in that case it would be wrong; but I do say that in view of the ta~ation, "·hioh is p-rovving and grovving i11

Hu" great State of Queensland and beari11rr in mind that you have to hel1; the man o;-; t hP lanrl v:ho produces and who keeps it g-oing, th(' tin1e is con1ing-as hon. members \\ill c00 if they look at the returns of settlement in thf' countr.v, as compared \Vith tlw nrog-rct:;s of the cit.y-;vhen \YP shall have t,.., fure ~he problem 0£ subsidising n1en on the lancl m on10r to koq1 them there.

OPPOSITION Jl.lE:IIBERS: Hear, hear!

lloK. W. H. BAR~ES: Whil t one is o!'ly too _glad to se~ the popubtion of tlw c1tv grmvm/2'. on the other hand it is regrettable that the country does not seem to be keeping pace \\-ith the citv. If the increase in the ountr.v was ns it should be, ho·w much greater \YOuld be th(~ incrr~se in the eapi; ll and other cities. \Vhat is our taxation load: Ac~nall.v for 1924-25. according to the returns, rt was. £3.914.160. The interest on the public dr•ht m 1914-15 was £1.975.581. whereas :n 1924-25 it hncl risen to £4,246,532.

I had p_repared. a lot of other figures, bur 111v tJn10 Js Jra\YJDg' to a close, and I "\Va.nt t.o m'"' kc a few pE'rsonal romarkP" Thev aro thC'"'-'. \VP are Quc0nslanders: we are~ Aus· tralians: -.1·e are part and parcel of the o-roat British Empire. b

A Go-vmx~IEKT JI.IE,IBER: You glory in it.

Hox. W. H. BAR:'\'F:S: I do gl0r_v .in itnHtke no rrn~takc about that! TJ1erP is no siHing on the rail in conrwction with thett rr.~Jtter. \Vc are part and parc('l of u glorio:1s Empire. Let me plead with hon. n1embers this afternoon to forg-et for the moment the "'mall thinl!s connPcted with mcttters perhinin!" to our life politically and to realise the Important responsibilities resting unon us. \V c should do our job in such a -wav' as will bo of l{reat benefit to this State< What av~nucs there are in this great State! I behevo that every hon. member, whatever his views may be. is " btelicver in Queensland and a believer in Australi n. There i,, no land so fair and so free as Australia Th••re is no land. where opportunitif-~ are ~o gr~at for everv mdlvJdnal who 1s w1lling to avail himsdf of thorn.

1\fr. CoLLTKS: Thev havP been m'ade possiblo by this Govermnent.

HoK. W. H. BARNES: Have you eveT noticed, Mr. Speaker, somehow or other tht evorvthing with respect to good the t1overnme-nt say, "That is ours." But those things thllt are dark and black thev do not like. They are like the dog in the

cartoon. They say, '• \Ye do not know anything about that; that is not ours. It belongs to somebody else."

During· this debate reference has been mado to taxation. There has been a flauntin,reference to the taxation by the Feder~l Government and the reduction thereof. If_ the Queensland G~Ycrnment adopt the Wise course and are desl!'ous of extend111g the industric~ of this State th"'v will reduce taxation. During their' term" of office the amount recoiYed in direct taxation has incrc·:tscd at an alarming rate, yet we flnd no prospect of that load being taken off the people. After all. it is the people who have to hear that load. It is up to the Home Secretory, big and robust as he is in phvsique and VOiCP, to urge in the interest of the community and tho industries of the communitv that this taxation load be rl'clnced. ~

'1'he SPEAKER : Order ! The hon. p_cntlcman has exhausted the time allowed him under the Standing Order,.

The SECRETAH.Y FOR RAILvYAYS (lion. ,T. Larcombo, [( rppr!): The hon. n1cnlbcr \Yho lu~s ju~t rc.surncd his ,('at dt>1~vrrcd a very int:'rc.:;ting addrl3S during ,,,·hrch he rcfen·ed to sccondarv industries. The p<J.ramount con~idcration ~in fo :tering ::-.Pcol·dary industries is an efl'cctive tariff. \Y~ kno\Y qnito well that the Federal GoY('rnment is a revenue tariff Government, and \VC . knO\V th-_1_ t tlwy are :xllowing £160,0110,GJO "·orth of goods to [,-, ir;~ported into Australia yearly: and, whi],, that is bc1ng done. it. is hypocritical io c:citicise the party on thi' side of the House in relation to jt..; ~E ndary indu -tric", policv. ::\ational he" hh a ;cl ~:_ rt'rL·th ra11··d be baSed UlJon the ~onncl ''J!d 'Solid for:ndation of .•,n effectJye tariff.

Tin~ hu1. rnr·n1Lcr fo:· \Yvnn11n1 rPfel' 0d also to the !\orth Co:>~t HRi];Ya::. 'l'h~ previous .\dn1inistration pas~.cd the necc~.:mry kgis]atron through Parhament, but it did Het finance and construct that lino. It is ow: thinv to pass railwav proposals through Parhanwnt. but it is an en I irelv different thing to finance thoS'' propo.,als ar1d construct railw<>vs. Onr of the most difficult phase' of mv rnir/i."tf'ria~ work i.-3 to ans\YCr for the pledge~-: nno pr~rnv:;c.s that. "\YCrc n1adc by a previous Aflrrunlstration w1th 1'(' 0 ard to r,tilwav construction. During the lnst SC> .ion of th-, anti-Labour Adn1inistration raihyays v~·hich would havr, eo t approximatelv £2,250,000 tu construct at that time v;ere po'ss 'd through the Quc·mland Lcgi"lative A'.-scmbl . That '.' as electioneering and political jobbery of all undesirable naturr~- and it has n1ndc the task of the present ArlministrJtion. particn· lady ra1lway adrninistration, yery difficult.

The main object of m:;· rising, however, is not to discuss general phases of Govcrmnent pohcy or even to discuss general raih-., a v policy. "

I want to rccogni:-:e and rc~,~i,-,.~v three phases of raihY.a,y aclrrdnistration which have been tonched on by hon. members opposite and also by the Press. They are: -(1) Rolling

·st-ock; (2) permanent way; and (3) the safety of the travelling public. Notwithstanding criticjsm to the contrarv he record both of the dopnrtmcr"-. awl tho PovernmPnt is satisfart0rv ~n rf'£c•:·d t.o those three vital phases of railway policy.

Regardin<! criticism, the viewpoint of the Comn1issioner. the depL, d1nent, and

Hon. J. Larcombe.]

206 Acl•lrns in Repl!J. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

G J'.·er·11"1Cnt is fully ~o eo :• it 1 ·r :r:- ~end co:"'-tructivc rritici~n1 tlu:r 1c.; u.ct lJ· eel on vulgar abuse and personalities. So long as the criticism is sound and logical the department and Government are prepared to rccognBC 1t and constcbr '"'UL~ge::-:t:m13 made. On one occasion recently, criticism was indulged in by a "globetrotter "-a man who, although only in this State for a few clays, commenced to criticise t-he railway administration and national policy. It is absurd for any man, no matter how brilliant the attainments of the traYeller may be, to come here and criticise the State and nat.ional administration after being only a few clays in the country. So far as criticisrn of Quecnslanders• is I.:Oner>rllf~d this -'l~drnin istraiion is alv\·ays pr~'' 1J r,::-d 1 o l'C'\.:Og~ nise it. \Ve aTe ahva.rs end ea Youring to oliminate weakness and buttress strength. That is the policy of the department and Government. As Byron expressed it. '·Critics CJre ready rnade"; but, ·while critics are "spreading" themselves on critiris1n they ehculd alw appreciate the magnitude of the task of the department, the conditions, %d the fact that, although there is room for eriticisrn, murh ..-aluablc work iR being clone. Millions of tons of g·cods are handled yearly "·ithout accident. Millions of passengers arc carried every year without mi•hap. The Chief Commissioner for Railways ill New South \\Tales a few years ago men· tionod that the Railway Department carried millions cf tons of gcods without mishap, l:ut, if a t.hrcepenny pared went astray, that fad was held up as evidence of rotten management. That kind of criticism shows stupidity and an absenc'"l of perspective.

I want to deal first of all with the question 0[ rolling-stock. Here in Queensland, as 1\dl "'in other States of the Commonwoalt.h and nihcr parts of the world, that is really I he stock cri: icism of the Railwav Department. I reco:lect the first vcar that. I came to Parliament, tho sam~ criticism \Va.3

levelled then at the Administration of the day. as it i- probably at the Government in office in overv St-ate and countrv. .As cril·icism, of con1~se, it has its valu~, and. while it jo tempered with the qualities of fairness I have mentioned, no one can take n~ae.-,nable exception to it.

I now ,,-ish further to emphasise the fact that th0re ar0 constantly employed in tlw cJ."[HHbllC'llt ll1dCp···ndent experts, engineers. excminns. and officers thoroug·hly qualified. t'xan1ining rolling-stock, permanerit way, and dcing GV"'tything that is n~cc'c3ary .and de' ira bln to preserve not only the permanent way and rolling-stock, but safeguard the travelling pubiic.

The Commissioner for Railv.·ays has supplio.d n1c with n nw1noranrlurn regarding tlw condition of the rolling-stock. He is an ~nclc·pendont. authority on the question; he IS not trammelled in any way by the Go.-crnmont m the expression of his opinions. I wish to place on record this memo. :-

" J\;lE)JORAJ\DliM FOR THE HONOURABLE THE I\IIKISTER :-

" \Vith regard to the condition of the' permanent wav. I beg to inform you that since I ·have been Commissioner I have adopted the practice of obt.ain· ing a monthly report from the General }fanager of each division with regard to the conditions of every section of the line under his control, and invariably

[Hon. /. Larcombe.

the report of the engineer is that the road is in a ·-afc condition. Owing t.o the abnormal wet season in the coastal areas of late it has been vorv difficult to keep the linos .in order and extra. m:•n have been employed to cope with the extra work. In the Brisbane Division the ;Maintenance Engineer (Mr. Dcrnays) \vas off on long service leave _for six months, but a good deal of the trme of 'Hr. Le Grand who was relieving him. being taken up in connection with the Traveston inquiry, I arranged for Mr. Bernavs to return to dutv and to give specia"I attention to the main lines, mn king a personal inspection of the suburban area.

"\Yith regard to the condition of the rDiling-stock, it is tn good averago runuing condit-ion The sy:":tcm of cx.an1inaiinn of ro1Jing-stn~k i~ the S'Li18 as it has always been, only there is a greater staff employed to do it because of the -"reater number of vehicl~-, in use. RolEng-~tock generally is marked off for repairs, even for slight repairs, as soon o.s they arc required, and the workshops in all th0 depOts of the department are working fuil t.ime. and in some cases o.-ertinw, to mc!'t the extra rush of rt::-pairs due to the abnormal business which has arisen during the past twelve n1onths."

J\fr. liARTLEY: \Vho says that?

The SEGRETAEY FOR RAIL\YAYS: That is from the Commissioner for Railwavs in a memorandum to mvself a' Minister. It indicctc_, th"t the rolling-stock of the departillPnt. also the perman0nt wav. is in a satisfactorv <ondition. notwithstanding what may Le said to the contrary.

Coming to the point of rolling-stock in particular, I desir0 to mention that di'ective step·, aro being taken to meet the abnormal demands that have bc<;n made, and are being made, and will be made, upon the Railway Department. The railway workshop?! arc "\Yorking- full time, in rna1n cases overtin1e. Private contracts haye~ been f'r"!tc-rcd into with various Queensland firrn.;;, nnd cv0ry dcgref' of expcdit]on is being obser.-gd to turn out rolling-stock as quickly :~nrl as satisfactorily as nm:slbln. A_ policy of rlcccntrali-<ntion is being encouraged by thn H.nilwav Department, and in Rockhamp· ton. To,vn:-wlllc. Cairns. and else1-;vlH'"Tf, C'VCry pe<.:siblc facility given for rppairin~ rollini~tock and for preventing undue centmlisation in Brisbane, with its consequent rh'lay.

The programm0 for t.ho eurrC'nt year is imnortant. For the vear 1925-26 the Governnlc!li- have approvecf of the C'Cpencliturc of £1.000,0C:O for rolling-stock, and of approxim ;tely £1,500.000 for the ensuing eighteen months to cm·er present commitments and pro~pectiYe constructions.

;yrr. G. P. B.!.RNEs: ::-tock?

Is that for rolli11g-

The SECRETARY FOR RAIL\VAYS: ~~ f'S.

:Mr. G. P. BARNES: You have a lot of lr't:·way to make up.

The SECHETARY FOR RAILWAYS: Xo. I sh~ll deal in a moment with the expansion of trade during the last twelve months and prospecti.-e expansion, but at present I wish to develop my argument concerning the programme for the Pnsning financial year and

Addrt<~s in Reply. [18 AL"GL"ST.] Address m Reply. 207

the following six months. That programme ern braces-

87 engi!'es 73 carnage,-; and yans

1,363 wag·ons

Cost. £

729,000 179.000 513,000

:Y1aking a total of £1,421,000 The ,Estimates for 1925-26 will provide

£1,000,000; £154,000 has already been spent on rolling-stock during the financial year ju;t completed, leaving a balance to be expcnd<?d for 1926 27 of £267,000. That is apart froEl any additional programme that the Governmpnt may find necessary in the time specified.

Th" probable deliveries rn the next eix months aro-

Locomotiycs 24 Carriages 6 Vans · 10 Wagons 500

The hon. member for vVarwick interjected that leeway had to be made up. I would like to remind hon. members that a full building programme is not something that has suddenly dawned upon the Railway Department. In the last three years £1.500,000 has been spent by the department in securing rolling-stock. During the last three years the following additions have been made to the rolling-stock of the department:-

Ci"o.

65 engines f:.7 carriagL.;;

1,7:?3 wagons and vans

Estimated Cost.

£ 736,000 190,QOO 585.000

£1,511,000

That is in rtddition to very extensive repair work.

Some time ago the leader of the Opposition rderred to the amount of rolling-stock addc·d to the railway service during two

nine-year periods during the first [2.30 p.m.] nine, years of Labour administra-

tion CLnd during the preceding nine ve,trs of anti-Labour ad1ninistration. Xmnbers arc not everything. A good deal depends upon capacity, upon train mileage, upon organisation, and utilisation of railway stock These arc important factors. In the olden days the Railwi<y Department was reall3 made a storage department, instead of rolling-stock being mobilised and utilised to the bc,t possible advantage. Demurrage was not enforced, and, instead of goods being taken delivery of imrrwdiately, they were ailmYed to remain for yer'' long periods in 1 he rolling-stock, a-d rather than being ju~t a carrying depc:rtment, the Railway Dcpartr.10nt '"b.-; nw_clc a storage dPpartmcnt. That p('lic-.~ has been changed. There i3 a policy heil'i.; de--eloped r.t the nre~ent time which n1akc·s for 111ayimum efficiency. "Railing day" -,.vas inaugurated. A systf:'nl has been in· tihted --·hi eh means the fnll loading of "'-'.-ag-ons. It. means more r>ifcctiYC' c_lll

troi, and it n1Pa.ns that les- ~~yagons ?.re now required to do <J. given an10lFrt of work than wor2 necessary in t.hc olden cL1v:-J. Th1t is a fact that cannot be gainsaid.' Again, therf' is the matter of rebuilding. This is not taken into consideration when speaking- of the number of new rolling-stock. Further, sinc'l Mav last a special officei· has been engaged by ihe Railway Department to a.,-range for the more effective mobili;Jtion

of rolling-stock, to arrange for the construct ior, of new Bidings for the more effective rmrshalling of wagons. and doing all things H<•ccssary to get the ber,t possible result that wo are able to get from our ro!ling-,;to~k.

Prior to 1915 there was a g·ood deal of rolling-stock bt>ing built with a Yiew to mNting anticipated traffic which temporarily did not eventuate on account of the 1-var. \rar disturbanc0, which affected prin1ary production and aff.c, tcd all phases of industry, reacted temporarily upon the Raih• ay De-partment, and I here fore tht\ programme of building just prior to 1915 was done for the anticipated increase, which really did not take place until some time subsequently. I have dealt briefly with the question of the condition of rolling-stock, of the rolling-stock programme for the ensuing eighteen months and the \1-ork during the past three years.

I intend now to make a few comparisons concerning th., expenditure for longer periods, and I give hero the expenditure on construction, replacement, and repair of rolling-stock for three periods-

ExFEXDITCBE ON CoxsTRCOTION, REPLAcniENT Alm REPAIR oF RoLLI!\G-STOOK.

1912-13 1913-14 1914-15

1922-23 1923-24 1924-25

£ 794,934 714,228 700,643

£2,209,855

1,446,637 1, )29.819 1,612,559

£4,389,015

Ro we find that for the last three years of t-~ anti-Labour Administration the expenditure on. construction, replacement, and repair of rollmg-stock was £2.209,000 as :lf2'ainst £4.389,000 for the last three year.s uncle;· a Labour Administration. In view of the criticism that ha-; taken place, let me say th"t one fact of that nature is worth a thousand generalities. That table shows that considerable attention has been given bv the Government and by the Railway Department to the construction, re)olacement, and repair of rolling-stock.

I v,·ould like spare to record a t~n Years' c 'mpo rison up to 30th June, 1915, und~r the sam•· heading-

A:JIOTTXT SrE~~T o~ THE Co;.JSTRUCTION. REP \IR. ,\ !\D REPL \CEl\JE"'T Ol•' ROLLING STOCK.

£ Ten vea rs ended 30th J ww, J 915 Teil :;ears ended 30th June. 1925

5 281.000 10.68\1.000

£5,408.000

Then 1 qnote the follo·.-.- ing comparison:

AVERAG-E EXTlENDJT[TRE, BNGINE REPAIRS AXD RENEWAI.S, CARRIAGE A~D \VAGON REPAIRS AND Rli1NEWAI.S FOR EACH TOX CARRIED 191-1-15 AND 1923-24.

Engine repairR and renewal~ .. Carriarre nnd wagon repairs and

renewals

1915. L:~~ I u·o I 27'4

10'5 23'2

flan . .!. Larcombe.]


I shall buttress those comparisons with a furt,her comparison concermng the percentag-e of engine power, carriage-;, and wagons per train mile-PERCENTAGE OF ENGINE POWER, CARRIAGES AXD

WAGONS TO TRAIN MILEAGE DURING YEARS 1914-15 AND 1924-25.

I I I Year. I Tractive I'ower. 1 Carriages. . Wagons. ___ I :

1914-1;1 "66 ~--::;:----::;-1924-25 / --~-_-_ _:_oo77 __ l __ ~37 __

And with a final comparison of the ratio Jf engines, rolling-stock, etc., shows-

RA1'IO OF ENGINE I'OWER AND llOLLING-STOCK TO MILES OF RAILWAY OPEN.

Year. Tractive Power.! Carriages. I! Wagon. s.

------------~-----------

19H-15 ·o6o I n·g 203·s 1924-25 'OG2 I 15'4 I 271'5

___ __.1_ j ______ _

Tnat series of compansons wdicates the careful and satisfactory attention that has Lcen paid to rolling-stock by the Railw<ty DcpartmPnt during the past ten years. I want to place on record in '· Hansard '' for the benefit of readers and the public generally those comparisons, so that they may compare them with the criticisms which have been n1ado.

l\Ir. l\'l:oORE : You ought to stele facts. not figure· ..

The SECRETARY FOR RAIL\VAYS: Those figures arc facts.

Mr. MoORE: What is happening now? :\fr. NOTT: The Railway Department years

go showed a profit. It kept the rolling-etock in good order, and thNe was lis cxpendiJure.

The SECRETARY FOR RAIL\YAYS: I have given the> important test of construction and rc~pair of rolling-stock, engine Inilcarre, and train mileage. and yarious other factors indic,ating efficiencv to-dav as compar~d with preceding year~. I, first of all. outlined the prograrnnw, pointing out w'hat we are doing at the present time and what we have in mind for the future. I also went bark over a period of ten years and g·avo the facts and figures which hon mem· hers s<cy they dc,,irc. Those figures are supplied by the Railway Department; the0 ar · figures, and facts too. Does the hon. 111e1nber sav that a figure cannot be a fact?

Mr. l\IoORE: Oh, no. I want vou to look at the facts in the Railway scrvic'8. What is the position to-da::?

The SECI{ETARY FOR RAILWAYS: It is for hon. members and the Press to avoid giving unncce"'sary alarm and to exercise fair criticiom. So far as tho Traveston disaster is concerned. the Press and hon. members opposite did not attempt to make any capital out of the disaster-a fact I appreciate. A quest.ion was asked by the hon. member for Sandgate a week ago. I did not volunteer any cdticism; but when forced to reply to the question by the hon. member. I said that the Press were giving abnormal publicity to minor accidents. It is my honest <.>pinion that they were. I have the papers hefore me and know what took place before a Labour Government came into power. I know: that undl!e publicity was not given to derailments whrch took place previously. 1

[Hon. J. Larcombe.

say that you can magnify out of all proportion what is happening if you so desire. It is obvious that in connection with the railway system, where there is such enormous transport r·nvolved, there must necessarily be, on the law of averages, derailments. Hon. members know that every day they pick np a newspaper thev sec evidence that -in Australia and throughout the world there ha1·c been terrible smashes, not only on railways but also in motor-car traffic and otherwi3c. Vfe do not know now who is going to be involved; but so sure as the sun rises we know that similar reports will appear so1newhero in to-morrovv's papers and succeeding papers. On the law of aver·ages accidents cannot be avoided, and the point I an, contending is that the percentage of accidents in Queensland now is not greater than pre,-iousl v.

I lead on from t-hat point to some remarks as to the tax which is imposed on our rollingstock. Last ·;car the goods traffic, ek., carried was oner 5.000,000 tons. an increase of more than 800,000 tons when compared with the previous year. In no period of the hrstory of the State railway service has there been snch a tremendous jump. Moreover, in addition to that, there was .a shipping striko, which greath- intensified tho difficult;. and largely added to the demand on rolling-stock. The consc•quence has been that the former m·dinar·, slack season with the Raih\ a~· Department has disappeared, and there is th0 seycrcst po::'sjblc tax on our I'L'Sourccs. Again, take the effect of long haulage--d. factor that is often overlooked in considering the taxing of our rolling-stock. Tlw op~nmg up of the Korth Coast Railway to Cairns and th~ increase in the haulage generally as a consequence has tremendous!· intensified the difficulties of the department. For in-,ta,nce, take the line beLveen Brisbant~ and Cairns. It talu_-J a v.·agon clenm da:vs to go from Brisbam? t-o Cairns and co:ne back again, and the back loading. of course. is ne~lie:iblr'. In the c cl me period the samG brollingstock could do live and a-half times as much \H>rk between Brisbane and Toowoomba with full loarlin~· all the time. Thus th~ moYil>g of 1,000 tons of goods from Bri~bano to Caims with 10-ton wagons would occupy 100 ,, agons eJcyen days with practically no back loading. whereas the same quantitv could 1.-e transported from Brisbane to Toowoo m ha in the same time by using only about erghtcen \Yclgons. wlth the prospect of full loads on th0 return. 'l'hese facts must be just as evident to hon. members as t-her are to rnr.. but I want to emphasise them to do justice to the Commissioner and the staff generally.

Tho department has given careful and sat-isfactory attention also to the important problem of the permanent way-the question ~.£ 111a.intair ing, rene1vi_ng, and relaying of .mes, and the attention to bride:es and similar work. Proof of that stat~ment is provided by the increase m expenditure which I shall indicate in a few minutes; but here I give the figures showing the provision on the 1925-26 Estimates for work on open lines (exclusive of rolling-stock):-

PROVISIOK OX 1925-26 ESTillfA'l'ES FOR WORK 0:-{

Revenue Loan

Total

OPEN LINES. £

1,347, 713 1,305,442

... £2,653,155

Address in Reply. [18 AUGUST.] Address in Reply. 20\J

::--;ow let me give a comparison of the expen<iiture (revenue and loan) per mile of open 1ines to average mileage open ten years ago and to-day-

1914-15 ... 1923-'24 ...

:£ 791

1,195

The expenditure (revenue and loan) on open lines to t-onnage carried was :-

1914-15 1923-24

:£ s. d. 0 16 5~ 1 13 11!;

The numbers of employees engaged on the lengths to mileage of railway open were as iollows :-

1914-15 1923-24

I' er cent. ... 2.27

2.53

I think those figures are substantial proof of the satisfactory attention which has been give to the maintenance of our permanent way.

The follo .. .ving figures rnaintaining the opened line~. prriod under anti-Labm:r nnd for a three-year penoil .,, Lln1inistration.

t1:c co~t of 'l thrce-yvar

adn1inistration under Labour

J'v1AISTE!\AKCE OF I'ER~IANEKT \'\'AY.

1912-13 1913-14 1914-15 1922-23 192' 24 1924-25

£ 601,000 649,000 626,000

1,103,oro 1.1 ~7.000 1,280,000

Those figures indicate a substantial inercJ.se in the cost of rnaint.aining lines. \Ye caD quite under.Jta.nd that, naturally, :111 incrrase ·was nccos"'ary, but thL' increase ~as bePr sustnined at the corrtct ratio to inct <tscd tr8ffic and increas.,c: 1nilcaE;e. Tho following are the figures OYer two ton-year }'criodf'.

MAINTENANCE Ol!' PERMANENT WAY.

:£ Ten years ended 30th June, 1915 4.672,000 Ton years ended 30th June, 1925 10,155,000

Increase £5,483,000

LOAN EXPEKDITURE ON OPEN LINES.

£ Ten years ended 30th June, 1915 2,685,000 Ten years ended 30th June, 1925 3,985.000

Increase 1,300,000

EXPENDITURE FROM THE CONSOLIDATED REVENUE

AND LOAN FUNDS COs!BINED. :£

Ten years ended 30th June, 1915 7,367,000 Ten years ended 30th June, 1925 14,140,JOO

Increase 6, 773,0:10

Those statistics are powerful comparisons, indicating tha.t thP Governnwnt has adequately attenclE'd t<> the important a;pect of railway policy dealing with the maintenance of the permanent way. When these figures are made public I am certain that any false impression that has been cr~atecl will be rectified, and that the vague generalities that have been indulged in frequently will disappear like mist before the morning sun.

1925-P

I have dealt with the question of rollin;; stock and the permanent way, and I now desire to deal with the t.hird point-the preservation of the interests of the travelline public. That is a matter of vital importance and it rc·ceives from the Railway Department the attention that it drserves.

I have hero a table showing the number of fatal accidents in Queensland over a period of twenty ;.rears. This is such a Sl~rious matter that I am very reluctant to make any comparison betw,'en anti-Labour administration and L::tbonr achninistration. The Governn1ent is not rJaiming any credit in connection with this table, but I quote it in fairness to the Railway Department and the GovernIncnt. The::;e flgurt'S aro for t\vo ten-year po>:iods-

1 Number of ' Fatnl ~ Accidents.

PnssPnger .Tourneys.

Perct.'nt:':gb of Fntal

Acc'drntG. ____ : _____ : _____________ _

190fl-1ii 1910-25 !

176 252

·ooo11 o ·o. 0092

Those figurp,-, t:Jhov; thtd during the pa.st ten years the number of fatal accidents in Q:IeenRland has not been great, and that tho perc,~ntagc bas not been so great GS in forn11_T :vears. The larger number in forme!.~ yoar'"l 'vas probably not dnc in ~1ny \, ·1y to the then existing raihvay 1nanagemcnt or Go-\'Ci"rllnt'llt. :F'1r thr- p:1:3t fcur years 1he perrcntagc of fntal aceidcnts to p--~ ~engPr journeys was-

1922 1923 1924 1925

.000066

.000059

.008098 .000148

Now for the corresponding- period !:lef.ore tlw prC'scnt Govcrrnnent ca1ne into po-.,ycr thn fi guref'l \\'erc-

1912 1913 1914 1915

.000146

.C00135

.000143

.000123 The U'l,lDaratiYe imtnunitv fr-om serious

railway accl.dcnts in thi< State is significant. It has been duo to careful a t-tcntion by tho department to the preservation of the raawavs and the interests of the travelling public.c

Here I shall plac,, on record one or two generous newspaper yiews of the work of the department which were ''Titton on the occasion of the Traveston di·aster. The " Daily Standard " obsened-

" Que~nsland's railways have fortunately been singularly free f-rom sPriou:;~ accidents. The service has a creditable record of consideration for the safety and comfort of the travelling public."

The " Brisbane Courier " said.-"Our railway history has, happily, had

ver;c· few occurrences which may be spoken of in the comprehensive term disaster. \Vhatever may have been the eause of this tragic smash, we must reflect that in the ultimate sense it represents the inevitability of human failure at some time or other."

" Inevitability of human failure " is a very significant phrase.

The "Daily Mail" offered the following comments:-

" It is well, at such tin,es, to remember that train travelling is generally a safe

Hon. J. Larcombe.]

210 Address in Reply. fASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

undertaking in spite" of an occasional accident. Death st.alks man at every turn, but in the statietical lists of the world's fatal accicknts, train mishaps do not loom relatively large

. . . Here in Queensland serious railway accidents have fortunately been very rare. The trains of t.his State move in their appointed cour~cs day after day; they cro~s 1nountains and streams, brave floods and landslides, and rush from ren1oto country centres into the railroad networks of the bigger towns and citic.;, and back again, and yet, in all that daily rout.ine, seldom cause any injury to their multitudinous passengers. The n1odcrn train is a marYel of accurate f'nginccring, and in Queensland the trains carrv out then difficult work over vast spac'Cs \Yith fc\v rnishaps."

That, :vir. Speaker, is very appropriate cornlncnt and cmphasu< s and butt.ressPs the point I have be~n endeavouring to make about tho full and satisfactory attention that has bocm given b:t the department and the Government to the interests of the travelling pub]i,• of Qnecnsland.

The following is a percentage of derailments reportC'd to the office of tho Commicsioner on opened I ines for the year 1924-25:-

To-

(1) Tonnago cwriage (2) Tmin miles

Per cent.. .0015 .0006

Tho_.e are fmctional perccni.ages, and show, as I mentioned in opening, that, considering the millions of pa"'engers and the millions of t,Jns of goods ~urri,,d yearly, there has not bC'en any senous cause for cDrnplaint in this State concerning the safetv of the tra veiling public. '

Dealing with another point I mentioned in rcplv to an interject.ion, I wish to give a comparison of the number of deaths in Quo on -land resulting from railway and ,·chicular accidents. The total number of fate] railwa:· accidents for the ninr--year period 1915-1924 ''as 238. a.,, compared with 452 vchicnlar fatal accidcnh. The details ar,~ as follow:-

1915 1916 1017 Hl18 101\) 1020 1021 1922 1023 1924

Year. Itnil\vays.

30 26 30 21 ~R 20 2.0 18 17 28

23'i

I I I

Yt>hiclp-:.

48 41 39 43 45 53 51 :16 40 56

452

The nurnber of deaths in the past nine ">:7 ears

through motor and Ychicular accidents was much greater than in railway tra.velhng.

The subjoined table is a comparison of fa!al ~ccidents on railways in the past ten year~ m ihe other States:-

New South Wales 658 Victoria 469 Queens!rtnd 238 Sonth Australia 147 'Ncst.ern Australia 178

[Hon. J. Larcombe.

Ccrtai11 figure:, appear in H The Offlciai Year Book of the Commonwealth of Australia" dealing ~~-ith the llU111bcr o£ accidents in the ,-ariou< Statce of ALtstralia. For the purpo.;:.r' of corrq1ari:;;on those figures ar·O Ya!Hc!Pss. I wish to stress that point. The appart'ntly high rn~rcentagc of accidents in (ucPr~"-land \Y86 inquired into by the raih,ay oHicia]:;; of thi::; StateJ not ret)ond.v in connection \vith the Tray.cston acci·dent, but J1re\·iously. and it was fourid that m Queensland an accident was recorded if an employee had n minor injury, say, to Lis fmger; an injury that would require n(} break at all in the man's work period. while in some other States there was a provision that at kast three days' absence from \York was nccessarv before an accident \va,., recorded. Obviously 'juch a comparison wa~ umati·, fact .iy Rnd unfair to Queensland. I shall read the letter, dated 13th May last, sent by the Director of Australian Railwa v Sta' istic., to 1 he SPcr·etary to the Con1-rniSsioner fGr R·tilwa\ .s for QuPCnsland, ·which confirms rn~- cc:ntention-

" \Yith refcrPncc to vour kttcr of 9th instant r0gar-rling rL~quCst. fron1 the Con1-nlonwc•H lth Statistician to be supplied with particnlaro of acnidents conne•:ted \Vith the nlOYCHlf'llt of rolling-dock during the vcar 1923-24. I have to inform vou that ·on all tlw _\us:ralian s::etcms, '~ith the exception of Cuu;nslHnd, infonnaticn for the ,-car referred to was recorded on the basi~ laid down in tho 1909 Interstate Conference miEuteo, and w•1s publishecl in this form in the annual reports of each admitJiRtration. The method ag-reed to at the 1924 Interstate Confer,ence (vide :\Iinute ~ o. 1611) riid not operate until lRt July, 1924. It appears, however: that. owing to a mi'lmrlerstaP·ding, tlw nev;r n1ethod was made to operate in you1 .. State from September. 1923. Please see ,-our ]cthr of 25th August. 1924 (B. 24 7099), wherein it was explained that for this rea~on particulars \Vere not antilable for the Statistical Bulletin for tht- year E'ndcd 30th June, Ht24.

" In r<'ply io the last paragraph of yonr letter, I would explain that the CommonwNdt.h Statistician will obtain the d0sired information from the annual r<cpOri'· of the A ustraiian systems. and has, therefore. not made any direct rcqu·rst to be furnish,, cl with particulars.

"T~n1e:-;- YOU can ha Ye the c.a.sPs rrone through and red<issified on the 1009 basis, therc appcarq to be no altf'rn-Jtivo but to ndyise the Commonwealth St~tistician that the information is not available."

A nc1,v baf'is of cDrrlpiL,tion, which iF uniform, ha~ been -operating from 1st Jul~v. 1924. Prior to that th" figures were not on a uniform basis and \Ycro unfair to Queens-· land.

I thank hon. members for their c ourtz:ous consid0ration during the tin10 I hHV·C occupied in placing before the Houst information concerning th0 three pha...,~~s of 1ail'\tlY ac!mini hation to which I df'sired to refer.

GOYERC>;'\rE"'T MEMBERS: Hear, hear:

:\Ir. SIZER (8rmdgalr): Dr,pite the long oration of the Secrdary for Railways, I am afraid the hon. gentleman has not conyeyed to thi, House, nor will his speech conYey to the public. the feeling that all is well with the Railway Department and the feeling of security in connection with our railways

Address in Reply. [18 A1:GLST.] Addrus in Reply. 211

which the public seek to-day. The hon. gc,;t]eman has failed to inspire the House with his defence of his department, upon ''hich public attention is focusscd at the present moment. It was difficult to follow the trend of the hon. gentleman's statement, \Yhich will be more comproh,·ndcd when one reads it; bl!t I ttm satisf1cJ the hon. gentle· man failed to explain a''""'Y the fact that an abnonnal nun1bcr of accidents has occurred during the la't twc!Ye months-the greatest nurnbcr that has ever occurred in (,:uecnsland during a si1nilar period. Unfortunately thoro is no siga of an ab a tomcnt of those acci· dents. There appear to be just as man) occurring, and nothing the hon. gentleman has said to-day is going to remove that fact. vYo need something more than comparisons here, there, and ~'ver~-whero to believe that all is "ell \\'ith the Queensland Hailw.1y Dc·partltlcnt.

Se>ml: of the hon. gentleman's rem"rk: wen, original. He 'r.id that hi, department vas satisfied IYith the administration! If they are not, who is likely to be? F'urther· more, th~ hon. gentleman crtid that our rail· way' had carried millions of people without ae accid.cnt. Is that DOt the dutv of the Haih',ay Dcpr1·tmcnt :' "

After all, the: arc only doing their job, and that is what they arc <'XpActed to do l ·n·peat that th-• abnormal number of derail· n1cnts and accidents at the plT.;;ent time is

alarrnin?: n,nd is (''!Using alarm [3 p.m.] amongst the public. One has

only to travel in the suburban trains to-day to hear the general alarm expressed by i he people tra ndling in those trains.

Later on in his speech the Minister dealt with the percentage of accidents. I could not catch the lldual percentage, but l'<'tcntly I aeked for tbu total number of accidents \Yithin a giv0n period, and I would like to krJO" the total number of accidents during that given period. rrhc percent~.~~(' figureo; wn0 difficult to ':allow and do not give the infor·mation the public "ants. The public wants to know the total number of accidents during a given period, and 'Vh\· it is that the Railway Department is falling to pieces. It seems to he getting into the condition of an old ri1otor-car. It has been neglected and neglected until one trouble :cft••r another cccurs, and will continue to occur until v;(~ haw• something new. Things have got tu that stage that it ·sill be difficult to convince the pnb!ic that ev"rything is all right. vVe have had no reassuring statement from the Minister with regard to the remarks that were made b,· Mr. Hymer, as recorded in thn Press to-day, that between Wooloowin and Xorthgato there are 2.100 loose sleeper. wait. mg to be fixed. \Vhcther that is true or not, it is lVIr. Rymer'" printed statement and the T\linister h.:1~ not given us anv inf'ormation on the matter. If within such a short dis· tance •:ner 2,000 sleep0rs requj1~e fixing, snre]y the pcnna:nent \vay cflnnot be in a vE!'y safe condition. The public should know what the position is. and even one who traxels over that section must l;ave rectd th< t statement with alr.rm.

Mr. HYNES: You do not believe that state. mcnt.

Mr. SIZER: I want the Minister as o!ftcial head of the department, to 'give information on that point. I am onlv in a position to read the newspaper report, but

I do kno\\ from travelling over that section that the general alarm which is expressed 1-.: much rnorc than ca.sual, as the Th-linistcr "·ould like us to bclieYP. I intend to pursue that matter to see if the information is correct. If it is correct, something should be c:unt and, if it is not correct it should be refuted Yerv auickl,•, because these >latL· 11H l1t:S sea rev th8 rH'Ovple, and it takes a lot to sntisfv thcn1 afterwards that. things are nll right: ~

The 1\lini,ter has told us about t],e rolling· stock having been inaJequate because of the ilush scaoon. He b~s to!J us of the increased , olun10 of trade. It Jocs 11ot overcorne the f1:;c~ that, 1\ l1cn opening up ne\Y railw.ty liJH''\ L other places, more rol!ing-stmk ,,-ill be reqLiil·cd, and n1crc foresight shvuld have Lccn oxcrcisecl; ancl it does not overcome the fact that there has been, as he said, for ·.-l' .. \l'S and :~Tcnr::; a ~·cri< us shortage of rolli~>g-stock ,-hich has been detrimental to nutny iudustries. I happen to know of o,re par· t5cu1at industl'y which is fast going into ckcay bccau"e tnlcks cannot bL "''tained froruL the l{ailway Dcpart1nent. It is the fur1etion of the Governme11t, if thev are gci11:.: to <'ontrol the dc11artrnent, tu Reo that tlH' custoin('rs are pro·~:idcd for and to see that indLlstrics art- not allowed to languish for lack of rolling-stock. These aro facts \\hich unfortunatt->lv cannot bo r.dtered bv tht· oration of th(~ ~ ::Hinistcr this afh~rnoo1l. Tbero \Ya'-. a big increa' e in the volume of trade which has come to the Raih\ ay Depart. ment, aHd one would think that, in the face of that incroa-;c, the dcpartrnent would have been able to show a better financial position. But despite the fact that it has had an i•Hr<'ase in fares and freights, and that it is do1ng a b1~,g-er volun1e of trade, it is iQ a V\·orse financial por-1tion th:.n it ,·vas in previously, and the department is not able, even on a pc•rccntage basi ::~, to shov.7 an:,7 thing hke a.s good results as the pro\·ious r\dministratlOll cas able to slw'v with ~lo\VPr freights and fares.

Tlw incr0ased volume of trade has not ir•1provecl the positicm of the Government so far as th0ir railwav Pudministration is concerr:ed. . That is the position to-da:t. \\hat rs gomg to be the position when we get the 44-honr week, .and when .another 5 ]>0r ce!lt-. is going to be imposed on the wage-. bill for childhood endowment? The Govcrmm'nt have fonnd that they have got to the peak of their freights and fares, and theY cannot increase them. They find alco tlmt there is one big junk of their re' cnue gone in certain directions-that is in connection 'vith wagcc.. Thev U.L'e increftR~ ing the \Vages indircctlv bv a 44-hour week and by a 5 per cent. (;,x "on the waiTCS bill for childhood endowment, and they httvc no mon<;y l~·ft with wl:ich to keep up ncee--"ary repali'S 1Il the Harlwa: D0partment. That B the dlfficulty. and it is going to be felt by CYC'ry indu~try in 1 he Stah The Raih' a v Department and other Gm crnment ckpttrt· n1ents h•ve the great taxpaving con1n1unib· on which to levy: but the ,",nfortunate tax· paying commuuity have to compote with other producers ovcr.'<eas, who arc quite pre· pared to clo busiuess on competitive lines, and unfortunate!:.· our producers will not have the taxpayers to rely on. The Government are no\v going to reap something- v~·hich they have sown for many y<'ars. I said once before that the taxation imposed will show the good or bad dfects of administration.

JJ1r. Sizer.J


Chickens are coming home to roost so far as the GO\·ernmont are concnrncd. Undoubtedly the additiomJ burdens which are about to be placed on the community will be one of the last straws which will break the camel's back.

Before I pass from the Railway Depart" ment I want to s.ay that the time has arrived, despite the independent expert <;>f which the Minister spoke, when the pubhc should have an independent inquiry made by s.o'!'eone in whom it has confidence-not officials of the department. The public should be represented on that inquiry, both as travellers and consignees, in order that some system may be devised to overcome the.se difficulties and givu confidence to the pubhc, and if any blame is at.tachable, it should be placed at the right door.

I want to sav a word or two in regard to tl1G clutnge of Administration which has taken place- during the last few months. \Vhilf' I realise that no good purpose would be "'crvcd by discucsing a judicial appointment as it would bave the affect of undermini~g the confidence which is beginning to be placed in tho judicial system, ono has to bear in n1ind the surroundin[(s of that chan"e of Adminishation, and that a particul~r appointment ha' caused .an alarm to the public.

;>.Ir. '.YRE~I-n: You fou;;ht t.ho Toowoomba election on that.

3-fr. SIZER: The circun1st:1nces surround~ ing- that app0intmcnt and the change of Adn1jni~tration :tre C'f2rtainly very unif!UO, and th1s :must b0. a rno~t hun1iliating scs~ion for the late Prc mier, when h" secs the YiC'v-s that he anrl iho SFcrct<>ry for Public Lands held in this Cha'•1ber-,vhich had only been arrin:-d at aft"r ~-ears of administrative re;.,ponsibility-throv.-n' over in five mi'nutes. It mu~t be a hnmiliating position to him, and it is more humiliating when one con,idcrs the cii·cumstancos under which the change wa" n1ade. Furthcnncre, let me say in passing that the circumstances in that comcction are unfortunate. The attitud '~hich the late PrcmiE'r and the present Secrorar.' for Public Lands took up made a lasting imprec,ion on the public which will not bo fon;otton. and the:.- stood high in public estimation for what the:: tlwn "tid.

The 8ECBET.\RY FOR PuBLIC WORKS : After all you said about them at the last election?

Mr. 8IZER: Another point on which I wish to touch is the proposed reform dealing with the Medical Practitioners' Act. I do not know whether the matter I am going to mention has come before the Government officially, but I think that the time has long since passerl when something should be done to protect the public horn the numerous quacks who are living on them. I am not now referring to the controversy about the Abrams' treatment-! am not in possession of adequate knowledge of it, but I think it is a treatment which to some extent is conducted on scientific lines, and inquiries are being made-hut I do think it is a scandal that in this State where we look after a person practically from the time he is born until he dies, and even after his death, we shou]d allow people in the community whom I shall call nothing more or less than hum· bugs to put in the newspapers all sorts of advertisements, giving glowing descriptions of their ability to cure all sorts of diseases,

[Mr. Sizet·.

and so trade on the susceptibilities of the people and rake in enormous sums of money on the plea of remedying their ill-health. To my mind, it is time the Government stepped in and properly protected the community. I have read various exposures by "Truth" and "Smith's Weekly" of people who can only be absolute humbugs preying on the community; yet there is nothing but silence on the part of the Government, although if people are carrying on business in an honest and legitimate way they bring down the ire of the Government upon them as profiteers. To say the least, it is significant, and I thought that probably from the mention in the Governor's Spc,Dch of an amendment of the Medical Practitioners' Act we would have something in that direction. Hon. members have read these advertisements of offers successfully to treat all disca~cs-including) for jnstancP, cancer. It is <dl " tommy rot." The world would pay 1nillions to science for a discovery of a cure for cancer, yet we allow these ad,;ertisements to go broadcast into our community. The peo:,]e are taken down, and not a word is said.

Mr H.\XSOX: Your Press prints them.

:Mr. SIZER: They all do: it is a matt0r of bu~iness with them. The public should )v, protected. If there are people in the community who can do any good, then let them justify thPmse)ves; but it is all humbug for people to say that they can cure cancer, c tc. The GoYcrnmcnt should sec that those >Yho insert the'"' misleading advertisements in the newspapers are made tJ stand up to them and prove that the0 can do what they say the,- can do. The-y would then soon pass out' of existence.

:\Ir. H \RTLEY: According to the hon. p:entleman's argument half the doctors would be wiped ont.

:\1r. SIZI~R: I am prepared to sn:,' that cYen doctors prohabl:; mrrke misbkes. Evcrvbodv must admit that tho medJCal rrofessior; of Australi>c and the \Yorld genoralh- is consid~rably far ahe'ld .,-,f the old bla"ckfellow medicine-man business. The present-day quack belongs to the old medicine man of the aboriginal type. \'V~ c ~we supposed to be an cnlil!htcned eontmmllty. and we h>:ve 'm allegedly enlightened GoYcrnment who are preprcred to- n llow this sort of thing to continue. It seems to me ihal there has be~n a considerable increase in th€'58 mushroom ''healers," who possess certain pO\YOrs of gullibility awl ent,cr into certain :tnystic surroundings, prepare a few hubal concoctions from dawldions and oth~r weeds, and then hang out their signs. Some of !he leading weekly newspapers have im-estig-ated these mattNs and hRve proved adequa-tely that the public :1r2 in need of proioction from these humbugs. The GoYernment are not prepared to take the slightest step in that direction. The time has gone past when action should haYe been taken. The Government should exercise their powers, as I hope they will do. in order to protect the public.

I notice in His Excellency's Speech that we are to have a Forestry Bill. I am very pleased to know that that is so. If there is one thing in the community which calls for considerable foresight it is the reafforestation of this State. I commend to hon. members, and certainly to the public outside, an

Address in Reply. [18 AuausT.] Address in Reply. 213

excellent article by Mr. Swain in the May issue of the "Agricultural Journal," issued by the Department of Agriculture a.nd Stock. Probably me.ny hon. members have read that article. It is a pnre statement of facts, and I hope ihat the Bill to be introduced will proceed along the lines suggested in !hat ar!.icle. \Ve must realise that Queensla,;d's pine and soft woods will be extingui::;hcd within the ne'<t i1fteen to twent:· years; or, in other words. that the work of 2,000 years u[ r.aturc will havo coino to an end. Realising that, we must tako stock of the position, particuhtrly in view of the fact that tirnbcr is extensively required for house construction in Queensland, Seein.:; that we have hLrt a compar<ttively small amount of our limber rcsenes loft, it is time that we reviewed the sitna tion. I am basing m:,· remarks on the figures and facts supplied in the article by Mr. Swain, and I presume ~hey arc correct. The sawmilling industry m Quecnslar,d has timber to lost for on!' another ten or fifteen years. The ply-woo;l trade in connection with pine and maple. in ·which a. considerable amount of 1flOllC'V has Leen inYested. is limited to a shorter ·space of tim~. In the next thirtc years tho poe.i-1Jon >nll become more acute as the countries from \vhich \YO are no\v' )mporHncr our soft woods will i1nd themselves in the ~oame P.osition. as we are in to-day. T'hat is a }l:1sitwn whiCh one naturally must be rrlarmcd r,t. In that article Mr. Swain has enunciated " policy of rationing th<e supplies of timber in this State. H0 states that it will be l!f'C'C'"' 1'ar-,· to plant 5,000 acres pPr annun1 to build up our stocks of native timbers. and that the annual expenditure -Jn reaffo,·estation will be £100.000. I am g0ing to ctand behind !he Forestry Department to swnrc this reform. It is up to the Government tc Elf'O that the enonnous sums thev haY8 been rQceiving· in ro~. alti0~> are put· back in n sc·heme 0f reafioreotation. H is a char"'e on this genPration, which should n1ake p1·o~i~ion for coming generations.

SePing that such ': small amount of pine rcrnams-onl.v sufficrent for about fifte .-, .V<)ars-steps should be taken to restrict itc ~lsE' in house construetion. Queensland pine Is far too valuable to be used in this mannor. >lncl steps should be taken to introduce more imported pine in the work of house construcJion. This is a circmw•tance >vhich cannot. be helped .. It is ini1nit<:;ly cheaper to inaugurate a policy of ratwmng our pine supplies in ~oniunction .with the more frequent u.;c of 1mported pme. That will considerably cheapen the cost of house con,trnction. \V(· C''rtainlv would not have the houses built of imported pine having the beautiful appear·ance that they do when built with Qtwenslanrl pine, but a coat of paint would make anv amends in that direction. I commend to t;;;, Go,·er:r'P?nt the advis>:bility of ~xploiting the nossib1htws of our pm<' supphes alono- >hn lines I have mentioned. There is n~ ll''"

r :yinr; thet imnortPd pine will compete with 1hc lo('3l tirnbcr. VVe kno1v it doe~. W0 ,11_'•~ impnrtinl" 68 ft. of pine per capita at the nrcscnt trnw. \Ye can nc-ar!v see the end of 011r nine' snnnlics. anrl I tru~t sornething will be clone alonr; the lines indicated.

:\I~- nr'xt point is probably of more impoc·ta!lc' thfln anvth1ng else, and that is tho condition of the 'ccondary industries of the State. We snea:k. and have been speaking f{JT' mnnv :'\'f'.'lr.::, of Queensland as a grca.t prirnar:; producin~ StntP. Although we must

give cyer;.- consideration to and push om· primary industries ahead, we shall never be a great State so long as we are dependent upon our primary industries; and until we develop our secondary industries we shall be merely hewers of wood and drawers of water. It is heartrending to see our industries slowly but surely going out of oxistcnc,, Thc·:v <:ll'P struggling, struggling, and struggling, and then a,rc faced with conditions unde1· ''rhi('h thcv haYc no chance of COlTifWting with the industries of other States. A furthPr tax d 5 per cont. on the wages bill will short]" be imposed on industrv to provide for tho payment" under the childhood en do., ment sc•hpme. Such a tax is fundamentally unsound ar1d incorrect. To raise this re\~cnue in that u-...auiH'l' is g-oing· to b1:ing n1orc trouble to rhis GoYcrnincnt and to the con1rnunity a,j large, so that <'Ycr.vbody will be sorry. One cannot. Lurn the candle at both ends. and thP Goy(•rnn1ent cannot impose heavv taxa· tion on Prn plo~vcrs and then cxtr~.ct an additional t:_ixabon on the amount of 'vagc s thPy pay.

:\Ir. HY:\ES: How would you finance the ~che111c?

:\Ir. SIZER: \Vhcn the time comes we shall discuss that question. I merely use the argument at pre,ent in so far as secondary ~nclu~trics are concerned. The secondary industries o[ Queensland have to compete <Yith the secondarv industries of the world. Rcarcely one of ou~r primary industries, ·with rhe exception of the wool and a couple of other exceptional industries, can .~tand on its own bottom. All of them have to be holAtPrcd 111) by subsidie~ in. one way or another. The reason for that bolstering up is that there are not sufficient people here to consume our produce on an economic h., ·.;i,s. \V e shall never have a sufficient population until we have more factories. Ono fac+ory established in this State would probalJh- ·engage 1,000 workmen. On the basis of each workman having a family of three children. that would mean an addition to om population of 5,000 people-5,000 addirional mouths to be fed. That would soh·e the <lifficulty far more effectively than the Govf'l'nment's, Committees of Direction. That is the solation of the marketing o.f our primary products. ·

1t often passes through my mind that we pay too mueh attention to our primary industries~ and thai; we should give more attention to om· socondarv industries. If we encourage factories iri: . Que<msland, people will come here, ,1nd will go on the land as soon as that land is profitable.

:\fr. HYXF.S: You should get the Commonwealth GoYcrnment to pass an effective tariff.

:vir. SIZF.R: The reason why people will not go on th" land is that we have no markets for our produce, and farming is neither attractive nor profitablP. If vou "'Jlply markets by encouraging the establishment of faf'lories and by creating a shortage d nrimary products ncople will go on the land, because th<'.y ,,-ill bo prepared to put up with hardships when they are makin~ mnne"·. At th.·· present time nothing is being- done b:~, the Gov0rnmcnt, and we arP drifting farther and farther and farthe': away.

C\1r. HYXES: \Vhv clo not the Commonwealth introduce an effective tariff?

Mr. Sizer.]

21± Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

}fr. SIZRR: :'-JBver mind about the Corn· mon·,realth tariff. The hon. member is pre· pared to take ali the benefits brought about h, the Commonwealth tariff, but is not pre· pared to :tssist our indust-ries. Hon. members may possibly claim that ·we have an apprenticeship scheme. I do not care whether we have or not. Bovs cannot learn trades to-day, and hon. members opposite know it. Y c n may get one out of a hundred into a trade, but you cannot place the other ninety· nine. If we had additional factories, we eonld place the others, but the present

Administration are driving the [3.30 p.m.] existing factorie'• away. I ask

every member of this House how often parent; go to them and ask them to get positions for their boys. Further, how often are they able to get positions for these boys?

Mr. HATITLEY : The} cannot get jobs because ,.·ou haye too many Italians being brought in by Mr. Bruce.

}lr. SIZER: That is exactlv the sort of answer one gets \vhcn one att0n1pts to deal \Yith a serious position. That is the limit of their vision i•1 regard to the development of a ~Teat StatP. The Secrc1 arv for Public In,'tnwtion ·.,ill tell you that· it is costing him in the .vicinitv of £72.000 a v·ear for the• e-ducation uf thue natural' incl'LlsC in our child1·u1. Thr ·c arc young people of oEr own kith and kin, and not Italian immigra11ts; and the GoYernn1ent are not rnaking proYision to place thern iu positions when they grow up to manhoo·d. The time is coming when the Government-if not this G{JYcrnnwnt then sorne other Go\·C'rtu:rLentrnu~t scriou~ly consid(_•r the quf'stion ot encouraging to the f11.llest possible extent the <''tablishment of secondary industr[< ·· in onr midst, and, when they are established. llOl to hat.k'• thc·m conri11uously, but givo them an opportu';ity to compete with the {)!her States ;o that they may r'xpand naturally as the State den,!ops. Queensland is. and is bf~corning n1ore so, a State of agents of c1·ery description. It is profitable £or the agt>ntf-;, \rho do very good business. It is a nece·, -,ary business, and they arc doing good ''"·vice to the community; but they are selling goods fr(nn other counJ ric .; and from othct· States when they should be selling QueulSlnnd good2, and the present position 1.vill not change until they ar.c selling Queensland goods. I expected to be told that Mr. Henry Ford is e .. tablishing works in Queensland and that the British Imperial Oil Company and people like t.hat have commenced operations in Queensland. People who have \Yorld-\virle lllOllopoli('S or who n1ore or less control worJcJ .. wide operations are able to <·ompete on the Queensland market, but my concern is for the thousands of people throughout Australia who \Yant to establish themselves in our midst, an .cl 1.vho want to n1cct our many rcquirernents that are· now importc·d. Those ar" the people we want to protect, md, if the Gov0rnment would give ntt cntiou to thr'se m a t 1 ers. thev would not need to \YOrrv so much about, a childhood cndov:rnent sPhcrnc. Arnerica never brca.me a gn·at natio<1 until she developed her secondary industries. To-dav that countrv pa;~·s i he highest y;ages in th.e world. ,

Mr. COLLINS: And has tlJC moot millionaires -40.000 millionaires.

. }fr. SIZER: That i" easily explained. It Is because of the an1ount of bu~jnes5 they do,

f rffr. Sizer.

and although it may seem .a paradox to the hon: member for Bowen, tPie fact that these men ha ye becornc 1nillionajres has m·eant Hwt the community has receiyed cheaper goods than otherwise would have been the ca!·e. Thev have 120,000,000 people for a hon1e marl(et, and they exploit the world's market on a bagatelle profit. That is what Que?nsland manufacturers are up against, and, in spite of that rornpetition, the Governmellt compel them to !J"Y a high taxation and hara-' them in evcF direction. l\ot only do you limit their hours, but a man can neither walk nor nloYo until he gets a ticket to go here or there. He has to fill in a return here and a return there; and, when he gets to the stage that he can har·dly move, the Government t~x his wages bill after they have brought Ius wages up to the hig'hcsr possible poiut. This state of affairs caJJnot continue, anJ the sooner the Government rc•alise it· the better it will be £or all conc·rned. Instead of benefiting people ~<horn the GDYCl'l!nH.'llt allege they represent, they arc going 10 do them harm. The G-oYcrnm.ent \vould be \vell adyrsed to get <-lcwn to serious busincs~ in this clirec1ion, as otlwrwisc thPY will ne\·er solve the difliculties in regur-d to· our prirnary industri<: . The:v ha.vc devised muchincrv of cycrv description to giyc the farmer c;:ntrol of, his product and-· se, urc markets for him. and tlwy ha Ye giYen hirn organisation after organisation. Yet the farming con1111U11jt.y \\-ore nGYPr rnore di2content.cd and "\YCl'C nCYC'r worse oif than thev are to-dav. Hon. members opposite should realise that, if we have more produce than there are people to consume it. and they put on a prot.ectiYe duty so that nothing can be l>r:JU.''·ht from outside to compete with the lo< .d nroduct. and after the local consumers e..rc Sl;pplicd there is an exporhblP surplus. tht communit :: has to be taxed to make good. That is \Yhat .. hon. members opposite do not realise. rntil they increase the buying powcer of thP home market, which can only bP done by dr,·eloping our secondary industric>', these difficulties will remain. They will not soh·c the difficulties of the primary producers merely by passing Acts of Par!iarnent or in1posing protective tariff~. They must pro1·ide markets to consume that which is produced in the community, and then export the surplus OYersc:J.s at a profit.

J\oil'. WI='iSTANLEY (Quccnton): I would like to sav a few words on the motion for the Addre~s in Reply before it goes through. The speech we have just listened h is one of the most alarmist speeches ever made in this House.

Mr. KERR: A Yery good one, too.

Mr. IVIXS'l'ANLEY: If the hon. member thinks it a good ono, I am sorry for his judgment. The only safe thing for people who btlieYe in tlw statements m1·de by the hon. member for Snndgate and who sec eyo to eye "·ith him is to go and commit suicide. I can quite understand whY, if he comes into contact with very many people and talks to them like he has spoken here this afternoon. there is a spirit of um·est and a lack of confidence in the commuuitv. vVhen the hon. member had said a 11 he" could &.\V he practically led us nowhere. He did not tell us an.vthing that \YOuld be of any practical benefit. He has led us i';to a number of dead-ends. but he has no s'olution to offer for the difficulties he has raised. If no better an:pments can be brought against the

AdJrecS' in lCeply. [18 AT.:GUST.] 215

Gon~rnrEC>nt tl~ 1n ho usf'd, it cnly shows that he i3 Inf're anxious to nud;;:o a point against

•; he Govcr"mcnt than to solve tho difFiculties ·which exist in tho roinnHPlitv. If that is all we can got from the hen. member, 'lls epee' h is not worth the paper it will l'O printed on. I am of opinion that a great rlr-al of ··hat he raid is absolutelv erroneous. It is nor a sp•cch that would 'inspire cc•n· fidencc and lt_•acl anyone to coniC' to l,iut•Ll~s-1and to coinniPT!C~ sccotHlary induf'trie':l, for the si1nplc rca..::on that hi:" speech from b-egnininz to cud 'vas one.' of an alal'nlist chara ..... tcr, an cl it will c ,use people to be .tfraid ,, net concerned as to what the outcome of the pcsi· ion in the country is going to be.

It is all verv well for the leader of the Opposition or 'for members of the Opposition to give advice to t.he Government. It is all nrv well for th<em to criticise the Government; but what the Opposition really need to do at the present time is to advise themselv<lF and come to some understanding as to their own position, because before any Opposition can become an Opposition that is \HJrthy of the name it must hav<' a den and well-defined policy, and ilc must be a united party. Everybody knows that disunion and diviswn arc rife amongst them. and before they can give any advice 1-o the Government or do anything in the 3hapP of criticis.ing the administration of the Governnwnt thev should know where the,- really aro thcd;selves. A party that cannot 11roduco a leader from its own ranks does not deserve one. The party opposite has tried to get various persons to ]pad it. but thev all refuse the job. An Opposition in which that condition of things pre' ails i, not worthy of the name of an Opposition at all. I have known Oppositions in this House much omaller than t-he present Opposition whi'ch really dominated the House and practically took control of measur0s as they .,-ere going through. Certainly that was a Yerv different Opposition from the one with vvhich we arc faced at the present time.

In the next place, Jet me add mv word of n,ppreciation of the SJWeches of the mover and seconder of the Address in Reply. 'They both made clear and lucid speeches; they got over a good deal of ground, and gave a clear and distinct epitome of what they believed in and were aiming at.

So far as the Governor is concerned, I doubt whether any Governor has seen so much of Queensland as the present Governor. He has gone round the St.ate as an observant individual and seen practically everything there was to be seen, and thus has been able to understand the people and the conrlitions under which they live and move and have their being. His criticism has always been in good spirit and helpful. and I am sure that after he gets back to the Old Country he will be able to tell the people there quitR a number of useful things about Queensland, and thus help us considerably here. Quite a number of the speeches he has made from time to time duri.ng his >oj ourn in Queensland on different t.opics have been well worth reading, thinking over, and studying, and for that reason he should be able to correct a great many misapprehensions. not only in the Old Country but. indeed. in some parts of the Common:wealth in refere-nce to I\orth Queensland and the rest of Qtteemland as well; and, if he can do t-hnt, he will be doing something really meful for this State. In his Speech, as

on a previou3. oc-:-·asion, he said son1ethiug about the conditions under which the people liv-e in the Northern and \Ve<·'tern part of the State, and pointed out the nature of the clwdlings generally in t-hose portions of the State. J~yer ,·bodv who knows those conditions will bear oi.1t y;hat he oavs about the nee~ ·,,sity for in1prcving the cor~ditions.

The hon. member for \Vvnnum a short time ngo-as on lll'CYious oc~asions-pointed out that the Gm·,·rnrncnt of which he was a member introduced and placed on the statute book the \Vorkers' Dwellings Act, and also state<] that members of this party ,,·ho were then sitting in opposition were oppo3cd to that measnre. But he did not tell the whole truth. He did not put the 'xhole position before hon. members. He did not sav that the first Bill he introduced wa" so b·(~·nchantlv and adverselv crit.iDised that he dropped it after the second reading. It was introduced in a later session with practiraliv all the amendments that had been pointed out by the then Opposit-ion as being necessary.

Hon . .J. G. APPEL: Oh, no.

J\Ir. \VI:'\STA:\LEY: \r:,,onc who "arcs to turn up '' I-Iansurd" "\vi1l very qui<>kly Sl'P that rr1_v ~tniPJn<-'nt is correct. That was nd the onlv Dill that was with<h·av;l!, On more than one occasion the same hon. gentlen1an, \Yhen Secretary for Public \Yorks and v hen Treasurer. introduced cort:tin Bills, but dw criticism that came from lhe Opposition ·was of ~ uch n, natu1·c that the hun. gPnlleman ar,J his Govcrnrnf'nt could not but be convinced that the Oppositioll W''re right, and the Bills were dropped and later reintroduc'·d with practically all the amendmc-llts su!"gested by the then Opposition. I have alway;; lwcn candid!-.' of the c'pinion that th8 Opposition has a function to perform, but to be able to perform it th0y w<ent to know their O\Yll poli< ~,, be quite ~ur,~ of their own principle~•. and certainly have unity, and not hav':' one n1ember of the Opposition moving an amendment and then ;,·ithdra\ving it, and another mernber rno-..:ing the same amendment and dividing the House on it, as we have seen on more than one occasion.

'The question of housing accommodation is a world-wide problem, and is not a problem that concerns the State of QuNmsland alone. It is one of those difficulties that : ll !iovcrnmcnts are faced with at the present time. The \Vorkers' DwPlling Act. which provides 1hat a man must hav" freehold land to the value of £100 before a house would be erected for him, dicl not prcvicl0 housing accommodation for those who nC>eded it most. I remember on one occasion asking the then Secretarv for Public vYorks, now the hon. me-mber· for \Vvnnum, the number of labourers and artisans who had been ab],, to obtain workers' dwelling-s, but he pointblank refused to furnish the House with that information. for the simple reason that he knew that those who needed the help most 10rg-cntlv had been unable to obtain it under the vYorkere' Dwellings Act. I am glad to say that the vVorkers' Homes Act, which was passed by this GoYermncnt. is a much more lib01·al measure than the Workers' Dwellings Act. and it has been taken advantage of to a very larg-e extent because it prm·ides for the needs that were entirely inadc(luately suppliPrl under tlw ·work•·rs' Dwellings Act. The latter made no provision

]VIr W instanley .]


whatever for people living on goldfields. They had no freehold and could not get freehold; consequently they were debarred from the advantages of that legislation. To-day a worker can obtain a house t-o the value of £5GO; but. if he had to wait until he had accumul3;ted, ~hat amount or sought It from pnvate ondividuals, when he would havt' to _pay 7 per cent. or 8 per cent., he would Simply have a burden on his back that he would never be able to bear. Gndcr the ~xisting conditions ft worker can obtain a dwelling on le"lsehold tenure, and it is qwte as good as a house erected on freehold land. There is no difference in the look of it. He can make just the same use of It, and be JLFt as well mtishcd. He has noi to find the money for the land, and that money can go towards th'" erection of the house. CoEsoquently under this scheme the ·workers f',an Dbtai~l 'eottages in quite a number of places 111 Quoensland-probably &l! OYC'r Queeusland~at a les3er rate than they. can rent m:c, and all the timo they are makmg It then own. 'l'he Government havo done something in the direction of bdpmg those who wc.ro unable to help themse~vcs. They have helped them to obtain D~l~ a~1tagcs and bonci1ts which were not pro~ VHWd for them ande1· the legislation introduced by tho hon. member for \Vynnum when he 'vas m tho Ministry. Any time \Yhen hon. 1nmnbers on this side rneniion cottages for workers we are met with the er,: from the Opposition of ''royalty." I wonder If the present Government wore to Wipe out the timber royalty altogether to-morrow, whether ihe people could obtain then: ~ottages any cheaper than they are obtammg. them to-day? I question it very much. It they could, how is it that large areas of timb!'r country have beon handed <_Jver tl'l the fnends of previous Governments Jar a mere song? These areas are situated a~ Yarraman an~ quite a number of places. 1 he ,oyvnors obtained concessions on certain conditiOns. They have evaded the conditions but. arc still in possession and havo no royalnes to pay. Jf proviou.s Governments had collected r~yalties and spent that rn_on~y 1!1 roafforestailon, '''e ·would not be w_1thm fifteen years of the expiry of our l>l!W r<';·ource'. In the firsl se,sion that I sat m tn" Parliament I asked the then Secru ary_ for P!1bhc Lands what had been dorw .m the direction of rea/forestation. Ho practiCally aclimtted that nothing had been done.

:\Ir. COSTFLLO: Shame;

Mr. WIKSTANLEY: It was a shame on the then Government in power, and it was not a _Labc~ur Government. The hon. member who mteqected must take his share of the shame for that neglect. It was not until the presel!t GoYernment came into power that anyt~mg was done tmYards reafforestation. I fad to see whv the assets of the State should be _given away. The State is entitle] to sometlung _for its timber. Certainlv more ~oney Is bemg 'pent at the present timo In re~fforestatwn and much better provisio;I Is. bemg- made to conse;·ve our timber supplies t~an m times gone by. From th~t standpomt alone the Government should bo cotm:leiJded rather than blamed. In sonh) p.laces ,and. monopoly Is a much more objec~wna ble thmg and places far more difficultv m the way of people dtesirous of gettin;, houses than the royalty on timber. I lmm~ m some nlace3 where two or three individuals own the whole of the land, and they put pric"s

r Jlr. w instanley.

on ihe land which are unreasonable. Their, action makes it practically an impossibilitY for a working man to buy ]and at a pric·.,.. which will enable him afterwards to erect anything like a decent cottage on it. The Government in providing Crown lands in qmte a number of places to enable workin" men to get decent living areas on which t:'; build homes are certainly doing something to do away with the bad conditions that exist in quite a number of centres at the present time.

I listened with a good deal of attention to the remarks of the hon. member fo,, Murilla. and particularly his remarks in relation to the cattle industry. Every intelligPnt individual in the community is desirous of seeing not only primary industries but secondary industries prosper. Primary industries arc the basis of practically everv country. Those primary industries 'have t0 be develOJ><'d. and they have, to a large extent, to find the cost of secondary industries. Consequently the primary industries are bearing the cost of whatever secondary indu tric,, we have in our midst. I am confidP:Jt that, as a general rule, secondary industrles are a ttractcd to the large centres of population. It i,,, a difficult matter to establi.,h sc>condary industries in the country, although in some districts an attempt is being marle to do so. The secondary industries follow Hw large centres of population because they wor!;: a great deal into each other's hand and serve each other's purposes. The only remedy suggested bv the hon. member for Murilla to rehabilitate the cattle industry wccs tha Rnpointmcnt of a commission 'of inquir~"~'e havo had c01nmissions of inquiry in co11· nection with this and other matters; and, aftpr all, what good do they do? They do not tell us verv much more than we know already. rnles~ th0 people in the industr:-do something for t.hemsclves I am afraid that no improvem<'Ilt on the present conditions will take place. The hon. m'ember did not hc,itate. as no hon. member oppoeite does, to attempt to blame the Government for the position of the industry at the present time. A' thoul'h the Government could be respomible for things that are practical!:- out of their control ~ After all, it depends not onlv on the home markets but to a very larf:re extent Ppon the overse-as markets, ~s we h~ve to compete with the products of the world. An intNosting shtement was madE' through the Press some time ago giving the vie'' s of Mr. J. B. Cramsic. who is admitted to bo an authority on the subject. It reads-

" THE CATTLE OuTLOOK. "J\.Ir. J. B. Cramsie, one of the

members of thn Australian Meat Council, has arrived in England by way of South America. and givt'S to our cattle industfv a page from the gosp~J of hope. Th;,. world demand for meat, he says, is growing steadily and Australia has he,,· opportunity. A correlative hope may be PXprcsscd that Australia may bo read\' for the opportunity. Our brief histmy C'Ontains SC'Ycral jnstanccs of our. strivi11g for a trade, and then not bemg able to supplv it. 'Tho late Mr. J. D. Campbe1l led a Yigorous eampajgn some score, of years ago to find a trade outlet for om· timber. Later on customers came to 11s and found that we could not supply the orders which they brought."

'The hon. memhci· for Sandgate adyocar.·s the importation of timber. The hon. member

Address in Reply. [18 AuGUST.] Address in Reply. 217

would soon find out. when adv<Jcating a reduction of duty, that he W<Juld be up against this same Campbell firm. who are seeking 10 export timber. The quotation continues-

"The cattle men in recent years have had a bad time, and it is not impossihlte that. as the chairman of the.Queensland National Pastoral Company said two years ago, we shall have a shortage. Drought has had something to do with it, and tho spc,ving kni f0 a good derrl mo1·e. The Queensland National Pastoral Corn· nany. as Mr. Luya stated on Thursd~v last, has 106,160 adult cattle and 25,916 calves; in the past two years 22,228 cows were spevcd, and this vcar another 10 000 will be ;imiiarly treated. I{ this us~ tlf the knife is going on to the same extent all through the State, a realisation of Mr. Cramsic's expectation mav find us with a. big demand, won at g·~·eat costrand not sufficient cattle to meet it."

That would be rather a disastrous sort ol thing. Those who are in a position to jud"e seem to think that that may be the case. ·

Ono of the comments made by the present Governor-General when at our Exhibition the other day needs to be taken to heart and pondered over. Lord Forster stated that ;n davs gone by, and not very recentlv o-onn b:v. the slogan " good enough" was ffior~ or lees general, and we know that, vchen orders >rero plentiful and prices high, Australian exporters were not too careful as to the class of goods they sent awav. The consequence has been that, to a great' extent, we have lost our trade throu~h not s11pplying articles up ~o sample. In this connection Mr. R. C. Philp 1s reporte~ to h":ve stated quite recently that the t1me IS r1pe to allow shipments of full fares to be exported, and that " in Germany and Austria the whole of the tubercular meat was eaten." That is rather a remarkable statement to make-that we should try and foist such defective meat on to anybody else on the principle of " 'What the c.ve does not see the heart does not grieve over." Mr. Philp suggested that nodules could be trimmed off and the meat made presentable in appearance. vVhen dealing with our export trade it is rather dangerous that we should contemplate sending away am-thing but the very best that can be produced. vVo must export the very best if we are to keep and expand our overseas market, and thu·s be abk to build· up our ~econcla.r::~ jndnstrjes as well a" our prjmary 1ndustncs.

The hon. membet· for :\1urilla had a good dcd to :;:ay: too, 111 reference to the bruising of ca.ttlP in the trains. An inquiry has b0en held in that direction and a nnnlbPr of rcrominendat.ions have been made. These recommendations have been acted on, and it must be remembered that at the present time cattle are being carried perhaps double the distance

that they were carried a few [4 p.m.] ycaro ago. A few years ago from

230 to 250 miles was the maximum distance carried. while now in manv inshnces they arc cm·;·ied from 700 to 1,oo'b miles. Not only does this affect railway trucks and railway work. but it also affects the cattle themselves. The difficulties are inteneified, and oftentimes these cattle are leg-weary and not able to stand up at the en{] of their journey.

It is repeatedly stated in this House that the Government should be able to anticipate

what is going to take place. At the commencement of the present season quite ,a number of people were of the opinion that we were !;Oing to have no cattle season worth talking about in Queensland. It appeared that the cattle-owners were not going to sell at the prices offered, and the consequence was that at the commencement of the season there was very little doing. It was only later, when some veople thought we were going to miss the season altogether, that lhe cattle began to come in. I am told on fairly good authority that the American meat companies at the commencement of the season were getting in and buying cattle for their me~ttworks, whereas in previous years local meatworks were able to get hold of stock at fairly decent prices. Quite .a number of cattle.owners and cattle-growers up my way arc beginning to feel that the area.q which they hold for the production of caHle are too small. In years gone by, when limits were fixed on the rental paid, the area might have been big enough, but with the increased rents and the reduced vurehnsing pov;er of money quite a number of them say that their areas are not big enough for what they really require, and they are asking the Government if something cannot be done to increase the areas. I understand that the Department of Public Lands has the matter under consideration.

I think, too, in this connection, that the distribution on the other side of the world leaves a good deal to be desired. It seems to me that practically everything that we send from Australia goes to London, and then has to be distributed from London over the railways. It has been pointed out on previous occasions that a better distribution o-f our products could be made if some of them were sent to Bristol, some to Liverpool, and 'ome to Hull, for the simple reason that all these ports arc adjacent to large industrial centres and to the bulk of the population in England, and, what is more, adjacent to the people and to the centres where they eat a great deal more meat than is eaten further south. If something were done in this direction, it would mean an improvement in prices and an improvement in conditions generally, not only in regard to meat, but probably also in regard to most of our primary products, as· they are products that are required by the great working-class. community. If we coulrl get our products to them without incurring the expensive London port dues and the expensive railway journey that is necessary afterwards, they would be less costly to the consumer.

The peoplE: of Charters Towers are going to have a try-which I hope will prove successful-le inaugurate a secondary industry. The people there and in the district· hav13 "Jlplied for and have had allotted to them. between 80,000 and 90,000 £1 shares for the establishment of a woollen factory. The business has been discussed for some time past. I understand that a contract has been entered into and tenders obtained for the supply of material. As evidence of the confidence of the people there, about £13,000 worth of these shares were taken up in narcels of from £25 to £100, so that everybody who thought that during the next twelve months they could raise £25 applied for twenty-five sha'res. They are anxious to retain the town on the map and keev it going; and they have shown their bona fides, and desire to see secondary industries as

Mr. Winstanley.]

218 Adr:hess in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address -in Reply.

well as primary industries established by finding the money to sot this enterprise gomg·. In the first place, they intend to e>tablish a "ool scour, and for the manu· factnre of tops a mill, and this will run into an expenditure of between £~0,000 and £50 COO. Their inteni.ion ic, later on, to go in for both spinning and weaving. I think that is a step in the right direction, and I tl'llst they will succeed.

The hon. mc•mber for Sandgato talked about the number of boys and girls who leave school cverv vcar and set out in life. It is quite evident they find a footing some· where, as they certainly do not loaf on their parent-s after leaving school. The difficulty is that quite rt number who get into positions ;vhich ono might regard as suitable for young people and are appren· ticed, often grow di ·satisfied because they are not earning tho money which others aro earning in sea,,onal industries. and they are advised by people who ought to know better to give up their jobs and seck work in moat.:·orks or at cane cutting, where they gei h1gh wages during the season and have notlung to do during the rest of the year. \Vo need to train artisans and make them ea pablo of working in sec<mdarv industries t.o produce the things wo "ant. 'but I know quite a number of parents find it a difficult task to c-·Jnvince tho young people that bv making CJmo sanificp in the shape of wage's at_ the present time tThcy will re~l? the benefit later on 111 hfe. Numbers of boys cannot lw induced io go to work like that.

At 4.7 p.m., The CHAimu.x OF CmrMITTEES (Mr. G.

Poliock, Grr;1ory) relieved the Speaker m thr chair.

Mr. WINSTAJ'\LEY: The"- would sooner ~o ::dlCre wage". are high, and ean earn m si:s: months enough to keep them all the year round. It is not always an easy thing 1 o get a boy to be bound as an apprentice. In Charters Towers, where goldmining is a thing of the past, this position is intensified, because, when boys get to fifteen or €Ixteen years of agp and have passed through the secondary schools, and some of them throu!l'h .the junior and senior University exammatwns, unlm·s they can get into the Government· service there is practicallv nothing for them to do. Consequently they have to.go away from the place, which is neither fa1r nor reasonable to their pa.rents after the sacrifices they ha.ve made for thorn. The idN is entertained by quite a number of people that this proposed woollen mill will provide work for just. the class of young people who arc needing it there. The bulk of them are young people from sixteen to e1ght~en years of age, and ultimately when the g1rls, at any rate·, get married thoy '--Yill dr?p out; and others will take their pla.cc. I thmk th1s Is a very laudablo object, and the ]Wople of Charters Towers are to he corn· mended for th,, efforts they are makino- in this direction. They naturally expect that tho Govornm~mt .w_il.l do so!'llet~ing to holp them over their c~mt1al dJil:wulbes. In the first place, they want from 20 acres to 30 acres of land. Of course, on Charters Towers there 1's no freehold, which is a very good thing as they can get land cheap; but they cannot get more than 5 acre9 in one block, c;msecwently they. have to take up five or SI"; d1ffcrent holdmgs. They are asking the :\Ilnes Department to grant them a special lease. I do not anticipate any difficultv

[M1·. Winstanley. .

in this direction I understand that the department \vi!! give them special leases at a nom1nal rent. Thon, in addition to that, they are going to ask the Railway Department to put in a siding. _ They do not !wow what the cost of the siding will be, but it will not •be very expensive. The land in view is adjacent to the railway station. I am hoping that the Railway Department wJll, in tlw ncar future. bo able to do something for us in that respect. In addition to that. tho peoplo on t·ho 'l'owars have for some time past been asking that the Government might do something in the direction of providing railway repair shops there. I haYo here an extract from the " Courier," dated Ipswich, 11th June last-

" Tho railway workshops at North lpilwich are exceptionally busy with nepair work, the demand for wagons being heavy. Much of the present activity is duo to the flush season almost throughout t.he whole State, but a great deal is directly due to the opening of the J'\ orth Coast 1 ino. In the latter case the department's expectations of traffic have boon greatly exceeded. The bu incec< community is using the Nort·h Coao:t lino considerably, and the consequent call on the department for wagons is unprecedented."

I do not think .~mybody in this Chamber h~·· the elightr·"t conception of thL difficulty in regard to rolling-stock which has been caused to the Hailv. ay Department by the completion of that railway. The extract proceed'-

" The explanation of this offered by railwav offlcials is that commercial men favouru the more or les:-3 certain rail\v~y transit to the uncertain-because of industrial eruption~-~hipping s0r\"icL~. An ill1"'tration of the traffic which is being h:mclled is the transportation ol cattle from as far away as Forsayth on the Cloncurrv line tn Borthwick's Meatworks. Brisbane. ~rhc journey necessitates detraining the stock twice.

"It is confidently stated ;n departmental cireles that the future will witness further development of tho great NorthNn traffic and that consequently the North Ipswich workshops will be taxed heaYily to keep pace with the demand for rolling-stock. At the present timo the workshops have had t.o put aside new work in the wagon shops in order to get damaged rolling-stock on tho lines again. A truck which goes as far North as Townsvi!le does not return here for nearly a month."

It often happens that a now truck is sent to Townsville, but before it reaches its destination it is recalled. That illustrates the drmand there is for rolling-stock, which is one of the difficulties which have : .. risen partly through the openinr-: of the North Coa·.t lino and which will take a great deal of overcoming by the depa.rtment. The extract goes on-

" Present conditions at the workshops when read in ae-sociation with the pas· sibilities suggested by the Northern trafflc, are regarde-d by officials as an a1·gument for the extension of tho shops. It is common knowledge that the depart· ment has been considering this develop· ment so much so that inquiries have been made as to the cost of re~umptions. It is understood that ihe scheme for tho

Addre's in Reply. [18 AuGCST.] Addncs ·in Reply. 219

c-nlargenH'nt of the workshops contcmrJlnt.c~ a removal of the P,resent run11ing shed to another site."

The point I want to make in that connection is that the people on Charters Tmvers hnYe for smne tin1e past L('en asking that smuethiug znight be don~ in connection with a "orkshop at Charters Towers. The C~cLcral Manager of the Xorthern Railways hth bee,; ··pproache·l from time to time, and 011 i.lw last occasion he seen1e~d more il'clinccl than previously to do something, unci decided to havo all the repair work r.ecc•sitatcd by the traffic to and from the "c·tcrn part of the Great 2\lorthern Railwa:/ done tlwre. I am inclined to believe that the laying down of a plant for wagon con· stl·uction vrould not involve a ,~ery great deal of cxpm1 e, and it would be very useful. The Se~rctar.) f<~r Railways this afternoon gave us the nn111bcr of trucks in course of construction. . A" present the1·c i; a shortage in :'\orth

Qncensl.mcl of practically thirty locomotives a:3 well as wa2;ons. It is just possible that cn.c· of the difficulties that the Railway

Dr·partnient are CXp('riencing is that both the rolli11g-sto( k and the engiiH'S arc being run at greater rJrcssure than shoul\1 be the {'asc, 1ncl that the result is anything but what is dc.sircd. I thillk the Government might Yery \Yell do ~oniCthing a.long the lines I ha \'C ,uggcstcd. It would not incur any ver;,- gn<t t expense, and \Vou1d certainly help the people of a deserving town to get on their feet alld keep things going. I know that some towns 0xpect the Government to do everything. The people of Charters Tc•\Yers have dmnonsirated their bona fides, and ha:·c shown and are showing that they arc w1lnng to . help themselves, a.nd, con se· fJUently, followmg the Government's polic,·, the Government should help those who are prepared to help themse!Yes.

In the short time at my disposal I d<~sirc to n1ake some reference to in1miO"ration. I can quite understand that there i~ a lot in the argument that unskilled immigrant labour dumped in one spot will displace the labour m that ar0a. That is not a very desirable or pleasant thing to contemplate; but on the other hand it is a well·known fact ihat thoro is ample room in Queensland for a good many more people than we have at pre. 'ent. I certainly think that, if the British immigrants wero properly looked for and brought here, and not clumped in one spot, tl1E'y could be brought here and we would not fc·,l the dfect of their coming. Thev would not only not displace the people liv.ing in the areas concerned, bn! in a great many J:J·:tances they would be producing somcthmg- for themselves and at the same time helping to consume some of the products grown. "re have a surplus of sugar, vre have a surplu<; of wheat, and we have a surplus of meat. and of quite a number of other things. Vi. e know that, instead of sendmg those products overseas it would be infinitely better fm the produ~ers if they »·ere· comunwd in our home market. Quite rc·ccntl.v I road of '' s<'ttler who came to Queensland fifty years ago who stated that the first thing that attracted his notic on arrival .''as. that an indignation meeting agmnst Immigrahon was to be held. That was when the population was 200 000 and io·day it is 800,000. There are on~ o~ two other m3tters that I would like to deal with but I will deal with them on the debate o~ the Financial Statement.

J\Tr. G. P. BAR:'\ES (H'rmcicl-): I JOm with other hon. members who haYo made rd<·rcnce to the retirement of Sir Mattbew :\ ;.d han, and I express n1y oxtrcrne regret ~' hi' dcr ninre. 2'\o doubt we have had a ;;isc and capo ble man at the head of affairs. I am hopeful that the speech made by the ho11. meJdber for Qnecnton will be repented nt fL CJ.binPt nlePting by-and-byo vvhen consicl('ration is being giYen to the appointn1cnt of the mccc>',or to i':>ir ·Matthew. The hon. nwmber for Qu('('nton has indicated the u:xcoptional usefnlnc~ of one serving a. country her•.' and th('n returning to ihc old land practically to becon1e a mis::.ion,_n·.v, to help by the vast <·,xperience obtained to further the growing interests of the land in whieh ;ye dwell. I am just hopeful that the SJ'irit ;;hich c; as expreesed just now will be rep ea tcd at an opportnne moment by the i1o11. n1et~1ber for Quecnton.

I an1 also in agreement with the hon . nwn1bc1· regarding the vPry great usefuh1L~·3 of th0 \Y orkers' Dwellings Act. 'Vhilot eyorythiug· Wa"i uot done in olden times :vet

l, con:.uH·ncotn0nt "''as made, and, if that comllll'11cl':nlent had 110t been 1nad£o., a Yast nut11bcr of people in onr land would be homeless \\Tt> 8n' rrlnd to have that Act on our statut•> t Jok. There \''HS a t.irnc whell hon. n1embcrs now occupying- the Government benches looked a~krrncc at the O\Ynership of anything at allcn·n n 16·pcrch dlotmcnt; I remember Potable ::<pC'PdH•s br>ing delivered against th8 owncr::~hip of land in any forn1 whatever.

The hon. member for Queenton al•o n•f<'rr<'d, while criticising tlw hon. member for Xnndnh rather seYcrcly on his remarks in cnmwc'tion with seccJndarv industries, to the fnct that in f'U1all <'Oillnlun.ities a grc,1,t growth of sf'r-ondarv industries such aR might he C'xnp,· tf'd in olClcr countrie~ could not hc cxpc,dcd. There may be a great deal of tn1th in i hat statement. hut it was singuhr that lwfore he had finished his speech he 1eferrpd to a R<'OO:Jdary industry being started in his own town. I am glad to hear of it, 'md I only hope, although it is far rcmov .. d from th' bulk of the people of this State and the other States, that success will follow I wish to nslc the hon. member whilst he is PXrn-:iru-- Qncrnslanrl from nwking real prorTess in secomhrv industries, how it is that Queensland is the. onl.v StatE\ in the CommonwPalth that has not made any success "·hatPver of "''C0ndarv industries. The hon. member snok0 of small communities. but even s<'condnrv, indnstrirs have been developed m little Tasmania. The following table shows the g-rowth of factories per 10,000 of popuiation i.'l th0 various StatP~ of the CnmnHJll· v enlth. Pxcepting Qu0ensland. for the nine c·ears cnding- 1923:-

:'\Pw South \Vales Victoria Sollth Australia T?..--mania \Y 0~tern Australia

75 138 65 31 17

Queensland, on the other hand. shows " rlPcrpa,. • of 75. It is the onlv State th,it dot.:,: sho"'' fl rlecrPase. There rllust be some rca·,on for thP sing-ular and unpalatable posi· tion "·hich Queensland holds in connection with thP rl0velopment and growth of scconc:bry inrlu<trics. It is not difficult to fmd tha r0a son. The hon. member a ne! oth0r hon. mcmb0rs might have told us that it is known fa1• and wiclC: that exeessive taxation has not increased the disposition of p0ople to start

Mr. G. P. Barnes.]


manufactories in Queensland. It has induceJ them to leave. A manufacturer ~>vho in Queensland pays in taxes £60 a year, in Vie· toria simply pays £16. It will be readily understood then that Queensland is not a State which is being encouraged to develop secondary industries. That is an outstanding factor that must be considered.

\Ye know that, had the Government taken the trouble to consider suggestions and amendments put forward from t.ime to time from this side of the House, measures introduced would have been more effective to-day than the:· are. For some years past very little attention has been given to suggest.ions made bv hon. members on this side of the House ·and what is happening to-day in connection with many measures is the result of the Government ignoring our suggestions.

This afternoon we were treated to a deliverance from the Secreta.ry for Railways. His <tatoments are larg0l:· to be taken as an apolocy for tho misdeeds of the Railway DeparLnent in various directions. There is no doubt that the trouble is due t.o a groat extent to the dearth of rolling·stock. Trarlo is lost day after day through there being an insufficient supply of rolling-stock. A few weeks ago I pleaded with the depart .. ment fm roll ing.stock. and the officials of the department did their best to supply rolling-stock as they wanted the trade; but they were unable to sunply the wagons for bullocks t-o bo transferred from Inglewood, and those bullocks had to be taken overland. I do not blame the department, as those in the d~partmcnt did their level best, but were unable to help me owing to dearth of rolling-stock. ·

It is all very well for the Secret.ary for Ra1!wavs to get up as he did, and with a mass of figures hope to allav the fears and satisfy the requirements of t"he public. The fact is that the Government have not kept pace with requirements; they have not looked ahead. They have built railways here. there, and evE>rywhero, but have forgotten altogether about rolling-stock. We lutd the hon. member for Queenton practically inc;Iic,ting that. the Railway Department wa·-· t.hJrty loromohves short. That was in face of the Minister's attempt to prove that the rolli'ng·stock which had been manufactured recently was equal to the demand. The hon. memb0r for Qne~nton also put his finger on anclther matt0r. and was perfectl:y CDrrrct~that man0• of our engines are mcanable of performing the tasks they arE> cnll~n unon to perform. Those en~ines a re ask~d to do tDo much. \V e cannot bhmo departmental officials for that kind of thin". bnt we do blame the administration of. thn G0vernment. whose duty it. is to nrov1nc for the extensions which are made fro-m time to ti'ne. It is all very well to s~v that £:0 000.000 will be expended during the next thre0 vears to sunply rolling·stock to mort. the nomands of the countrv. All these farts are evid0nce. and verv" strong evidence. too. that the Government. have been short-sivhtcd and have failed absolutely to keep pace with the growing requirements of the country.

Hon . .J. G. APPEL: Hear. hear!

Mr. G. P. BAE~F:S: The comparative figures gi,·cn bv thP l\finist.er as to what is done no,,· and what has been done in the past do not count. because the hon. gentleman did not take into consideration the fact that

[Jfr. G. P. Bar11es.

engines, rolling-stock, and everything else· cost immensely more to·day t.han they did previously.

I wish to say a word of sympathy in. connection with the Railway Department. \Vhilst manv accidents have happened, I conoider a g"rea"t deal of notoriety has been given to smclllcr things which otherwise would not have been noticed. Only the other day I it:quired of an enginc·drivcr what \Vas the weight of his engine twenty years ago, and h? said " 30 tons." I asked what was the wc1ght ten years ago, a?d he said " 50 tons." Then I asked what JS the wei~ht to .. dav and he said "100 tons." We

b aur~ running these engine~, and our [4.30 p.m.] rolling·stock on the same perma-

nent way that we put dmvn many vc ,r; arro and in rnanv in~tancPs that p·erlnanent <=> ,:,av is not c(rual to the heavier strain tltnt · is Leing placr cl o.n it. Just i1nagine the diffQrence when going round a run-e bt>ivYPf'll an ·engine weighing 30 tons pres"ling aginsr the rails as against an engine weighing 100 tons, and you can c8e that there is a gr0atly ir:crcascd source of danger ID

that direction. \Y·e shall have to strengthen tbc pennancnt '"ay in many dirc{·tions if \YO arc to he free from mam' of the cnsual· tico that haye taken place recently.

I have heard asp·crsions cast upon the raihPymen. Since a bov I h-1ve had, through rnv bnSine:-:s career, to do with men in every gr.ade of the service. I know the men to-day, and I know of no finer body of men. (Hear, hear!) I e,m not speaking politically, as the· raihYavmcn generally are against n1y party: but I 'speak a' I have found them, and I say that a finer body of men. taken as a whole coul·d not be found anywhere. (Hear, hear!) I have pcrso·1al friends in t~8 service. and in my business I have come m contact with gan{)'crs 11orter:::. engine-drivers, guards, and offici' a h 'of all grad·cs. and I maintain '"e are to be congratulated on tl~e character of the men in the railway serv1re. (Hear, hear!) I ha Ye heard aspersions cast upon them. I ·do not join in those aspersions. You will find black sheep in ever)' fold, but, taking the department as a whole, we hav,; something of which we might well feel proud. (Hear. hear!)

I am sorry that the Addre~s does not deal with matters that might be more helpful to Queensland. Vi' c are not making prof'I:ess. I know that we feel that. we are thnvmg. If one looks round. he must be astounded at the o-eneral administration of affairs. \Ve are ]ust. where we were. \Vc are nol growing. We haye not deye)oped. There is no real -evidence of progress; and how it co1nes "bout that we arc· sun·iving the ,,t.ress of times under the wasteful administration that has bc0n going on beats me altogether.

\Ve haye had a refer·cnce by the Secretary for Railwavs to the great work of his ·department,' but he did not tell us anything. He did not tell us that during the term of this Government's administration a sun1 of £12.000.0C0 had been lost in connection with the railwavs. He failed to tell us that between 1915 and 1924 the percentage of net revenue to rapit.al in co:1nection with our ra,ilways had bef'n a decreasing- an1onnt. There· should be some explanation for that kind of thing. Hon. members opposite speak about the heavier traffic and the greater work that. is being done. If that is so. how is it that that very fine paymg concern that was handed oYer to the Government returned £4 0•. Sd. per cent. in 1915

Address in Reply. LIS AUGUST.] Ad,dress in Reply. 221

and last year returned only £1 5>. 1~d. per ent.? Mr. HARTLEY : Arc you not overlooking

.the increaEe in the wages bill?

Mr. G. P. BAR:";'ES: No, I am not ~verlooking it at all. We are supposed to nave increased traffic. 'Ne know that the Govmnment have increased freights and fares, and have very much bigger engines than there were previously. Then, by the wa_y, there is this significant thmg m connectiOn with traffic. I find that in 1915 the tram mil?s run were 11,988,521, whilst in 1924 the tram miles run were 11,647,077, showmg a decrease.

Hon. J. G. APPEL: And that is with all thu extensions.

I\lr. G. P. BAR::'\ES: I have the figures with regard to extensions. There were 4.838 miles open in 1915, >;hile there were 6 040 miles open in 1924. Yet, notwithstandi;w that, the mileage run is no t;rcater. I think that was explained some time ago bv the Commissioner for Railways, who i1;dicated that the weight and size of the loads are very different to-day to what they were in · 1915 and other da;~ s. That may. be sume explanationJ but v.Tc arc not n1ak1ng headway as we should do; and one . c~n •c.nlv ascribe it to the unsati,factory Adnnms'tration hich has controlled the destinies of this State during the last ten years.

I want to speak now with rega,·d to the men on the land. There is not a man or. the Darling Dmms to-day whose la1 d is not do<~ n in value by 33 to 55 per cent. as against what it was t{.!n years ago. That is not a e:ntisfactory position for those m('n, whose land is almost unsal<'able.

~.Ir. COLLIXS : It will grow as good crops us it did ten years "go.

;v1r. G. P. BAR'\ES: Yes. but the actual v::due in the 1 and has gone ·as the result •of t"xation, and probably through the land tenure having been altered and from other ·Causes. The land values are not what they were, and the man on the land is being disoeouragecl at every turn.

\Ye have presented to us in the Speech which wo arc now discussing one item which ~:cads-

" Another matter requiring research is th·· manner in which a large proportion of the people in the country nre housed. The dwellings are often not the best that could be devised either for health, for comfort, or for attractiveness. I trust that to this matter, also, further attention m11y shortly bo given."

Is the man on the land treated properly in this re:.pect? Why should the man on the land be penalised because he lives in the country? \Vhy, in consequence of that, Bhould he have to ycay for every labom·er who may be employed in connection with the building of his house a sum of 30•,, per wePk greater than the man who builds a house in the town? Why victimise a man because he happens to live in the country? Hon. members may say that that is the award of the Arbitration Court; but is it fair, because a 1nan is three miles or more out of town, that he should have to face an expenditure altogether beyond what a man in the city has to face? It is distinctly wrong, and it is discouraging to the men on the land, who want every encouragement they can get.

1\h. HY!o;ES: This part;i is the only p;crty who ever gave them any.

Mr. G. P. BAR~ES: Men went on the land in other days, but men are leaving the land now owing to the discouragement they are receiving.

Mr. COLLINS: That is not so in my electorate. Th<C Government have helped the people to go on the land.

Mr. G. P. BARNES: I believe it is not so in connection with sugar lands; but there is "-omething which requires some explanation, whether it is because of the tenure or because of the administration of the Government. The position may be summed up by quoting the following figures showing the increased areas under crops in the different States between the years 1917-18 and 1922-23:-

Victoria .. .. Western Australia South Australia New South Vvales Queensland

Acres. 752,323 595,226 495,674 2~8,359 107,102

Queensland, with her vast area and with railways being run out everywhere as it is said with the object of inducing oettlement, has incr<:lased her area under crop by only one-seventh of the area by which Victoria has incnased hers. \Vhen you read those figures in conjunction with tho figures I gave a moment ago regarding the growth of secondary industries, and when you rernember that \YO are a producing country and that it is said we do not hope for secondary industrie,,, there must be some reason for our unfortunate position. What on earth do we hope for if we do not hope for primary expansion? There is really need for some iw}uiry, especially when we remember that the land selected now is 30.000.000 acres less than it was. I am disappointed at the result because of the high expectations we were promis0d. \Vhat. is the caucce of the lethargy of the Government in the matter? 'Why not move on? \V<:> were told that, if railways were constructsd. settlement would take place. Setl1cment has not taken place. Is it that the Government have discouraged people from going on the land? Is it be• 11·~e. for in~tanco, as I mentioned a little while ago, a man who wants a huilding or an improvement on his property in the countrv is penalised? It is onlv a small matter, but perhaps that has smnething to do ith it. Then, if he sends a cheque for the payment of his income tax. the ql-overnment penalise him by chargmg lum exchfmge. It may be only a small ;natter again, but perhaps that has somethmg to do with it.

Mr. HARTLEY : He has to pay commission for the sale of his chaff.

Mr. G. P. BARNES: I am not talking on that aspect of the matter; this is a serious quf•,tion. vVe have immense areas, and we want to settle ncople on them, and it is our duty to give effect to that policy in .the best possible way. ~o real move, no satisfactc)l'y move. is being made to meet the g~·owmg requirements of this cou~try, . nor. IS a_ny effort being made in the directwns m whiCh we look for it. We cannot say that any real development has taken place.

Somethino- has restrained the Governmc>nt from carrvi-;,g out the splendid purpose th 1.t they should have had in view. They have been at fault in this way, that the work has

lJII r. G. P. Barnes.l

222 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Addrese in Reply.

b0u1 carried on, but the railway has never 1 een constructed. The l'aihvay shoctld havo been constructed simultaneously with the carrying out of the work on tl1e irrigation area. Instead of that. all the necessary material has boon carried by lorries. That rs not the fault of the Commissioner or those who have the work in hand; but it must be the fault of the Govol'nment in not being farsighted enough to have constructed th'i, railway at the same time. \Yhcn the narliatn•_'ntary party were at Castle Crt-~el~ thev WOre gi\·An to understand that by the end QI Dccr'mbcr last the land would be 'thro·,·n open for ~o-'tt1f'n1Pnt. \\: e arc now nearing the end of another vcar, and still there is nothin"' deftnitc. · '~

. :Vlr. CoLLIXS: Too many experts with ven lrttle brams make those mistakes. (Laughter.)

. :Vh. G. P. DAR:"'ES: Certainly our popuhtlou rs growir~g, but tho increase, apart from the natural lllereasc has bc·cn vcrv small indeed. I find that i~ 1915 the population ,,f Queensland ,, as 685,067, and in 1923 it \r'' 811,168, or an increase in nine voars o~ 126.101. The• number of births fr;,m 191'1-1923 tot a lied 176.666, the total number of deaths 69,777, lc·:;ving a toLd natural increase (d· ln6,889, or <tn incrpase. apart from natural increase, of 19.712 in a period of nine vears That is .. ot. satisfactory·. Hon. nwmbd·s 'oppof'Itc ha..-e ~pokcn about the invasion tn~ h • \iaLs. Here we have a great empty lane], 1mt. our O\·. n people are not coming to it. This land offer<;l the ntrcst opportunities to an:v rnfl.n "-ho is rcadv to ""A ork, and 1;rill "\vork.

, :VIr: \YRIGH;r: That applies all owr t]w Cornmonwealtn.

:\Ir. G. P. BAR:"'ES: The hon. gentlem ,r: shtc< that the matter is Australia-wide. In connection with in1migration the Comn10JJv.·eaJth haY(' hclil out inducen1cnts to Quccnshnd and other States, and the British Govcmntr>nt have n1ado certain o·ffcrs and held out f'f'rtaill inducc·n1cnt , but the Queensland GuYerntrlt~nt arc not going to take advantage of those induf't'nL nts. They do not wunt thern. They ,ee no real purpose in that connediol!. Enn in the Spe0 ch delivered b·v His Excellency this proposii'ion, which should be seiz~,l with both hands, is merely referred to in this

" Tho Con1moinvealth Govcr1nncnt has rer<'ntlv cut<>rcd into' an agreement '"ith the British Government forth<> settlemell' in Australia of increaocd numbers of a:::sjstr>d 1nigrants. and for· ~:C'ClHing ~loan moneYs at low rates of interest for thot rmrpose. In order that suitable m·eas of land shall be made available for sett1e.· ment. and that public works shall bP undert~ken for the dev0lopment and 0xpans1on of s0ttlcn1cnt areas, and for incr• asing the canacitv of alreadv settle'! areas to carrv gi·cate'r population. as is contemplated by the agreement referred to, mv Government has been asked to r'1-operatc: with thl' Commonwealth Government. The Prime Minister h,_,s thNeforc submitted a proposed form of agreement, the terms and conditions of ~~hlch ?-re n<nv receiving the serious con· ~nderahon of my adYisers."

Look at the boundless opportunit-ies for a scheme of that kind, \Vo have a southern border railv ay line. \V e have alw a vast area of land reaching from Dirranbandi to the border, or pven as far as Tohermory if the border railway was continued to that

[ll11·. G. P. Barnes.

point. That would take in the countrv as far as St. Gcorge. That. vast area of country can be -connected by railway communication, and by connecting it with the northern and southern lines our border trade would bn protected. The area of land which would be opened up for Closer settlement is about half tLc size of Victoria. The land could be settled much more doseh· t-han it is at the present time and the tracl<: conserved for this State by the construction of a railway line. If the offer of the British Government were accepted and cheap money Dbtained for the building of t-hat railway, the Government would develop a system of land settlement that would be exceedingly popular. It would also enable a very large population to be settled there,

Mr. IVRIGHT: Don't you think that more provision should first. be n1ade for marketing tho products ?

Mr. G. P. DAR::\'ES: I agree that new markets should be found for the produce. In a closer settlement policy there is just a danger of too much being done for the people. If the new settlers arc to be nursed at every juncture, it might. not tend to successful settlement, although it is the duty of th" State to hold out inducements to got the land sdtled. Cert-ainly the system o£ cooperatwn mrght be extended and the Eastern market developed iu direeti'ons which have not :vet been shown. After all, man's own initiative is the thin;; to save and carry him throngh.

At 4.47 p.m., The SPE.\RER resumed the chair.

cdr. G. P. DARXES: I have spoken of rail-way extension and the ncccs,:itv of ~yorking in unison with the British Government through the Federal Government to obtain some of the money offered at the low rate of 2 per cent. interest. I want to speak of this rnatter in another direction. The Xcw South \Vales Government are considering the construction of a railway with a 4 feet 8~ inch-gauge from Grafton to Killarney. This Government should get into toctch with the New South Wales Government, not only to settle all matters connected \Yith the route of the line from the border, but to secure its construction as far as vVarwick in order to link up the border trade and the border line of which I have spoken. That would bo of an immense advantage. It would link up all the rich lands of the Darling Downs with the rich lands of the :'\orthern Rivers of Now South Wales. If that could be brought about by an arrange· ment with the Commonwealth Government for the utilisation of the capital offered by the British Government, a transformation would take place in the district. I do hope the Go,ernment will give early attention t-o that. I know there is one thing that would perfed the scheme-a great scheme that would not only secure and protect our border trade but would also ensure the north-south trade. The thing to perfect the scheme is the carrying out of t-he Via Recta. Queensland would then be served to an extent that is not within our comprehension to-day.

There is a yery big matter upon which I in·cnded to t<mch, but I have only five minutes to deal with it. I refer to the proposed childhood endowment scheme, upon which I have a considerable amount of information which might be useful. \Vhilst the country is crying out for such a scheme, and whilst similar schemes are pursued in

Address in Reply. [lll AUGL:ST.] Add,·ess in Reply. 223

other lands, I consider the Government will kill enterprise by the manner in which thtoy propose to csi abli·-h the echemo. A complete explanation of the matter is impossible in the time I haYe at my disposal, but we have examples from abroad which should bo extremely helpful to m, and which should be adopted as modt'ls rather than that \\'8

should strangle industry as is proposed. If hon. me m b~'rs would g·i ye their dose a ttention to the facts, tlwy vvould be simplast<)Undcd with the burdens it is proposed to put upon our priinar~·· and secondary industrir~~. Those industries have not thri \"en; in fact, the"~.' have scc:nce1v lived; and thev cannot thri,:e U11der the c~nditions which will bo imposed upon them by the inci-dence of our childhood endowment tax. If \ve are burdened hca• il:, with our ordinary incmne tax and land tax, ho··.Y are \Ve going 10 k0ep out heads above ·water with the heavier burden which the Govcrn1ncnt in their folly are sccki!:Ig tc place upon industry?

There is no doubt thr· married man with children is getting too littL \Ye han been exceedingly generous to young life. In conversation "\vith business 1nen and others, I aJJtl tlw.s han' said that married men get tco little. so that in that sen.-c I hail with a great -deal of g·ladne·:s the statement that they are to receiv-e rccognirion. But the Gm·ornment arc not procecding the right \\'a:: about it. Their methods promi •c di'a'ter. I believe tlwrn is another method, that has a high purpose--

Me. \>RIGHT: \\'hat is it?

Mr. G. P. BAR:.JES: I shall tell the hon. momL ·r at the right time. I hope that the Gov-unment ,,-ill give this matter mature c,msideration, : nd that in their quiet moments t hcv will endeav-our to look at it in a nat~onal manner.

Mr. RIORDAN (Burke) : I was not here at the opPning of Parliament this year, so I did not have the pleasure of listening to Sir l\Iatthew N a than delivering his Speech to this House. It has been regretted b:hon. members on both sides of the House that Sir Matthew Nathan is leav-ing Queenslan&. Per :onally, I regret that .Sir Matthew Nathan is leav-ing the State, but I have no r·ogrets that the ofl1ce is to be handed ov-er to an ;\ustralian ritizf'n. I hope that the

d.aY is not far -distant when the [5 p. m.] ofl{ce of State Governor, along

with certain other offices now paid for by the taxpayers of this country. ,,-ill be abolished. I think they ue absolutf']y us .. dcs;;, a1~d t hcv are beroming a burden upon the taxpay0rs, not only of Queensland but of the whole of Australia.

In the short time at my disposal I want to voice n protest against the treatment meted out to the people of North Queensland, more particularly the people in the Gulf and down th0 Peninsula. \Vhen I was flrst returned to Parliament in 1918 a privote shipping company was conducting the shipping to Gulf ports. Once the shipping business did not pay them 12 per cent. or 15 per cent dividends they v,-ithdrew the ship from the rnn to the Gulf, without giving any notice whrttever, with the result that the Queensland Government at that time was forced into buying a boat to continue this service. Later on, by a subsidy to a. private shipping company, thev kept the Gulf going, The Queensland tabour Government in their treatment of the people

of this part of the State have been g; nerous in the matter of shipping, but no,turally a et d.nin n>ponsibility 1attachcs to our national Governwent. 'I'hc whole of the n :]Jonsibility should not be placed upon the shoulcleL' of the Queensland State Government. Quite recently people living dov:n tlw l'e11insula and at Cooktown, l'ort i:lt w.ut and 'I'hursdav Island, where they had a \~·eeldy ~erYice, l1ave haJ that 8'·rvicJ cut off. B:- a stroke of the pen on the part of the Postinaster~Ueneral in refusing to coEtinuc the onbsidy granted io a shipping {'Chnpany for run11ing the mail fron1 TownsviHe to Cooktov'"'n aud the other rJorl ., nlentioned, the people of Cooktown, Port Dongla .. ', 1\los::anau, and those place' \vere isolatt·d but for a little motor boat with a u rrying capacity of 6 tons and accommodation for six or eight passenge!·s. Pa~wngers,. f'Y(_'l'~· tin1e they go on the boat to travel to t 1ort Douglas or Cookto\Yn, practicillly t •kc their· lives in their lwnds IL.d the Conunon\\·oalth Governn1cnt gL:;nh .. d a further subsidy to continue the mail service, not only would the )JCOple in the Peninsula be better treated but Cooktown, Port StewHt, and the Gulf ports would have had a fortnightly service as against a monthly scn·ice at the present time. Prior to thu last tl\ eh-e or eighteen months ihe people of Queensland and the. so-called expenc en1ployed by Gov~ernrnent departrr1ents stated that the Gulf country would not carry sheep, d0spite the fact that people there were breedi. ;3' sheep and getting good lambings. The Gulf vmntry will breed sheep, and \'.'ill gro~r anything once we get communication and facilities to get the produce away. The Territory is suffering under a hidebound polic,, edministored by the ='"ational Parlian1ent. fron1 MelLournc. The nosition is absolutely ridiculuus. In ·places' where we should have hundreds of people settled we hav-e them drifting to the citic' and luving fertile land, v\'o haYe them leaving the mining indust17 because that industry Is getting no encouragement. The reason is because of the small voting strength of those people; their voice is not loud enough. Take the posiiion with regard to my doctorate and that of the hon. member for Cook. \'re represent nn m·ea of 167,000 sauaro mi Ios of countrv and exercise two votes in this House, wh;le thore are fourteen members within the Greater Brisbane area with a L.tdius of 10 miles_

Mr. MAXWELL: But you are suppos'!d to represent humanity-not land.

Mr. RIORDAN: Certainlv we do represent humanity. I am sorry 'to say that the hon. member does not represent humanity, but a class that believes in the spending of the money in one city. The hon. member must know that, while representing humanity, wo also represent are-a. If it were not for the back country, it would be a poor· look-out fo;· the cities. Take the citv at Exhibition time. when the people irom th~' country flock into Brisbanc. It is the people in the country who are keeping the hon. member for Toowong and the members of the Progressive party. He has recentlv dp,ertcd his own party. The hoP. men1-bcr has linked up with the Country Progressive party, and speaks about repn";enting area ! It is not the fault o-f the hon. member for Cook or myself that we represent area, or the fault of the handful of people living in that territory, but the fault of unsympathetic government from _our

Mr. Riordan.]


National Parliament, as well as from our Stato Governments in the past.

GovERNMENT ME~1BERS: Hear, hear! Mr. RIORDAN: The 1\'orth made no pro

gress and the population gradually drifted away from North Queensland until the return of a Labour Government in 1915. Since tho return of the Labour Government, any unbiased person who travels through Queensland, making the trip ·from Brisbane to Cairns and through the back countt·v to Croydon, can see the gradual progress which has been ma·de. But the Government have been hampered. The money they have expended has not been confined to the cities but has also been spent amongst the people living away from the cities. These people have been getting sympathetic consideration from the Government. Take the case of Chilla,;oc. Wo have heard a great deal of criticism from hon. members opposite, and from the Press which supports them, in regard to the loss on Chillagoe. Chillagoe, they will tell you, is losing so much, and is practicaL 1

bringing the State to ruin; but that is not the case. Chillagoe has given directly and indirectly employment to a couple of thousand men in connection with the mining and smelting. The losses on the Chillagoe smelters are not ~o great when you take into consideration that, when the smelters and railway were run by the Chillagoe company, the freights charged to the people living at the back of Mareeba were 50 per cent. higher than they aro under Government control. AlthoL1gh the Chillagoe company had the railway to assist them, they lost hundreds of thousands of pounds on their venture. They were very unlucky. But the Government have greatly decreased the cost of running the Chillagoe plant, and with more modern machinery-with a concentrating plant to save the by-products-the loss would be practically nil. To-day we have mineral and by-products going to waste because the machinery is too crude.

The SECHETARY FOR MINES : ChiJlagoe lost less than £30,000 last year. The loss at Mount Morgan was £159,000.

Mr. RIORDAN: I think that the policy of the Government should be to give the Secretary for Mines sufficient money to put a concentrating plant at Chillagoe to save the by-products and eliminate the waste, and such a plant would pay for itself in a very short time. Practically the whole of the by-product.s arc going to waste now although they might be turned to profitable use. Ta.ke the position at Mount Morgan, where pdvate enterprise, which has paid £10,000,000 in dividends, is carrying on under Government subsidy. Private enterprise is not standing on its own legs there. Do we hear our friends opposit-e criticising Mount Morgan or clamouring for the closing of Mount Morgan? If the Mount Morgan Company 1s to get this consideration, consideration should be given to every mining co1npany.

Mr. FRY: I want to know what you are doing at Mount Isa.

Mr. RIORDAI\': The hon. member had just as much time during the recess as I did, and, if he had any interest in the country, he would have gone and had a look. We are paying £60,000 a year in subsidy to Mount Morgan. Take the case of the National Government's management of the. Northern Territory. This year, Chi!-

[ Mr. Riordan.

lagoc lost £30,000, but i't supports a couple of thousand people. What is the cost of the Northern Territory? We have heard a lot of prattle about new States. Senator Pearce has some idea about new States, and eo has the hon. member for Chillagoe. My hearty wish is that there shall be no new State, if there are sufficient administrative powers in Queensland to administer the 'Territory. We do not want any more Commissioners there. What we want is a couple of million pounds a year for water conservation and a railway policy, and the people will do the rest. Take the position of the Northern Territory. Here in Queensland the Government retired a Police Commissioner because he had reached the retiring age of sixty-five and was therefore no longer fitted to control the few hundred police in Queensland. Immediately he retires on a pension of £1,5CO a year some of his friends get to work in :\felbourne and he i's picked up and put in charge of an administration which is eo ting the people of Australia a quarter of a million a year-a man who is supposed to be absolutely useless. Then they appeal to the people of Australia to create a new Stat·e. What for?

An OPPOSITION ME:IiBER : For Mr. Theodore ! (Laughter.)

Mr. RIORDAN: He would not be bothered with it. He would not have anything more to do with a new State thew he would have to do with the Opposition two years ago. (La.ughter.) I t.hJnk Senator Pcarce wants it bocauco he can see the writing on the wall. l3ut that is not the issue. Since the Territon was established it has cost the taxpa:-.:ers of Australia £5,000,000. Wh>tt for? At that time the population was 3.500. and to-dav it is somewhere <tbout 3.000. It is going back and back. The Nort.hern Territory is a place capable of carrymg a large population. an·d the Gulf is a nlace capable of supporting a large population also, but our land laws are absolutely wrong.

I am told that it is not a correct thing in this House to refer to judges, but I shall refer io the findings by the Land Court when assessing the rents of various blocks. If the Court will not take into consideration the distance the Northern Territory and the Gulf country are away from raihvay C'On1munication wlwn arriving at a decision on land rcn'als, they arc going to continue to stifle lanJ settlement in that quarter. In 1920 I attended a Land Court in Cloncurry, when Inverleigh ".'Is brought up for re-ass.essmcnt. As that country is owned by a big p~storal company paying Ss. 6d. a square .mde for their country. the Land Court mcreased the rent to 12s. 6d. a square mile. A certain portion was resumed and broken up into small blocks, which were assessed at £2 and £1 10s. a square mile. If the Land Court is going to continue to do that sort of thing it is time we wiped it out, because it has outlived its usefulness. If it is doing things like that it must be the result of an atmosphere created somowher!'. 'Vhy should there be any different,ial treatment with respect to the same class of country? Nobody by any stretch of imagination can say that the resumed portion was a better class of country. The Act says that the resumed portion shall be a fair and reasonable average. If a fair and reasonable average is taken from the S<luatt.er, then we have nothing to complain of.


_\[r. FERRICKS: The Labour platform says that there shall be no differentiation.

~1r. RIORDAN: There should be no di!ferentiahon whatever. I would make those holding land on the railway line pay the fuli value for their land; but in the back eountrv, where the people are battling for an existence and where the population is beginning to dwindle, the Government should make every effort to keep those people there. "Cntil such time as thev can see their way dear to give them ra!Jway cDrtrmunicat·ion and facilities to take their produce away the land should be broken up into small areas and given rent free for ten years to those who are prepared to settle on it, fence it, live there, and build a home. Then let t.hem go to the court to have their rents fixed.

OPPOSITION ME)1BERS: Hca,r, hear!

:VIr. CoLLI:<rS: Hon. members opposite did rwt propo,e an.y such thing when they were in office.

:VIr. RIORDAK: In speaking of th3 ::\orthern Territory, where we are told we are g·oiug to have a new State, I would like to mention a few of the selectors, friends of hon. members opposite. We have the firm of }'arrest and Collius, with 10,622 square miles; the Bovril Australia,n Estate< in possession of 11,800 square mile>•·.; and Mc-,.rs. Miller and Bradshaw and the Crown Pastoral l'onquny, 12,908 square miles. Thr 'e few "strugglmg selectors'' in the Northern Territory hu1d betv;,ecn t.h0rn 35,330 square n1iles. In addition to these selectors another man named Cotton holds 5,000 square miles, .. cnothor sdcctor 2,r!JO square mile·', and so on. Yet. in the face of these facts, they want to c:t·eate a new State! This land is held by rh .,o people for forty years at e~ rental of ls. a mile. The rent cannot be increased for ti ftcen years, after which time it is recon,idorecl by the Court. There is, however, an c·mbargo placed upon the Court. The r€'ilt c;mnot he increased more than 50 per cent.. ami no resumption of thp land can take pla'''' for fifteen years after tho Court has determined the rent. If the Xorth-South railway is constructed, "ho will reap the benefit of tiH' line? \V ill those who reap the benefit place it in the child.hoDd endowment fund 'I I do not think so. Th0S<) absentee landlords who are strangliug thP Korthern Territory in 1he san1e manner as they are strangling the country in the Gulf of Carpentaria will rea}> all the benefits of that railway. Mr. Cotton, the owner of Barclay Downs, recently took this propert; to London to try to float it into a co1npany for sheep-raising and cottongrowing. Yet these people will howl-thev arc the greatest pessimists we have as howlccs ac:ainst their own country-that this country •Yill nDt c>trry '· he0p ! The people all the time <HP having their legs pulled by schemers of this class, who are tr.ving to get a sympathetic GoYernmont to build a railway with the taxpayers' monc:v in order that they n1ay reap the benefit from it. I ask hon. members: To whom does this land belong, and who will benefit from the construction of the railway? Before any railway is constructed or n.ew State is created, the people holding this land must be told tD get out. I know that. if that is done. we shall be accused of repudiation: hut it must be remembered that it was these JWople who tried to cripple the finances of the State and put our back to the wall becau"·e we passed the Land Act Amendment Act of 1920. In all futuro land legislation ]lrnvision should be included providing that.

1925-Q

in the eYent of a railway being built, the land in the district affected be redivided on th~ basis of living areas. If that were done, we would be in a position to get settlement, and an area which is considered to-day sufficient for a living area for Dne man would be supporting ten persons in the future. The Northern Territory and the Gulf country, with its flowing river~ an~ natural waters, will in my trme, dosprte a.! these factors, suppmt a big popuJatwn. Jt rloes not matter whether the caprtal of the Northern Tcrrjtory is jn Melbourne or not; the fact is that these big people hold the land there, and before any railway is constructed this land should be secured for the people, cut up into selection:,, and given rent free to selectors for a period of fifteen years or until the GovNnment giYc transport faciliti0s.

At 5.25 p.m.. under the provisions of Standing Order )io. 17 and Se,.sional Order of 29th J ul::,

The SPEAKER put ~he question for the adoption of the Address in Reply.

Question put and pa,scd.

SUPPLY. Co::-;sTITt:TION OF ConniiTTE.E).

The SECRET.\RY FOR MINES (Hon. A. J. J ones, Paddinetan): I hcg to moYe-

,, That the House will, at its ~ext sitting, l'csolvc itself into a Commrttee of the ·whole to consider the Supply to be granted to His :Majesty."

Quest ion put and pas>wd.

\YA YS AC\:D MK\XS. Co:-.;sTrrunm; oF Cmn:rTT,c~.

The SECRET_\RY FOE MINES (Hon. A. J. Joucs, Parldinoton): T beg to move-

" Thnt ihc House will, at its 11ext sitting, resolve itself into a Committee of the \Yhole to consider Df \Va~-s and J\'Ieans for raising the Supply to be granted to His Majesty."

Question put and passed. The Hm"c adjourned at 5.2G p.m.

Legislative Assembly TUESDAY AUGUST · Quretion put and passed. ADDRESS IN REPLY. RESU:\lPTION OF...

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Transcript of Legislative Assembly TUESDAY AUGUST · Quretion put and passed. ADDRESS IN REPLY. RESU:\lPTION OF...