Melbourne, Oct. 19.
Even were Australians inclined to regard the State elections of Queensland with good-humoured: indifference, even as they are now regarding the campaign in Victoria, the cabled accusations against the Northern State from London were bound to attract attention. -A good many people realized that Labour in power in Queensland was just as incompetent and thriftless as it had proved itself in New South Wales and Western Australia, but it came to them as something of a shock to Jearn ' that new-papers of repute in the metropolis of the world were speaking of Queensland as the Pirate state within the British Empire. It was known that London had refused to lend Queensland any more money, and that an attempt to raise a loan in the United States had failed, but until, the "Financial News" and other papers insisted that the Labour government was not to be trusted and that the people were in no better case until they put the Labour government out, it was hardly realized that one of the sections of wealthy Australia had dishonoured its bills, and was classed with Turkey, Mexico and other issuers of worthless pro-misery notes.
Then Australians generally began to look at this bad boy of their family, and investigate his doings of the last few years. They first found that he had raised thi taxation per head of his population from 28s. 2d. in the last year of a Liberal Government to 54s. 3d. in the year ending last June: also that he had raised the public debt from £82/10 per head to £91/10.
For 12 years prior to labour's advent to office the annual revenue and expenditure had shown regular surpluses, amounting in all to three: quarters of a million, which money was used to redeem loans. During three years of Labour control, the figures for the last year being suppressed, the accumulated deficits had reached £835,000, and so wiped out 12 years' savings. The railways, owned by the State, in 1914- 15 paid £3; 13/9 on the capital invested. In 1918-19 Labour. administration had reduced that return to 13s. Id. so that instead of paying their way the railway imposed a burden of nearly £2,000,- 000 on the consolidated revenue.
Tne Max ann His Ass.
It might have been thought that Labour, even if it had not pleased capital, would at least have made labour gratified and contented. After all the great bulk of the taxation came out of the pockets of those earning good incomes, and if the public debt was- increased at least the bloated capitalist was paying for it.
But it seems that the so-called proletariat was worse off under enlightened Labour government. than it was before. The official returns show that in 1918-19, as compared with 1914-15 the number of industrial disputes in the State had quadrupled, and the - number of persons involved been multiplied by seven. Whereas there used to be practically no unemployed, in Brisbane alone it was admitted y a Government newspaper that there were 8,000 out of work. Ministers refused to receive deputations, and -one suggested that if there was pressure used some-one would get hurt.
The cost of living in this _reincarnated paradise had risen rapidly, despite all efforts, including commandeering of certain foodstuffs, by about 37 per cent. and at least two important shipping ports, including the capital, found their sea communications with the outside world practically tent off, owing to the refusal of the waterside workers to abide by the legal awards, which had been welcomed in other parts of Australia. Clearly Labour had gained nothing.
Then there was capital. That also was dissatisfied. This showed itself in the steady reduction of the cultivated areas of the State. iPhese had risen during sane gov-{ernment to 800,000 acres; to-da: hey are less than 600,000. acres, a fall of 25 per cent. But above all capital protested against the: Government's repudiation—_of pastoral leases, its attempt to seize the Brisbane tramway service at. lan artificially low valuation, and its making of taxation retrospective. The discontent of capital found its echo in London, and its justification in some of the piratical utterances of the State Premier during the recent campaign. Like Aeson's old gentleman and the ass the Theodore Government failed ito please anybody, and, if it has escaped with its life, that is just about all it has done.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.