Melbourne June 16.
The exigencies of a+ somewhat indifferent mail service compel me to write at a moment when a most. momentous convention commences: its sittings. The Federated Farm ers' organizations meet to-day in Vietorin, and their chief interest will centre in the adoption or other~ wise of the agreement between Mr. Bruce, the Prime Minister representing the Nationalists, and Dr. Earle Page, the Commonwealth Treasurer representing, as leader the Country party. Ifthe conven: tion adopts the principles of the agreement then it may be accepted that the two so-called anti-Labour Parties will act in unison at, the next general elections and the life of the present government may be pro-Jonged indefinitely. The agreement provides that neither Nationalists nor Country party will seek to win Seats at the expense of the other, and that both will interchange pre: ferences whererthere are more than two candidates, closed in the annual report of the Auditor-General. The Labour Opposition discovered the other day that half this agreed-upon amount had been paid, without any parliamentary appropriation. It seized. the opportunity' to supply political ammunition to its friends now fighting the Victorian State elections, and accused the Government of handing over the people's money, to the wealthy graziers without any authority from parliament, 'The Government answer was hardly happy. 'The Prime Mini ter said that the money had been paid out of 'Treasurer's Advance Account, which had been duly authorized' by parliament. The lea: er of the Opposition naturally: scouted this statement as a mean subterfuge. The Treasurer's Advance Account was merely petty cash and was never intended meet such a case as the wool sett it, The debate on the action of the Government naturally drifted from this important issue, and rethe sources from which the- States raised money for advances to workrs building their own homes and to agriculturists. With the war came the imposition of uncome taxes, entertainment. tax, estate duties, war profits taxes and so on. At present the Commonwealth is rai ing about £12,000,000 a year in direct taxation, and paying back to the States £7,000,000. It is now proposed that' the Commonwealth shall withdraw almost entirely from the field of direct taxation and shall discontinue the £7,000,000 payment to the States. an amount which creases each year with the additions to the population.
Dr. Page is ex. pected to make his proposals public very shortly, and he is likely to find himself vigorously opposed by all the State government. Such men as the late Lord Forrest, the Rt. Hon. W. A. Watt, and' Sir Joseph Cook, v.c., have all tried to reach finality in' this matter and have failed, chiefly because they have tried to reach an agreement with the States. The present government is expected to exercise its right of discontinuing the payments to States, and of abolishing about £8,000,000 of direct taxation.
There will be a mighty outery, but i carried through Dr. Page will have accomplished "much for receive a niche, in the fane of would be idle to forecast the Solved itself into a discussion of the results of the conference, though merits of the agreement, Which Ciesriy Astral rejoiced 99 there is a good deal of evidence that Smething like three years old. soon that the Irish Question had mandates, was a fair subject of experiment.
The enemies of the Allies, and wrefore the friends of Germany, ily explained that the Australian trol snerified the native women the Chinese coolies, and that the ter were sacrificed' to the greed of wealth; meanwhile also Australia was making huge profits at the expense of the rest of the world. All this was plainly disproved. Then came the attacks upon the administration of German New Guinea, and the missionaries—German and other '—eame to the rescue." The charges were disproved, but it was shown "tthe -accusations were mainly
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.