Political Disputes—Commonwealth Treasurer's Resignation —Attempted Gaolbreaking—Losses Through the Drought to £1,000. In Victoria particularly the press has been angry, and, if in other States it has not been quite so virulent, the general public is quite annoyed. Not that this really matters. There is a by-election on just now for the Federal seat at sallarat in Victoria, and besides the two party candidates two other candidates have been found to voice the indignation of the elec tors against the "grab" of the politicians. It is noteworthy that the newspapers are now complain: ing that the question of salaries is completely overshadowed by the fay more important political issues.
Tt is safe to say that were the electors consulted at a general election very much the same result would follow, The mere question of whether parliament is to cost an extra £50,000 a year is of trifling importance compared with the actions of the politicians in regard to great national and even empire istness. One very young member has announced his intention of introducing a Bill to amend the recent measure raising the salaries. He thinks special allow ances should be made to members who go to Melbourne from great distances, but as to the others £600 a year is sufficient. When an elector seeks to find out where this champion has come from he finds he is one of those who would under his scheme get the extra allowance. As I have said, he is very young—perhaps not in years, but certainly in experience.
It is doubtful whether £1,000 a year is really too much to pay members, considering the enormous distances they have to travel Australia, and the fact that they are unable te attend to any private business as well as to their politica] duties. Payment of members has been fully established, and that being so the members should trusted, in the absence of any other superior authority, to fix their own emoluments. The day they "grab" too much no political issues will prevent the electors obtaining their exclusion from Parliament. It is something of a coincidence that just as the Commonwealth has raised the members' pay without directly consulting the people, so also has the Union Parliament of South Africa.
Tue Treascrer's Resicxatio.
The excitement concerning the resignation, while in London. upon an important financial mission, of Mr. Watt, p.c., the Commonwealth Treasurer, is dying down. The Prime Minister called in the leaders of the two non-ministerial parties, and invited them to select from the correspondence between himself and Mr. Watt all the messages they considered relative to the subject. They did so and these Were read in full to the House of Representatives and the unanimous opinion both inside and outside Parliament was that Mr. Watt, if he had any defence for deserting his post, had better bring it forward without delay, In other words the late Treasurer is roundly condenined, and there is not wanting evidence that ho has suddenly and dramatically brought to a! close a political career, which promised great things.
It is now recalled that on more than one occasion he has failed to "face the music," and people are beginning. to say that somewhere in his composition there is a yellow streak. It is a strange collapse. Officially honoured and welcomed, eulogised by the great London dailies, created a Councillor, and made the representative of Australia in the councils of the allied nations, he suddenly, with no good reason that his best friends can find, throws everything away. It seems that his action was no sudden resolve; he might even be suspected of having contemplated it before leaving Australia, Within 12 months he had handed in his resignation as a member of the Cabinet no less than three times, and had been persuaded to withdraw it. This time he anticipated any effort to make him change his mind by informing the press, and actually cabling to the Governor-General, a step which, as the Prime Minister has' pointed out, is entirely without precedent, Some Srrikixe Resvxts, The sudden "strike" of Mr, Watt is likely to have far-reaching effects. First it has left unans—wered the request of the Imperial Government that Australia should pay a trifling account of nearly £9,000,000 by the 30th of last month; it has forced the Government here to abandon the idea of floating the loan, which is imminent, in London, and the 20 millions will raised in Australia—by compulsion if necessary; it has deprived Australia of Tepresentation at the Spa Conference with Germany.
It transpires now that Mr. Watt, as acting Prime Minister, was against Mr. Hughes' attitude while in England and Paris, He objected to the demand that the Dominions should be represented at the peace conference, and, since reaching London, he has protested against, the Australian cabinet refusing to give him a free hand on such subjects as "White Australia,"—the Pacific mandates, the Japanese demand for an open door, and the payment of indemnity by Germany. Mr, Hughes very truly says that Australia has made up her mind and it would have been impossible to give a single minister the right to vary that policy. that, in the absence of Mr. Watt, Tt would seem natural to suggest the Australian High Commissioner could represent Austoalia, but Mr. Fisher seems to have completely lost touch with the Commonwealth. Before leaving for London Mr. Watt himself said that one of his duties was to reform the High Commissioner's office. Mr. Fisher was appointed for five years. The term has proved too long. It ends this year, and it is probable that
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.