Ja.nlarv, 1912. 



nistory of the lyionlh. 



tarowii out. It ought to be a lesson to those who 

 want t(i raise the wall against other countries to 

 know tliat during the last year, when factories have 

 l)een over busy, imports have gone up tremenHously. 

 The prii|)er thing for tiie Government to do, if Pro- 

 tection is to l)e the p;>licy of the country till another 

 party comes to power, is to try to do the thing de- 

 I eiuly, and by appointing a Iward of experts to deal 

 with liie matter, seek to deal with it upon some 

 l)roper basis. The fact is that the Ministry is largelv 

 freetrade, and is vielding to insiile pressure, and 

 feels compelled to di) something. But the result 

 is so infantile that the Government pleases no one. 



Protection 



One of the finest absurdities of th< 

 situation is presented in the at 

 lor Artists. temjit that is Ijeing made by artists 

 to secure a heavy tax on works of 

 art that .Australians may buy more of the local 

 article. One might presume that the reason why 

 jix-al artists are not Ixitter patronised lies in the 

 fact that local art is not so fine as that of other 

 lands, but the local artist puts it down to a blind 

 unrc.isoning prejudice on the part of the local 

 buyer, who wants an imported article in preference 

 to a locally manufactured one. Surely the height 

 'if folly is reached in this. How can a true artist 

 paint to order, and so as to be sure that he will 

 please the tastes of art lovers. Moreover, the local 

 artist does not want an ad valorem tax — he wants 

 I fixeil tariff against every kind of pictuie that 

 'omes in. It is easy to run this insane idea on to 

 ••till further absurdities. What if the journalists 

 i>f Australia asked for a tax on all kinds of litera- 

 ture, so that liK-al i)eople might l)e compelled to 

 read local productions. A tax of that kind would 

 without doubt l)eneriit greatly the magazine world f f 

 Aiistrali.i, but what an outcry the average reader 

 (>-ven tile artist high t.iriffist) would make if. in order 

 to l)eni.fit the local journalisf, all foreign reading 

 matter w.is heavily taxed. Or suppose the local 

 I>oets, anxious to .sell their poetic wares, and shocked 

 at readers wIk) revel in Milton. Shakespeare, 

 Mrowning, and the long list of Britain's singers, sug- 

 gested that these should be taxed, that the local 

 1 iver of jKietic expression might turn compulsorily 

 to them>«;-lves. Of course the illustr.ition .shows the 

 ridiculous side of the proposal, but it none the less 

 shows the folly of attempting to force the literary 

 or artistic tasti-s of the [)eople. 



Itiit uhen the Bill c.ime before the 



A Divided House, the Gov<rnnient found it.self 



Governmenl. divided. .\nmb.rs of I..ibi>ur mem- 



f>ers protested ag.iinst the increases. 



The ilutv on the chissis of motor cars went, as 



dill a good many otlier things, and it was a very 



much Ijedraggled Rill that at last went through. Mr. 



Tmlfir made .1 blunder in opposing .some of the 



i:enis f)n account of tin; revenue (hat would be sacri- 



ficed, for the Bill was supposed to have beerr 

 brought on in order to protect local industries. Thus 

 does the real intention of the Government Ijecome 

 apparent. There is no need to smuggle in by back 

 floors or in disguises measures for increasing 

 revenue. The Treasury is full to overflowing. The 

 Ministry has been in luck, for prosperous .seasons 

 have given them money enough and to sjjare. There 

 was no ju.stification for the amended tariff list l)eing 

 brought in at all, and the Ministry deserved tlie 

 criticisms it got from friends as well as foes, if for 

 no other rea.son than liad gener.dshii). 



Of course the Banking Bill went 

 Federal through the House, also the Arbi- 



Polltlcs. tration amendment. Nothing else- 



could eventuate. The pace has 

 been fairly w-arm, but the Opposition has done its 

 part well in attempting to improve what legislation 

 has passed. It luis had a difficult task to perform; 

 through the session, for the numtiers have l)een 

 against it all the time, and the Gov<Tnment has put 

 its measures through as it intended without even- 

 cdnsidering the suggestions of the other side. So- 

 it is that the Western Railway Bill provides for the 

 4 ft. 8i in. gauge, althougli expert opinion has 

 shown that the gauge is discredited in all countries- 

 where a look is being taken into the future, and 

 provision lieing made for heavier traffic. It is tO" 

 be regretted that the South Australian Government 

 is receding from the position of oj^position to the 

 gauge that it took uji at first. It did seem as though, 

 it held the key to the situation. In all probability 

 pressure has been brought to bear, for Mr. Fisher 

 now speaks confidently of .South Australia falling 

 into line. 



S )nie folk are '■ waxing sarcastic" 

 The Federal over the propo.sal of the Federal 

 L«an. Governmenit to rai.se a loin of 



^£'2,460.476. for which purj)ose ir 

 introduced a Bill. Ot cour.se everybody remembers 

 how the Labour Party inscribed upon its banners 

 " No Loans ! " ; " Pav everything out of incanie 1 " 

 Folk who understood finance smiled, for they knew 

 that the awakening would come. If is absuril t > 

 suppo.;e that national affairs can always be financed 

 from income. It can be managed while ^mreh 

 administrative work is l>eing carried out. but when 

 new enter|)rises have to be undertaken, it is another 

 m.ittiT. Thus, for ten years, the Commonwealth has 

 gut along on revenue, for the simiile reason that 

 no great works have bet^n undertaken. For all thai 

 it comes as a surprise tliat when the Treasury is 

 over-flowing (the Government h.id at its disp^js.ii 

 j{^22,ooo,ooo of revenue this ye;ir), the L;iboiir 

 Goveriunent should talk of lo.iiis. It rather lo.ik- 

 as though the Party is ni')t .so skilful in fin inc.- 

 after all. ;^22.ooo.ooo is an amount that fiirmer 

 Treasurers would h.ive stared at. D(x*s the Govern- 

 nient find it hard to e<onomise, or does it not wi.sh ti> 



