Review of Reviews, 20!2/06. 



Topics of the Month, 



143 



jurious, to say no- 

 thing of shutting 

 out the benefit of 

 the f r e s h water 

 river that we now 

 possess.'' 



" I understand 

 that the Interstate 

 Commission recom- 

 mended the con- 

 struction of a good 

 many locks?" 



" Yes ; altogether 

 on the Darling, 

 Murray and Mur- 

 rumbidgee there 

 would be thirty- 

 seven, and these 

 would practically 

 conserve all the 

 water that is re- 

 quired. It might 

 interest your read- 

 ers to know that 

 part of our sugges- 



Chief Secretary, South Australia. f "ion is that we 



should be allowed to utilise Lake Victoria, 

 which lies just in the corner of New South 

 Wales where the Murray enters South Aus- 

 tralia. If that were flooded and the water 

 conserved, it could be utilised at a time when the 

 water in the higher reaches was low, so that in 

 any case our navigation would not be interfered 

 with. As the other States would reap so much 

 larger benefit from the waters than we can ever hope 

 to do, we feel that it would be only fair if they as- 

 sisted towards the works necessary to secure this." 



" Well, now, about your own internal develop- 

 ments ?" 



" As far as great works are concerned, of course 

 we are carrying out the Light's Passage Harbour 



Burlington,'] [Photo. 



Hon. A. Kirkoatrick, 



scheme. We mean to get that completed so that 

 there may not be the lighterage difficulties that we- 

 now have in connection with the mail steamers ; 

 and we are determined to push on as soon as we 

 ran with the Central Railway, and complete the 

 section from Oodnadatta to McDonald Ranges; 

 that must be done; it is a work of necessity. There 

 are vast areas of splendid land in that part which' 

 need opening up, and if we could do so, it would 

 mean the transference of pastoralists to that dis- 

 trict and the opening of the better lands in the 

 south for Closer Settlement." 



" And the Northern Territory ?" 



" Well, we are quite prepared for that to be 

 taken over, if we can get the consent of the Upper 

 House, providing the Federal Government will re- 

 coup us our expenditure, and make a railway. 

 That is a sine qua non." 



" Of course you would be disappointed that you 

 did not get your Upper House Franchise Proposals 

 through?" 



" Yes. Bv the way, you will, of course, notice 

 that although the Labour Party advocated Adult 

 Suffrage at the elections, the Government made a 

 compromise and proposed a ^15 qualification in- 

 stead of a ^25 one. This was only fair, as both 

 sections of the Government were represented. How- 

 ever, this scheme was rejected by the Upper House, 

 and we are in the position of being as you were. 

 However, we hope that in time education and con- 

 sequent enlightenment will make the way clear 

 for Adult Suffrage. When that happens, South Aus- 

 tralia will make very quick progress." 



When a Government sets out to secure the settle- 

 ment of difficulties in such an admirable spirit, it 

 is not likelv that they will be insurmountable, and 

 I said "good-bye" to Mr. Price and Mr. Kirk- 

 patrick with an increased conviction that the Go- 

 vernment is in perfectly safe hands, and that the 

 good record shown during the last six months is 

 likelv to be continued. 



ENGLISH INTERVIEWS. 



LXTX.— NON-CONFORMISTS aND THE NEW HOUSE OF COMMONS r 



THE REV. THOMAS LAW. 



The Rev. Thomas Law is the Secretary of the 

 Free Church Federation. He is a kind of Noncon- 

 formist Schnadhorst. The Free Church head 

 quarters and its branches, with Free Church Coun- 

 cils located in every important centre in England 

 and Wales, is for electoral purposes a Free Church 

 caucus, which for practical purposes has been 

 created since last General Election. 



I saw Mr. Law on the morrow of C.-B.'s great 

 meeting in the Albert Hall, which he harl attend''! 



with nther stalwarts. I found him well content 

 with the Premiers utterances. 



" He might have said a little more about educa- 

 tion, " said Mr. Law. "but he had a great deal of 

 ground to cover, and what he said was all right." 



" Then you are hopeful?" I asked. 



" We have every reason to be," rejoined Mr. Law. 

 <; Never since the days of the Commonwealth has 

 English Nonconform it v gone forth to battle under 

 such discipline and with such confidence of victory. 



