Bevieiv of Revieivs. 1/9/13. PROGRESS OF THE WORLD. 



66i 



What May Happen. 



Mr. Cook accurately described the 

 situation in his speech at Kyneton, when 

 he accused the Labour members of wil- 

 fully holding up the business of the 

 Commonwealth in order to gain a tacti- 

 cal advantage. It is difficult to under- 

 stand how men of Parliamentary experi- 

 ence can act in such a short-sighted man- 

 ner as Mr. Fisher and his colleagues are 

 now doing. The only possible object is 

 to force Mr. Cook to resign, and thus 

 obtain a dissolution of the Lower House 

 only. Before such a policy could be 

 successful, the whole country would be 

 so sick of the manner in which legisla- 

 tion had been hung up that those re- 

 sponsible for it must inevitably suffer 

 at the polls. That is always assuming 

 that there are large sections of voters 

 who think for themselves, and are not 

 mere party automatons. 



The Interstate Commission. 



The appointments to the Interstate 

 Commission have given general satis- 

 faction. Mr. Piddington is suitablv re- 

 warded for his acquiescence in the de- 

 mand of the Bars of the different States 

 that he should not accept a seat on the 

 High Court Bench. His legal ability 

 should make him a good chairman. Mr. 

 Geo. Swinburne is well qualified by his 

 busmess training for the task, although 

 the part he took as Minister in the Mur- 

 ray Waters controversy has given rise to 

 some needless apprehension in South 

 Australia. As one of the first duties of 

 the new body will be the regulation of 

 the tariff. Mr. Lockyer w^as obviously in- 

 dispensable. The only dubious note on 

 the Commission comes from ultra pro- 

 tectionists, who are dissatisfied because 

 all the members are not also rabidly in 

 favour of a prohibitive tariff. The 

 powers of the Commissioners are far- 

 reaching. They can enquire into prac- 

 tically everything. The\- have the power 

 to administer in a large number of 

 things, and the power of adjudication. 

 They act as judges, too. from whom 

 there is no appeal except to Parliament. 

 They may be regarded as a permanent 

 Rovnl Commission. The Commission 

 does not, however, apjiear to have 

 any power to enforce its findings. It can 

 do' an immense amount of useful work. 



MR. GEOEGE SWINBURNE. 



and it IS to be hoped it will not be over- 

 whelmed with detail as is the interstate 

 body in the U.S.A.. 



Victoria and New South Wales. 



There are welcome signs that there is 

 a real rapprochement between the two 

 States of New South Wales and Vic- 

 toria. How much the respective Gover- 

 nors are responsible for this will al- 

 wavs remain unknown, but the Premiers, 

 at any rate, have worked steadil}- to 

 this end. During August a hurried 

 conference took place in Melbourne 

 between Mr. Watt and Mr. Plolman, 

 at which man)- things were discussed. 

 Amongst others, the question of the 

 Murrav waters, and the border rail- 

 ways. As far as the latter are 

 concerned, agreement has been ar- 

 rived at, and the natural outlet for the 

 Riverina will no longer be denied those 

 fat lands. The nearer the two Slates 

 come together, the more cordial are their 

 relations, the better for the whole of 

 Australia. It is high time that the old 

 State jealousies, relics of a bygone time, 

 disa])peared altogether. 



