Jieviev of Rrvieirs, Ijl^jOS. 



THE DEADLOCK IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 



Mr. T. H. Smeaton. 



By Mr. T. H. Smeaton, Member of the 

 Politics in 

 South Austraha at 

 the time of writing 

 are in a curiously 

 mixed condition. 

 With the Federal 

 elections drawing 

 nigh, it might be 

 supposed that the 

 larger affairs of the 

 Co m m o n w ealth 

 political sphere 

 would command 

 public attention, 

 but this is so far 

 from being the 

 case that even suc- 

 cessive visits from 

 all the leaders of 

 the Federal Parlia- 

 ment have done 

 little more than ex- 

 cite a passing in- 

 terest. How abso- 

 lutely true this is 

 may be gauged by the fact that even Mr. ("reorge 

 Reid's anti-Socialism bogey, although vigorously 

 danced by the author of its being before an immense 

 audience, was received with a tired sort of amuse- 

 ment that must have been very discouraging to him. 



The fact is that South Australia lives too much in 

 the back water of Federal politics to be greatly dis- 

 turbed by anything that takes place in connection 

 with them, and the truth of this may be gauged by 

 the fact that even Mr. Deakin's master move in in- 

 troducing the Preferential Tariff with the mother 

 country without any preliminary notice has been 

 allowed to pass with the very slightest expression A 

 opinion. 



The outlook ir State politics is much more in- 

 teresting and uncertain, and he would be a bold man 

 who, in this sphere, would undertake to forecast the 

 events of the next week or two with any degree of 

 accuracy. .A fight which has hitherto been con- 

 ducted as a sort of an affair of outposts between 

 the House of Assembly and the Legislative Council 

 has at length developed into a battle at close quar- 

 ters, and, unless an agreement is patched up in some 

 way which is not at present evident, it is quite likely 

 that the State will be launched into the excitement 

 of a general election consequent upon a dissolution 

 of the House of Assembly. 



This position has interesting peculiarities. The 

 extreme step of dissolving a House of Parliament is 

 usuallv the result of some deadlock in the House 

 which is thus penalised. In this case it is not so. 



South Australian Legislative Assembly. 



The most remarkable fact of all indeed is that the 

 Government, which is forcing the crisis, is the 

 strongest that has been in power for many years, and 

 could, if it would, rule without being disturbed until 

 the expiration of this Parliament at least. The ques- 

 tion at issue is that of the Franchise for the Legisla- 

 tive Council. This Franchise rests upon a ^25 

 rental qualification, or the ownership of a freehold 

 of the value of ^50 or of a leasehold of the value 

 of jQ2)°> ^nd the vote is exercisable by both sexes. 

 The contention of the Labour and Liberal parties 

 is that, the qualification being so high, the great 

 bulk of the people by whose labour the prosperity of 

 the State is achieved, are excluded from representa- 

 tion in what is supposed to be the " House of Second 

 Thought." It is contended that whereas at the time 

 of the granting of responsible government, the pro- 

 portion of electors for the Legislative Council was 

 one for every two of the electors of the House of 

 Assembly. It is now, after the lapse of fifty years, 

 reduced to the proportion of two to seven. This 

 statement in itself may not convey to the reader, un- 

 acquainted with South Australian politics, anything 

 that would account for the extreme step which is 

 contemplated by the Price Government; but when 

 it is stated that, under this restricted Franchise, the 

 membership of the Legislative Council is composed 

 of sixteen Conservatives, one Liberal and one Labour 

 Party man, it will be realised how great is the check 

 put upon the class of legislation which is passed in 

 the House of Assembly when it is sent on to the 

 "House of Second Thought." 



Coming into power on the flood-tide of the Labour 

 victory at the polls last year. Premier Price, in coali- 

 tion with the Liberal section of the House 

 of Assembly, passed a number of Liberal 

 measures which were in due course sent on for the 

 consideration of the Legislative Council. Several of 

 these were, in the opinion of the Labour-Liberal 

 parties, treated contemptuously, being returned in 

 such a mutiLated condition as to make any hope of 

 amiable agreement upon them between the two 

 Houses absolutely impossible. Amongst others was 

 a Bill to reduce the Franchise for the Legislative 

 Council to jQiS- Premier Price has passed the same 

 Bill exactly this session, and, in sending it on to 

 the Legislative Council, has declared his intention 

 of taking every legitimate step to enforce what he 

 believes to be the will of the people upon a section 

 of the people who do not seem to be willing. 



That is how the matter stands at present, and it 

 will depend upon the action of the Legislative Coun- 

 cil within the next day or two whether the extreme 

 step suggested by the Premier will have to be taken. 

 My own opinion is that we shall be in the turmoil 

 of a general election within a fortnight at the most. 



