Review of Reviewi, 1/lliOS. 



OUR UNWIELDY STATES. 



The Nicessity that Exists for the Divfsion of the Large and More Unwieldy Australian 



States into Smaller and More Compact Ones. 



By G. S. Curtis. Rockhampton. 



The idea of writing you upon the above subject 

 was suggested by the gridiron maps of Australia, 

 which you published in a recent issue, showing the 

 relative strength of Socialism in the different States 

 as represented in the Federal Parliament, and also 

 by what you have said about the necessity (inter 

 alia) of extension of Government, and placing more 

 complete power in the hands of the people. The 

 maps illustrate the noteworthy fact that the larger 

 and more unwieldv States send the largest propor- 

 tion of Socialists to the Federal Parliament, and, 

 conversely, the smaller and more compact the 

 State, the smaller number of Socialists does it send 

 to the councils of the nation. This is conspicuous 

 in the case of the smaller States of Tasmania and 

 Victoria, and appears to emphasise and accentuate 

 the tnitli of the political axiom, upheld by many 

 past-time statesmen — viz., that small and compact 

 States are more easily and better governed than 

 huge and unwieldy ones. The late Sir Henr)- 

 Parkes was one of these statesmen, and no one was 

 better qualified to judge. He on Several occasions 

 referred to the necessitv of the division of the 

 larger Australian colonies, and in his book, '' Fifty 

 Years in Making Australian History," he expressecJ 

 his concurrence in the fundamental principle '" that 

 excessive area is not necessary, but positively detri- 

 mental, to national growth and development." Re- 

 ferring to the then proposed Australian Federation, 

 he said : — " As a matter of reason and logical fore- 

 cast, it cannot be doubted that if the union were 

 inaugurated with double the number of the present 

 colonies, the growth and prosperity of all would be 

 more absolutely assured. It would add immensely 

 to the national importance of the new Common- 

 wealth, and would be of immense advantage to 

 West Australia, South Australia, and Queensland 

 themselves if four or five new colonies were cut 

 out of their vast and unmanageable territories." 



About the time Sir Henry Parkes gave expression 

 to these views, Sir S. W. Griffith brought in his Bill 

 to divide Queensland into three provinces. Sir 

 Henry noted this fact, and added a synopsis of the 

 Bill as an appendix to his book. 



I am satisfied that the truth of the political axiom 

 endorsed by Sir Henry Parkes would be most 

 strikingly exemplified in the case of Queensland 

 were she divided into three States. Brisbane, the 

 seat of government, is most inconveniently situated 



m the south-eastern corner of her huge territorv, 

 an anomaly that can hardlv be equalled in the 

 political arrangements of any'other countrv. Under 

 present conditions, it is impossible to get suitable 

 men in Central or North Queensland to come for- 

 ward as representatives, because they cannot atiford 

 to lea\-e their homes and business to go to Brisbane. 

 This is largely accountable for the fact of so many 

 Labour men being sent as representatives from 

 Central and North Queensland. The larger and 

 more unwieldy the electorates, the better for the 

 Labour Party, highly organised as it is in all parts 

 of the country. This has been verv clearlv shown 

 by their great success at the Federal elections, the 

 Federal electorates being enormous in area. 

 Queensland as one electorate is simply a political 

 monstrosity, making a contest for a seat in the 

 Senate a tremendous and very doubtful undertak- 

 ing. The establishment of separate Legislatures 

 in Central and Northern Queensland would mean 

 both smaller State and Federal electorates, and 

 would greatly stimulate the interest of all perma- 

 nent residents in public affairs. There would be 

 much less difficulty in securing candidates for the 

 State Parliaments possessing some tangible stake in 

 Central and Northern Queensland because the\ 

 would be within comparatively easy distance from 

 the State Capital and seat of government, while the 

 new Federal electorates, being much smaller than 

 the present ones, would be more easily or- 

 ganised, a matter that would be of very great en- 

 couragement to the opponents of the powerfully- 

 organised Federal Labour Partv. 



As regards increased cost of government, this- 

 wou'.d not be very great, as it would not be neces- 

 sary under the new arrangement to maintain the 

 huge Brisbane establishment ; but if it did involve 

 some increase in cost of government, it would ensure 

 better representation and much greater efficiencv. 

 The present number of members in the Queensland 

 Assembly is 72. Twenty-five members each would 

 be ample for -hew- Assemblies in the centre and 

 north, and presumably South Queensland would not 

 require any more. This is about the number that 

 all Queensland had when she started as an inde- 

 pendent colony in 1859. 



Unfortunate'y th:- important question of the di- 

 vision of the larger States has been quietly ignored' 

 bv every one of our present-day politicians. 



