Queensland

Parliamentary Debates [Hansard]

Legislative Assembly

WEDNESDAY, 28 JULY 1909

Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy

.Addnss m Repl_y. [28 J L'LY.] Pe1·sonal Explanation. 429

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY.

'\VED~ESDAY, 28 JULY, 1909.

The SPEAKER (Hon .•J. T. Bell, Dalby) took the chair at half-past 3 o'cbck.

PERSONAL EXPLANATION. The THEASURER (Hon. A. G. 0. Haw­ thorn, Enoggera) : \Vith the permission of the House I desire to make a personal explanation wit.h reference to the remarks which fell last night from the hon. member for Barcoo. Mr. MANN : I rise to a point of order. The hon. member has already made an explanation. 0PPOSITIO~ l\fEMBERS : Hear, hear! The SPEAKER: Order, order! I think we might hear what the hon. member has to say. A serious accu~ation was n1ade against the hon. member last night, anrl I think if he has something to say very briefly, he should be permitted to speak. Mr. MANN: He has not spoken on the motion. He has the right of reply. The TREASURER : Last night the hon. member for Barcoo was fully seized of certain facts when he alludei to what had taken place, m;d 1 was taken at a disadvantage in hadng to speak on a matter that nccurred some eighteen months ago. l\'lr. KERR: No; not eighteen months ago. The 'I'REASUHER: I have made full inquiry at the Lands Office in regard to the matter, and I now wish to put before the House a full state­ ment of exactlv what occurred. The hon. mem­ ber !aRt night insinuated that I, as a member of the Ministry, had r:;iven Oliver Smith and Oo., or assisted to give them, a preference. Mr. KERR: No; you ac:ed as their agents. Hon . .A. G. G. Hawthorn.] 430 Personal Explanation. [ASSEMBLY.J Address in Reply.

The TREASURER: 'Whereby they obtained that the hon. member can tell me that the other for practically ~d. an acre, land for which, sub­ day I permitted the hon. member for Fassifern sequently, 3d. per acre was got, from some to make a statement based on a publication of selectors. that kind. I am aware of thM. But, when that Mr. HA}JILTON : That is not what he said. took place, I was under the impression that I was The TREASURER: I may say that :VIessrs. giving too much latitude, and since then I have Oliver Smith and Co. were the proprieLoro of referred to authorities, and I found I had cer­ two runs in the Blackall district--his Downs tainly given too much latitude. Hon. members and Avington. The second run-A vington-was will see that if a member, when a criticism dis­ cut up in accordance "ith the 1884 Act-a port­ tasteful to him occurs in a newspaper, is going to tion resumed, and a portion leased to them as make it a suhject of a personal explanation in lessees. It was divided in 1886, and 221 square Parliament, the business of the country will miles were resumed. In 1805--that is fourteen never be finisheil. · years ago-five portions were opened for grazing HoNOURABLE ME~IBERS : Hear, hear ! selection, but up to the year 1907 only one had Mr. MANN : I would point out that the hon. been taken at ld. per acre. In 1907 two were member for Clermont referred to some remarks taken at ~d. an acre, and the retnaining two are in the TVorker, and you allowed him to proceed. still vacant. 'I' be lessees, meantime, had a dtlpas­ turing right over the balance at 16s. per square OPPOSITION ME}IBERS: Hear, bear! mile. In August, 1907, the lessee,; asked that 124 The SPEAKER: Order, order! The hon. square miles, including the two portions rema.in­ member is quite correct. I undoubtedly gave ing unse!ected, be opened for lease, so that they too much latitude to the hon. member for could have a permanent tenure, which would Clermunt. I did not realise for some time that enable them to put down bores on what was he wa' referring to a statement in a newspaper. practically waterless country. Commissioner I regret very much nnt being able to allow the Robson Scott, reporting on the country, stated hon. member to make a statement, but I am it to be scruhby, heavily timbered, and almost convinced I am ac~ing in accordance with the waterless, and that, riding along the Avington precedents of Parliament. boundary fence for several miles, he saw nothing but gidya scrub- partly open, but chiefly HoNOURABLE J\IEli!BERS : Hear, hear ! dense. Mr. MANN : I am fnlly satisfied. I wished Mr. KERR: He was never on the land. to get up to show the House how this can be The TREASURER: He did not consider carrie'i too far. I did not intend to bring this that the country would be selected, and recom­ matter up, but as you allowed the hon. member mended that it be opened for lease, for Enoggem to make an explanation, I wished Mr. KERR: He was never inside the boundary. to show that it could be carried too far. The TREASURER: It was accordingly de­ cided to open for le' CoNFIDENC'E MoTroN-REsL'~IPTION carry that out, and aml)ngst the signatures to that 01!' DEBATE. minute was the signature of the hon. member for HoN. R. PHILP (Townsville), who was Barcoo. received with "Hear, hears!'' said: I have Mr. KERR: No; I was absent. listened very carefully for the last five weeks to The TREASURER: 'l'he hon. member said hon. members' speeches-- last night that he was away at the time, but the OPPOSlTIO:I' ME~IBERS : Five weeks ! and minute shows he was present. laughter. Tbe SJ>EAKER: Order ! The hon. member Ho:-;. R. PHlLP: ,Six weeks, I think. I must confine himself to a purely person".] ex­ have liHtened to a number of speeches delivered planation. for and against this motion, and I must confess The TREASURER : In view of thP state­ that I have so far found nu go,,d reason why I ments that the bnd would nm;· be selected if should vote for the mot,ion of the hon. member opened it waR withdrawn and in:-;tructions given for Fortitwle Valley. (Opposition laughter.) I to design it for sdecti(ln, The land has nc~t yet have no rPason to ahn~e anyonP, and there will heen Oj;ened for selection. The land referred to not. be any personalities in wha.t I have tn flay~ as lately having be.en selected at 3d. per acre I think there h"s been a great den] too much does not comprise any of the laud which was to abnsP, and that a g( od n1any things ha\ e been have been opentd for lease. The se!tcted land said which many hon. tnemben; \Vill n·gret after­ is t.hat tec~ntly rt:'\Umed from Avington holding ward~, and wi~h they t~oulrl. unsay. L:t..,t night fur settlement, and is first class ::;heep country. the hon. m"znber for Ba.rcoo told us that when I think that will absolutely absolve m<' fro'm he brought the Mount :EIIiott Rail way Bill any accusation the hon. li1Rn1ber for Barcoo in the House he told the Premier that the made. bringing in of the Bill would canse a rupture GoVERNMEN'r ?ITE}fB!m~ : Hear, hear ! with the Labour party. He told him that, but still he per;istFl in bringing the Bill in. He Mr. :\IAKN: As personal explanations seem passed the Bill, and he says now thctt the Bill to be the <•rder of the day, I rise to make a per­ was a good Bill, and that he is not ashamed of it. f'Onal explanation, too. The Cou1'icr, in its "Gallery Nntes," say:;:, "But in his speech nir. GOVERN~IE:I'T JYIE~IBERS : Hear, hear ! iYiann trespassed much more seriously"-- Ho:l'. R. PHILP : How can the hon. member 'l'he SPEAKER: Order, order ! I gather for Barcoo now give a good reason for his action from what the hon. member is reading he is in lea,ving the present G-ovPrnment.? He was one about to reply to some statement which appeared who brought about the rupturf\ wich the Labour in a newspaper. party. After that rupture, if the Government Mr. MANN : Yes. carried on, they mu-::;t get t.'le as~istance of some other party. They go~ their assistance, and now, The SPEAKER : I should like to point out forsooth, because the Premier has got the a>sist­ to the hon. member that that can fairly be con­ ance of the Philp party, the hon. me•nber for sidered outside the scope of subjects under which Barcoo thoughc tit tn leave the Government and a personal explanation can be made. I am aware oppose the present fusion of parties. And for [Hon. A. G. C. Hawthorn. Address in Reply. [28 JuLY.] Address zn Reply. 431 what reason? Is it in order that he will not be HoN. R. PHJLP: I never spoke to Mr. able to bring in any more Bills like the Mount Kidston on the matter at all. However, that Elliott Bill, which was, he admitR, ~good Bill, goes by the way. I say that so far as that and a Bill which has done so much for that part gentleman's interests in this country are con-· of the country? I like to see a member logical cerned, I do not think be cares one fig whether in any action he takes up. I maintain that there the country prospers or otherwise. All that be are six members on that side of the Honse who has been seeking siuce be has been in this House refused to join the fusion-the coalition. I have is to get a positwn on the Supreme Court bench no fault to find with them for refusing, but I of Queensland. I am very glad to think that think every member of the House must admit Judge Sha,nd got the P'lsition, and I think every that their vosition now is not a logical one. man who knows an vthing of him will say that it Mr. MANN : And the Philpites. was the right appointment to make. HoN. R. PHILP: They went to the country Mr. MVRPHY : They promised :ThfENT ME>IBEHS: Hear, hear ! Mr. JESKINSON: I have a perfect right to say what I like-I tell the truth. HoN. R. PHILP: I say unmistakably that those six members-I am not going to use any Hox. R. PHILP: So long as you tell the term of abu"e-I say that they have utterly truth I do not object, but I say you have nob mistaken their position in thi• House, and I told the truth. claim that they cannot go before their electors, Mr. JENKINSON: I have told the truth. I and tell them truthfully that they have carried have stuck to it clott me at first. fusion. Kow, every child in Queensland knows ::\Ir. JENKINsON: I am not particularly the rea•on for that gentleman's defection-,-every anxious to look at you now. (Opposition boy and girl attending the t-ltate schools around laughter.) Brisbane and I p~wich kno\vs the rea~on wa8 because he was not made a judge of the Supreme HoN. R. PHILP : I say that the bon. mem­ Court in Brisbane. ber for Fassifern WtLS in favour (Jf the fusion of Mr. ·woons: \Vbat nomense! partie.;, He only rnade one resf>rvation, and that was that he was opposed to the Trade Hox. R. PHILP : It was for no other reason Disputes Bill; but that was only one plank, whatever. and it was not sufficient excu,e for the sition as judge. I know from my that the Pmmier promised any portfolios at all. own knowledge that from the time he pai!sed Again, the hon. member called a caucu•, meeting. that Bill in this House, making it within the power of the Government to appoint five judges, l\Ir .•TENKINSON: No ; I did not. he was doing all he could to get that judgeship. HoN. R PHILP : He came to me and asked You, Sir, who were in the Home at the time, me if I would attend it, and I said "Yes, I will will bear me out. I told the hon. member attend it," and he was to telephone to all the himself, " I cannot blame you if you take the people. At that caucus meeting he said dis· position, but I should blame your colleagues tinctly that a resolution was carried by the whole very much if they did appoint you." party to oppose the Trade Disputes Bill. Mr. MANN : Did you mention that to Mr. Mr. JENKINSON: No; I did not. You have Kidston? not read it sufficiently. You read it again. Hon.R. Philp.] 432 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.} Address in Reply.

HoN. R. PHILP: I say distinctly thftt no the attitude which the hon. gentleman had resolution was carried at that meeting at all. taken un, as though he had been bought with a Mr. JENKIKSON: It was. portfolio. The SPEAKER: Order, order ! Mr. JENKINSON: What did you ask me for, then? OPPOSITION lYlEliiBERS : Hear, hear! ::\Ir. BLAIR: It was very tricky. HoN. R. PHILP: I say it was not. There HoN. R. PHILP: I strong-ly advised him not were fourte~n er fifteen members at that meet­ to take it, and I will tell you what he said. He ing, and the hon. member for Fassifern did said to me," \Vhat I want is the Speakership." nearly all the talking himself. (Government laughter.) He said, "If you don't A GOVERNl\IENT MEMBER: As usual. {Laugh­ take it, ::\Ir. Philp, I ought to get it, and I want ter.) it." (Government laughter.) HoN. R. PHILP: And there were no resolu­ Mr. JENKINSON: No; I said I would accept tions at all carried before the meeting adjourned. the Speakership. That is the difference. (Go­ Mr. JENKINSON: That is not so. ·what did vernment laughter.) the hon. member for .:VIackay say? Be fair. HoN. R. PHILP: 'l'here were a good many The SPEAKEH: Order, order! cnnve1 sations, which I am not going to repeat to this HouRe. HoN. R. PHILP : \Vhat has that got to do GOVERNliiENT MEli!BERS : Hear, hear ! with it at all? \Vhat does it matter what took place at that caucus meeting? The hon. member HoN. R. PHILP: The hon. member for for Fassifero withdrew his support from the Fassifern is going about posing as a martyr­ Government because of its intention to introduce as n man who refused portfolios. a TradP Disputes Bill, but he goes over to the other Mr. BLAIR: More honour to him. side to support lVIr. Bowman, where he is certain HoN. R. PHILP : He said that Mr. Redwood to get a Trade Disputes Bill introduced. and Mr. Douglas-- l\Ir. lYIANN : Tell us about the wire-netting. The SPEAKER: Order, order! HoN. R. PHILP: Those five members, led by HoN. R. PHILP: He said that the hon. the senior member for Ipswich, Mr. Blair, com­ member for Cook otfererl him the Treasurership. plained, and the Labour members over there have also complained, that the Government did not (Government laughter.) bring in a Trade Disputes Bill, so what consolation Mr. JENKINSON: And what did I say to that? can the hon. member for Fassifern have in sitting HoN. R. PHI LP : Y on said you would not over on that side at all? He withdrew his sup­ acr1ept a portfolio under Redwood or Kidston. port from this Government because they proposed (Laughter.) · to introducP a Trade Disputes Bill. OPPOSITION lYlEMBERS: Hear, hear ! Mr. JENKI"'SON: You are not speaking the truth now. The SPEAKER : Order, order ! The PREliiiER : It was the Speakership or The SPEAKER : Order, order ! nothing. (Laughter.) GOVERNMENT MEMBERS: Withdraw ! HoN. R. PHILP: I say now that if fhe hon. The SPJ

The SPEAKER : Order ! I hope the hon. HoN. R. PHILP: You cannot deny that you member for ]',tssifern will obey my cdls to order. went to my friend and made thcct propo"'tl. I reminded him before that he was not in order lYir. BLAIR: I never made a propos81 about in making running conunents while a metnber is putting you out. I said that I would put you speaking. on t if I could. Mr. ,J ENKINSON : This is most unfair to me. HoN. R. PHILP : It reminds me of the The SPEAKER : Order, order ! child who was being cha;tised by a servant. She said, " I hope Mary will die, and go to Mr. JENKINSON (rising): I ha,·e no hesita­ heaven." (Laughter.) 'fhat may have been tion in saying that I will sit perfectly quiet if the the pious wbh of the Premier and the senior hon. member for Townsvil!e will quote some member for Ipswich with regard to myself. I authority for what he is saying. The mere ipse do not want to briug up these matters, but they dixit of himself is not sufficient to prove it. He must be answered. has got Hansard at his disposal, and I am per­ fectly content to take that if he quotes it. (Go­ A GovERN}IENT MEMBER: They are not worth vernment laughter.) answering, The SPEAKER: I understand quite well HoN. R. PHILP : I would not have men­ that it is rather annoying to be criticised-- tioned them, only that the hon. member repeatedly appealed to me to say that he was Mr. JENKINSON: Not if it is fair criticism. offered a pnrtfolio which be did not want; and The SPEAKER: K.pecially, as the hon. after all his talks about what happened at those gentleman thinks in his r•se, if that criticism caucus meetings, which I consider that no is not justified. But if the hon. gentleman will member had a right to mention outside of those think for a moment he wiil know that he has meetings-- abundant opportunities for replying to the hon. GovERN1IENT J\:1E1IBJIENT MEMBEHS : Hear, bear! :Mr. J.ENKINSON: You have been doing nothing HoN . .R. PHILP: \Ve have had a number of else. speeches fr<>m members since this debate stn,rted. Some took one hour, some two hours, and what HoN. R. PHILP : There was nothing else for is the sum tntal of these speeches? "Down the it after the speech of the hon. member for :Fassi­ Premier ' Down Kidston !" has Leen the text of fern the other night. There is another little nearly every man who has spoken. matter. It is just a~ well to have these things [4 p.m.] I say every man in this House, out and have done with them. The senior everv man on both sides of the member for Ipswich, Mr. Blair, said that the House, is pledged to suppnrt the policy which is Premier wanted me out of the House altogether. now before Pt is true. years ago, and again twelve months ago, wenb :\fr. KERR: Perfectly correct. to the country under the wing of the present Premier. The SPEAKER : Order, order ! Mr. BowMAN: We did not. HoN. R. PHILP: The hon. member must HoN. R. PHILP: They agreed with the policy know that the only people who can put me out which th" Premier put before the country. Df this House are the, electors of Townsville. Mr. BOWMAN : We did not. Mr. MANN : The Premier wished you to resign. HoN. R. PHILP : They did not agree with syndicate railways, I admit, but everything else HoN. R PHILP : A friend of mine told me in the policy now in front of us ha" been approved that Mr. Blair went to him-- of by thoBe hon. members. Certainly the eleven The SPEAKER: Order ! The hon. member members on the cross benches are pledged to for Ipswich. support that policy. Mr. WooDs : No coalition. Hox. R. PHILP: The hem. member for Ipswich went to him and proposed that I should HoN. R. PHILP: "Coalition" is not a policy. retire altogether from the House. As I have already said, members went to the country and asked the electors to return a party Mr. BLAIR: He WitS pulling your toe. (Oppo­ with a majority. The electors did not do that, sition laughter.) The electors were asked a second time to return HoN. R. PHILP: I am here because I was a party with a majority, and again they did not elected a m em her of this House by the electors do so ; and I say the proper course for the of Townsville, and I will stay here as long as I leader; of parties under those circumstances was wish-as long as I am allowed by my electors. to arrange that some two parties should come GovERNMENT lYfEMBERS : Hear, hear ! together and form a strong Government. A LABOUR MEMBER : And you have done it! HoN. R. PHILP: Neither the hon. member for Ipswich nor anyone else are going to get me HoN. R. PHILP I believe that the country out of the House because they wi'h it. That was approves of what has taken place. the coolest thing I ever heard. Mr. HARDAORE: Give the country a chance to Mr. BLAIR : I never said it. say whether it does or not. 1909-2E Hon.R. Philp.] 434 .Address in Repl,y. [ASSEMBLY.] .Address in Repl!f.

HoN. R. PHILP: I am willing to give the l\fr. BoWi\U.N : Last year we moved a rednc• electors a clmnce to-morrow. tion in the vote. Mr. HARllACRE: Give us Supply, and you can HoN. R. PHILP : Why did not the party go to the country to-morrow. move a reduction two years ago? Because at that HoN. R. PHILP: The most numerous party time they were supporting the Government. in the House ought to get Supply, and that is the Mr. J. M. HuNTER: No; because there was a party on this side of the House. Give u~ Supply, scarcity of labour. and I am willing to go to the country to-morrow. HoN. R. PHILP: There was a greater scarcity It matters not to me whether I come back to the of labour last year than there was two years ago. House or not ; it matters not to me whether I sit The last time a vote for immigration W>ts before on that side of the House or on this; but it does this House the Labour party moved that the vote matter to me whether the country is progressive be reduced by £20,000, and the hon. member for and prosperous. It is not possible to form a Fortitude Valley has stated since this session Ministry on that side of the House which can began that if he had succeeded with that amend­ formulate and carry out a policy that will be of ment he would have moYed a further reduction. benefit to the country, because members there disagree on almost every matter. See how they Mr. BoWMAN : Yes ; as long as there are unem­ disagree on the question of immigration! ployed in Queensland. LABOUR ME}!BERf\: No, no! HoN. R. PHILP: You will always have un­ employed more or less, and I say we have just A GOVERN}!ENT MEliiBER: And on the question as much need for people now as we had two of a land tax. years ago, and it would be a lamentable thing to HoN. R. PHILP : They disagree on almost stop immigration. Of course, I would not go in every subject. The Labour party have always for immigration on the scale suggested by the said how solid and consistent thPy are, and they hon. member for Cook. I woulri not advocate have insisted upon every plank oftheir platform­ the introduction of 2,000 or :l,OOO immigrants that or nothing. ·when a sum of £50,000 was per week. first put on the Estimates for immigration two Mr. MANN: You did. years ago by the present Premier, did they oppose that proposal? HoN. R. PHILP: I never did advocate that. Mr. LESIXA: It ought to have been opposed. l\Ir. l\IANN: I can shvw it you in print. HoN. R. PHILP: Not only did they not op· HoN. R. PHILP: The hon. memher cannot pose it, but they voted for it, or rather the vote find any such statement in print. During the went through without a word of opposition. I forty ur fifty years that immigration has Leen a remember sitting in the House till 2 or 3 o'clock policy in Queensland, I do not remember more in the morning to see how the vote would be than 2,000 immigrants a month coming- to treated, and that it went through without any Queensland, and that was about 24,000 or opposition. 25,000 a year. That is the largest number I have known to come here. Mr. •T. M. Ht:NTER: With the "gag." Mr. BO\Vii!AN: And you knocked off immi­ HoN. R. PHILP: No; it went through with­ gration once. out a single word against it, and without a single HoN. R. PHILP: There was a reason for vote against it. That was two years ago. doing so at the time, but since then times have Mr. LESINA: That was an oversight. (Laugh­ been better. \Ve have had "plendid seaaons, ter.) and there has been an enormous boom in land HoN. R. PHILP: The Labour party voted settlement, and tn make the best use of the land for the £50,000 for immigration that year, be­ which has been taken up we want a number of cause they were then supporters of the Govern­ immigrants to come to Queensland. Since we ment. But they appear to have changed their have gone in for building railways we have opinions with their change of sides in this thrown open more land for settlement than any House. ·when they supported the £50,000 for other State in Australia has done. Only two immigration they were sitting on this side years ago the Under Secretary for Lands, J\1r. supporting the Government. Scott, called attention to the necessity for build­ l\fr. BLAIR: You have changed your opinions ing more railways. I have his report here. very greatly. Mr. HAimACRE: \Vby did you oppose the HoN. R. PHILP: I have not changed my Premier when you were sitting on this side of opinions very greatly. Certainly I have not the HouBe? changed my opinion about the bon. member for HoN. R. PHILP : I knew the Premier could Ipswich. Year after year I "m more than ever not carry out his railway policy with the party confirmed in the opinion I formed of the hon. who were then supporting him, but, as a matter member. But it is not a fault in a man to change of fact, the party with which I f other lines are here office, and he was in doubt as to whether he now, ancl I say if we want to keep opening up would come out as an independent, or whether lands, we have to build more railways. he would support me or support Mr. Kidston. Mr. DouGLAS : I told you I would not support GOVERNMENT ME~IBERS : Hear, hear ! you. HoN. R. PHILP: That is a plank of the HoN. R. PHILP: I advised him-I knew his platform of the present Government, and they father, and I thought it was rather a pity that he have not deviated one iota from that platform. should spoil his career by going into politics at 0PPOS!'rJON MEMBERS: \V e did not oppose all. I said : "0 >me out either on one side or th<>Se rail ways. the other; you will make a mistake if you come HoN. R. PHILP : I understand the Labour out as an independent." "When he left Brisbane party do not believe in borrowing money. he h>td not made u 1> his mind on which side he wonld come out. Mr. BOWMAN : \V e voted for the loan last session. Mr. DouGLAS: Stick to the truth. HoN. R. PHILP : You voted for it after a HoN. R. PHILP: It is the truth. good deal of talk against it. There was a good Mr. DouGLAS: \Vho said so? deal of talk against the floating of that loan, and I pninted out at the time that most of the money HoJ>. R. PHILP : I can assure you he told had been "pent. me so himself. He ~aid he would wire me from Cooktown which side he would come out on .. Mr. J. M. HUNTER : You imagine those things. \Vhen h? got to Cooktown he did wire; he kept HoN. R. PHILP : I do not imagine those his promise. things. The member for J<'assifern attacks the ]Hr. DouGLAS: You 'asked me to consult my coalition Government because )and selection was constituents-my leading supporters-and I told le>s than the previous ye>tr. I have looked up yuu I would do so, :;nd that I would not support the figures and find last year was a reeord year you unless my supporters wished me. (Govern­ for land selection in Queenslund. ment laughter.) OPPosrrroN 11E;I!BERS : In m·ea. HoN. R. PHILP : However, it only shows HoN. R. PHILP: There were 607,000 acres that this cry of conservatising the Government of land taken up as agricultural selections as is only imagino,ry. In the olden days there was against 689,000 the previous year-only 80,000 a squatting part.y and a town party1 and I l?"Y odd less. 'fhe reason of that was because less point out that Sir Thoma• Mcllwra1th came mto bud was available, because not so many railways this House as a liberal. The Hon. John were passed. At all events 4,091,000 acres were Macrossan also came in as a liberal, and they selected as against 4,000,000 the previous year, opposed the squatting party, but they found the and a largel' sum in rent was rec'oived. There liberals in those days were full of promises which was only a difference of 80,000 odd acres in were never kept, and they crossed the floor of agricultural selections, and it seems to me a.n the House. But noboi!y can truthfully say that enormous quantity of land to be selected in one either Sir Thomas M ell wraith or John M acrossan year. were ever conservative. To my mind the great­ Mr. ALLEN: You say nothing ao all about the est democrat who h~s ever been in this House number of selectors. up to the present day was John ;yracrossan. (Hear, hear!) You never heard that man say hA HoN. R. PHILP : 'l'bere were 1,608 selectors was a democrat. I claim that our party has passed who took up agricultural farms last year, and just as democratic measures as the Labour party, the year before 1,904. Surely, the bon. member or any party in this House. We passed tb,, for Barcoo cannot complain, because he was a Shops and l!'actories Act, and we passed the member of the Ministry for nine months out of Agricultural Land Purchase Act. \Ve passed the twelve. the Sugar \Vork9rs' Guarantee Act. Are they GovERNMEl\T ME~fBERS : Hear, hear ! conservative measures? HoN. R. PHILP: If he complains he is con­ Mr. RYLAND : They are very imperfect. demning himself. I think it is a wonderful HoN. R. PHILP : There is nothing perfect. amount of land that has been taken up, and I Even the hon. member for Gympieis not perfect. hope all who have taken up land will be success­ ful farmers. Mr. RYLAND: Very near it. HONOURABLE 1\IEMBERS : Hear, hear ! The SPEAKER : Order, order ! HoN. R. PHILP: But I certainly think unless HoN. R. PHILP: Those five members who· the Government assist them with plenty of crossed the floor of the House, up to the present Hon. R. Pkilp.] 436 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

time bn. ve given no valid reason for their action. HoN. R. PHILl': Some say that all land They were strong supporters at the time of the should be taxed. The farmers in Queensland are fusion of 1nrties. The hon. mf'tnber for Too~ heavily t .• xed enough already. woomba, c\ir. Redwood, came to me and boasted GovERNMENT J\IEli!BERS: Hear, hear ! o! what h · had clone. Before the coalition he came to " ''and urged me to bring it about. I Ho~. R. PHILP: Thl y have to pay a rail­ certainly ctwught it was the best thing possible way tax-]• .lf a dozen different t..1xes altogether at the time, and I think so still, and I only -in additi'' to which the hon. member for regret that eleven members sitting on that side Gympie propo"ed a bnd tax in Queensland. o£ the Houee-five of whom really believed that His friend, ;\lr. Fisher, proposed a land tax in the coalitinn was nece&re speaking. I hope the hon. mem­ whom I believe on hi• simple statement, and bers will observe my vtll to order. he told me he wtts never at a colder meeting in Ho:-s immie,ration. When they were the meeting was as cold as charity. 'l'he denun­ supporting hino they said it was only .£50,000; ciation' of the hon. member for Toowoomba when they were opposing him they opposed seemed to fall flat. I believe the meeting which that I and the Premier were at was the better of the amount as much as they possibly could. two. Mr. BowMAN : Why did you oppose the Pre­ Mr. RYLAND: And the liveliest. (L,.ughter.) mier at the last two eltctions? HoN. R. PHILP: I hope that yet these hon. HoN. R. PHILl': Simply because I knew members will reconsider their position. They that he could not carry out his p•.licy with are now allying themselves with a party which is the aid of the hon. member and hi, JJarty. utterly opposed to the farmers of this country. A LABOUR MEliiBEI\: That is a reason why OPPOSITION MEMBERS: No, no! Not true. you should have hel1•ed him. HoN. R PHILP: \Ye know that the Wages Ho~. P,, I'HILP: 1 say so now. No prosp,r­ Boards Bill, including farmers, was carried by ity, or progress, can Pver be carried on, so long the Labour party. as the Labour party have got the running of the Mr. BOWMAN : And by your chief. Government. Mr. J. J\1. Hc:t>TER: They ran the Morgan HoN. R. PHILP: Most of the farmers in this GovnnmeEt for two years, and it was the best House were opposed to it. thing that ever happened for Queensland. JI.Ir. HAMILTON : How many farmers on this HoN. R. l'HILP: That is a matter of opinion. side voted for it? I know that the Morgan Government sold land HoN. R. PHILP: Look at the land tax pro­ freely, and the L~bour party did not obJect to it posed by the Labour party, and by Mr. Fisher, at all. in Melbourne, that land should be taxed when Mr. HAl\DACRE : Yes, they did. over .£300 in value. HoN. R. PHILP: The hon. member for Cler­ Mr. HAHDACRE: Land monopoly. mont and the hon. member for Leichhardt did [Hon.R.Philp. Address in Reply. [28 JuLY.] Address in Reply. 437

object, but none of the others did, but sat calmly HoN. R. PHILP: If ever I want,d anything, by. I did not object, because I agree with I always went to the Under Secretary, because selling the land. any n1en1ber can always get uny lYir. LKSI!':A: I went through Qunensland ["1.30 p.m.] infurma,tion he want, from the against the Premier, and fought two elections. UnLler f-iec1·e~J.. TY in::::.t~-,td of inter­ viewing Prernicr~ ?lnd ~linisters and he?,ging- for HoN. R. PHILP: Yes, the hon. member for things for then1;:,el ves, a~., that is a thhl~ which C!ermont and the hon. member for Leichhardt I have neVer done and il.o not propose to do. did oppose it, and spc~ the 1Iorgan Go­ thosE: rnernlJers who agreed to the coalit:.ion have Vel'nment tha.s sold the land. I \vould suy :- 0ain gone tu the otber side of the l-Iou ":e. 'There that there an.: forty-nine lll!'lnbt'3rs of this House bar; been 110 good re~tson given r..; to why at the present time who believe in the polic.v of the\ Juwe done so-none whatever. One m:•n the Govern1nent. l1ow coJ.n any of those n1en1- left.,becau'"B he was afraid of bbing conserv~""ti~ed. ber; vote with the leader of the Opposition in The hon. rr1ember for Toowoornba, lVIr. ]led wood, his want of c.mfidence motion? Each and all of said he !eft beca,ub.d the Prenlier wa11 not cartying these n1en have gone to the1r constituents, and out his policy. If the iast "' ssion was a short practically said " \V e will accept a policy similar one, who wat3 to blan1e for that? to this one." Some have said "\Ve will accept J\!Ir. 1\IANN: 'l'he Premier. this policy"; and now, because there has been a Hos. R. PHILP : \Vho voted the money for fusion of parties, they say that is the reawn for the Premier to go home, and who voted four their opposition. months' Supply on last year's Estimate.s '! Mr. MVHPHY : That is the reason. Mr. BowMAN : You did. HoN. R. PHILP: That is no reasm. I say Hox. R. PHILP: And the Labour party did they ought to be better pleased to find that a too. large t\ect.ion of this Hon:;;.e have co1ne over to Mr. BmnrAN : You gagg-ed us last year. help them to carry out their pt>licy. They felt Hox. R. PHILP: I sav that the whole House that they could not alone carry out their policy, voted for that fonr months' Supply. and they were quite satisfied to do it. They A LABOUR 1\'l:E}!BEH : ~ o, not at all. were not selfish in the matter. They said, " So long as this policy is carried out, it is for the HoN. R. PHILP: I admit that there were good of the country, and we do not care who some members of the Honse who did not know carries is out.'' what they were voting for. (Government laugh· ter.) The Treasurer, :Mr. Airey, explained that Mr. HARDACR~J: It is not the eame policy it wns for four months' Supply for the next year, though. and the money was voted by the Honse, and the HoN.. R. PHILP: I say the policy now be­ money for the Premier to go home was also fore th1s House is exactly the same policy on voted by th~ House. which the Kidston party went to the c.mntry J\Ir. KEOGH : And it was money well spent. and came back to this House. HoN. R. PHILP : Yes ; I consider it was Mr. HARDAC!lll: 1'\o; no coalition first. money well spent. The Premier did a lot of {Laughter.) They have t11ken your policy now. good for ~lneensiand when he went home. The HoN. R. PHILP : That is not the policy at money we voted for that exhibition in London all. I want to say tllst no man on thi" side of was also a good thing. I think that the the House has interfered less with the member8 adverti,ement which we got from th,,t exhibition of the Government than I have done. I have in London wc·s a bett&r ·advertis'ment than we been satisfied to find out from tbe local Pre's ever had before in London, and it is likely to be and this House what tht> Government were a still better thing for this country.· doing. I was quite satistied, and I am quite Mr. MuLLAN: You got two syndicate rail­ satisfied now to go on and support the Govern· wayF, Those were your terrns. ment, so long :;s they c1rry out the policy which they propose to do. HoN. R. PHILP: These railways were no more given to me than they were given to the GovEHSME!':T J\JF.MBERS : Hear, hear ! hon. member ior J\faranoa. HoN. R. PHILP: No member ha" any right J);Ir. J\1uLLAN : They were your terms. to get np and twit n1e wit.h being the Pren1ier of Tbe SPEAKER: Order, order! Queensland. I say nobody h'ts interfered with the GovernnPnt lesc; than I have done. I can HoN. R. PHI LP: I w.co glad to vote for those refer to l\iinisters on the Treasury bench now, railways. I and the merubers of my party voted and to those who were there before we came over for then1. \Ve a.re not a "dog-in-the·manger" here. 'l'he hem. member for Barcoo is not here. party. \Ve knew that the mines to which tbe 'I'be hem. member for Ipswich C'tnnot say that I railway were to be built were valuable pro­ went to his ofrice aski11g for anything at any perties, and as the owners of those mines were time. willing to advance the money to construct those rail ways why should we not support them? There Mr. BLAIR: I bPg your pardon. was no better bargain made for any country than HoN. R. PHI LP: Did I ever go into your the Premier made with these people over the con­ office and ask you for anything at any time? struction of those railways. Mr. Br,AIR : No. Mr. HARDACRF. : You said the terms were Mr. MANN: You used to interfere. worse than yours. Hon. R. Philp.] 438 Add¥esa in Reply. [.ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

HoN. R. PHILP : I said that I thought the the State will have to pay when they take the Government were making rather hard terms line over. The State takes the line over in ten with the company. years, and the p:>yment is based on the average Mr. HARDACRE: You said the terms were receipts for the last five years. worse than your own. Mr. HARDACRE: They will bump up the re­ HoN. R. PHILP: You can turn up Hansa1·d ceipts. and you will see what I said. I said that the HoN. R. PHILP: They mav bump them Government were making hard terms with the down. The mine might be worked out in ten company, as I thought it would be better if that years, or five vears. Taking it on the whole, £100,000 had been spent in developing the mines the Government have got a splendid bargain in -opening them out and wnrking them. It was that lin8. a good bargain for the country. bnt not for the Mr. MDLLAN: The worst bargain made in company. The company put £100,000 into it. Queensland. I believe in lines being built to mining fields. I OPPOSITION MEMBEHS: Hear, bear! am a good fr·iend to the miners, although I do HoN. R. P HILP: I say that the company got not represent >1 mining field, and it is far better the worst bargain, but the State got a good for all mining fields to be connected by raihV>LY"· bargain. I am digressing sotnewhat from my Would it not be a good thing for the Oarpentarin speech. I want to point out what chance the district if that railwny to Lawn Hills wns con­ State has of getting a line like that from the structed by the company? 'l'he hon. member Independent Opposition with the Labour party for that electorate knows that it wonld be. It behind them? It will me:>n that all the mines wonld open out that silver-field and would be a in the outside places will have no communica­ good thing for the conntry. Bnt apparently the tion at all. It is not possible, in this young company, after going into the matter, are not country with its sm:>ll population, to build all going on with that railway, and I am very sorry, the lines of rail way that are required. The hon. indeed, that they are not. member for South Brisbane, Mr. Airey, spoke Mr. MULLAN : They got a concession and of the large loan expenditure which we are hawked it. incurring, and he s:>id we were spending a HoN. R. PHILP: It is a pity that the Lawn million a year now. I alwa:Y~ held myself that Hills line was not built, and the people of this State should spend a mllhon a year. I con­ Queensland will suffer through that line not sider that is good policy. being constructed. The construction of that Mr. MANN : It is money wasted. Mount Elliott line will be a good thing for the HoN. R. PHIL P : That comes with very bad miners of Oloncurry. It is a valuable wine, and grace from the hon. member for Uairm, f<>r it is the only valnable mine which is working to there is no district which has been 'o well Borne extent, and will be the only one fur some favoured by the Government in the matter of time owing- to the low price of copper. The rail w"ys :>s the Cairns district. (Hear, hear!) people of Queensland cannoo lose a single shil­ I believe in the policy of the Gover11ment at the ling by thP construction of that railway line to present time. (Hear, hear !) I certainly think Mount Elliott. that the agricultural centres. onghb to be t~pp~d Mr. HARDACRE : It will be ten times the price bv railways, but we certamly want a !me m when we come to take it over. \Vestern Queensland. Anyone who knows any­ Mr. J. M. Hc-NTER: It ought to have been a thing about the \V estern country must know State railway. that we would be able to carry double the stock that we have at the present time if we had a HoN. R. PHILP: I would have been pre­ \Vestern railway built. pared to vote for it as a State railway. Mr. HAMILTON: Longreach to \Vinton. Mr. HAMILTON AND OTHER LABOUR l\'IEMBERS : HoN. R. PHILP: That is purely a local line. So were we. Mr. HAMILTON : It serves a big pastoral dis- HoN. R. PHILP : I had some experience of the introduction of railways in this H.mse. The trict. N ortbern porti "n of Queensland is not largely HoN. R. PHILP: But the people there are represented. Three-fourths of the representa­ only 51) miles from a railway now. I would tion is in the South, bee~ use three-fourths of the go 200 mile' further west of Longreach, \Vin­ people Ii ve in the South, and that means that ton, :>nd Charleville, n.nd I would build a the requirements of the South are first con­ line to Oamoowea!. If we built such a line, it sidered. would double the carrying capacity of the sheep country of Queensland. Some reople are always Mr. HAMILTON: Yet you want tu reduce the sneering at the pastoral indmtry and the squat­ representation of theN orth. ters, but it is the biggest industry .that Queens­ HoN. R PHILP : Besides, at that time the land has at f·.he preeent time. It rs not w long Government bad built the line to Cion curry, and ago that our flocks and herd:-; were down tn one­ they got the company to assist in the building of third or one-fourth what they are now, The the Mount Elliott line. 'fb:>t was a fair thing country w:>s in a bad state then. The hon. for the State, because if £100,000 is provided member for Barcoo knows that, and also th8 hon. by companies for railway construction, then member for 1\Iaranoa. But these flocks and every shilling which the Government gets out­ herds haYe incrensed sine' then, and it is a good side for that purpose means that they have that thing for Qneen>bnd. Everybody benefits when much more money av:>ilable for the construction our flocks and herds are increasing in that way. of other lines. The Mount Elliott line is being Such a line as I propose would not be a political built hy the Government :>nd it will be worked line at all. It would be a national !me, and a by the Government. How anyone who wishes line th:>t every m em her of this House ought to this country to prosper votes against a railway subecribe to. If th:>t railway were built, it line of that descrivtion I cannot understand. would open out this back country, and we would Mr. HARDACHE : It will be ten times the price get more people here to-day. All this und?rli~s when we take it over. the present policy of the Government, wbrch 1s going in for immigr:;ttion, for land settlement, The SPEAKER: Order, order ! and for railways. HoN. R. PHILP : I am sorry I cannot follow Mr. HARDACHE : That was not in the Rock­ the hon. member for Leichhardt as to how much hampton programme. [Hon. R. Philp. Address in Reply. [28 JULY.J Address in Reply. 439

An OPPOSITION MEMBER : This is your pro­ member for Clermont. Occasionally the hon. gramme. member for Fortitude Valley chipped in, but HoN. R. PHILP: Js it not a good thing then since he has been leader of the party he has been if we can improve the Rockhampton programme? most mild. OPPOSITION MEMBERS: Ah, ah! and laughter. Mr. HAMILTON : Why didn't you come over Mr. BowMAN : I am afraid you have smothered and help us? it. Hon. R. PHILP: I never agreed with the HoN. R. PHILP: Does the hon. member for methods of the party. Leichhardt object to that? The SPEAKER: Order! I hope the hon. Mr. HARDACRE: I object to your party. member will refer as little as possible to these HoN. R. PHILP: It is only a personal matter disorderly interjections. with the hon. gentleman. That is his only objec­ tion against it, became I suggested it to the Go­ Hon. R. PHILP : I have no desire to be drawn vernment. That is sufficient for him to oppose it. away by interjections, but it is ~ot always easy ?r desimble to pass them unnotiCed. I hav~ said Mr. HARDACRE: I said your policy, not you. that I do not think it is possible for a hberal HoN. R. PHILP: ·wherein does my policy policy to be c1rried nut with the support of the differ from the Government ]Jolicy ? As we Labour party. They ai·e too much tied up, and grow older we get wiser. they have to consult the Trades Hall. 'rhe l'REMIER : \Ve can all improve. Mr. BowMAN: They have not. Prove that Mr. Bow~fAN : There is no sign of improve­ statement. ment in you. HoN. R. PHILP : Head the two letters which HoN. R. PHILP: I should like to see mem­ passed between the Premier. and the Lab':ur bers on both sides of the House try to coll!e party just befor~ the last. elect ID'!· The Premier together and do something for Queensland. is only responsible to Ius const1tuente, but the (Hear, hear!) \Ve did very little last session, members of the Labour party are tied up by because, in my opinion, of the unwise opposition an organisation. Moreover, the P;orliamentary of hon. members opposite. Labour party decide in caucus how each member Mr. RYLAND: \Vhy didn't the Premier come shall vote on a measure which comes before the back after Christmas? House. I am certain that in his heart the hon. member for :B'linders, 1\Ir. J\fay, wanted to vote HoN. R. PHILP : I came back after Christ­ for the railway to which I have alluded, but he mas once, and was sorry for doing RD. The Hon. could not do so, because his hands were tied by Sir Arthnr Jli1organ came back after Chdstmas the Labour party. The Labour party may at once, and I think he, too, was very sorry he did some time have a majority in the H_ouse, bnt f!'t so. That htm. gentleman also met the House the present time they can do nothmg on the1r once in Jliiay, and I think he was very sorry for own initiative. doing that. It is very easy for hon. members who have no ministerial responflibility to talk 1V1r. BoWMAN: You are wrong. about coming back after Christmas, but it is a HoN. R. PHILP: \Ve know that at one time different matter with those who are charged Mr. Reid, of New South \Vales, was suppo~ted with the administration of departments. by the Labour party, th"t they held a meetmg, A LABOUR MEMBER: \Vhen did you find you that nine voted for Mr. Reid. and eleven for Mr. had made a mistake ? Lyne, and they turned Mr. Reid out. Is that a HoN. R. PHILP: I do not suppose there is state of things which should exist in any demo­ any action in a man's life that he does not find cratic country? Certainly not. he could do better the following day. The The PmmiER: \Ve have had it scores of times criticisms of hon. members on this matter, and in Queensland. their criticisms of the Government during the course of t.his debate, are not of a very aerious HoN. R. PHILP: Personally, I have nothing nature. Y on may take up any department and against the Labour party. Some of the members find something that is had in it or its administra­ of that pacrty I think a good deal of, and others tion, but on tbe whole the administration of the I do not think mnch of. I helped the party Government departments is exceedingly good. with some planks in th~ir platform, but I say \Ve have a splendid staff of men in the service, that as a party they can never be a success !n from the under secretttrie< and chief clerks Queensland. They have never been a success m downwards, and it is really the permanent heads any rart of Amtralia, because as soon as any of of the departments who are mostly responsible their membern gets into a position they become for the administration. ::\iinisters have to pre­ jealous of him, and some of their best men have pare their policy, to receive deputations, and to left them for that reason. That has been the attend to the requests of members of Parliament. case in Queensland and in. other States of Aus­ And, as I have said, on the whole you will find tralia. 1Ir. Glassey was the first man who came that the administration of the various Acts is into this l:Ionse as a Labour member. mostly done by the permanent hIAN: 1\Ir, Ryan wa£ the first pledged HoN. R. PHILP: \Vhen we sat on that side of man in this House. the House, and the Labour party sat on this HoN. R. PHILP : Mr. Mann was in Scotland side, they had no objection at all to the admin­ when Jlifr. Glassey entered the House. Mr. istration of the Government. It was· a capital Ryan was the second Labour member who c~me Government, a splendid Government. into the House, and Mr. Glassey was recogmsed Mr. HARDACRE: No. as the first leader of the Labour party. HoN. R PHILP: \Veil, that wa~ the opinion Mr. BOWMAN: Mr. Glassey was first returned <>f members of the party-with two exceptions­ as an independent supporter of Sir Samuel the hon. member for Leichhardt, and the hon. Griffith. Hon. R. Pkilp.] 440 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

Ho:\'. R. PHILP: Ever since he was returned HoN. R. PHILP: Then again, I say not one he was looked upon as th•c leader of the Labour of those twelve men has given a good reas0n why party, and when hP did something that was not they are sitting on that side of the House. approved of by the party he resigned, and Their position should be t'> support the measnree appealed to his constituents. The Labour party brou~bt in-measur0s the~~ went to the couutry put up a cttndidate against him, but he beat his on and s.,irl they would support. \Vhen they opponent. find that policy being departen from, then they l\1r. Bowl\fAN: But ''"8 beat him in the end. are justified in voting a:za.inst the Govt'._·nrnent. HoN. R. l'HILP : Again, when the present 'The PHEMIEH: It is only a pcrsnna]matter. Premier, l\Ir. Kidston, fonnd he could not work honourably with the party, he left it and went HoN. R. PHILP: It is only a personal mat­ to the country. Afterwards the party left him. ter against the leader of the Government, b 0anse JY1r. \Vatson was a!· o one of the leaders of the for smne rcason-smne say because he has .i oinec1 party, and he tno wae compelled to retire from our party-they commenced to paint him black, the po, no ! :Mines? He is one of the first practical mmers to Ho:\'. H. PHILP: They refused to go on with be appointed to that position. \Ve have had": good the :Mount Elliott Rail way Bill. deal of information as to how bad things are m the OPPOSITION J'v1EMBEHS : Hear, hear ! mining districts. An hon. member last night said there "vere over 2,000 miners out of w<:rk. HoN. R. PHILP: They refmed to give Supply Therefore it is a good thing to have a prac~rcal after a time, and if the Philp pany had not sup­ miner-a man who has gone through the n1111- ported the Government at th,;t time the Govern· in the Mines Department. Snrely that is a gond ment would have had to resign. reason why he should be 1Iinister for J\lines. I Several HoNOl:Rc\BLE ME,IBEI\S interjecting, know of my own knowledge that the h<;u. mem­ The SPEAKER : Order, order ! ber for Kennedy has been amongst m111ers for HoN. R. PHILP : They would have been in many years. chaos, and I say, as patriotic men, the only Mr. \VrNSTANLEY : 'Where? course open for us was to assist J\Ir. Kidston to HoN. R. PHILP: In North Queensland. carry out his policy. He knowe a g-ood deal more about mining than GOVERNMENT MEMBERS : Hear, hear! the members for Charters Towers-one of whom [Hon. R. Philp. Address in Reply. ~28 .TULY.] Address in Reply. 441 is a bricklayer and the other is a te'e,>ray;h stopped a grea" deal of squabbling, and pre· operator. The Secretary for ::Yfines has been vented chao' in the effairs of Qn"emland. The connected with mines for many years. party which objects to a coelition is having J\fr. J\fcLLAN: He has never been do\"n a big a coalition itRelf. Tht~ hon. 1nernber for Too­ mine in his life. \Voomha, the hon. 1nen1ber f(Jr C ,,irn~, and the hon. Ine:::nber fc,t \Vonth'tkat:i. h",ve coalt·sced. HoN. R. PHILP : He has o, good deal more The hrm. mernlrer for \Vn,) hakata W"" .1t. one knowledge of mining than either of the members thne L·1hl)ur, at one ti1ne I{jJstonite, nnd I have for Chr(rters ':roweL:!. hearcl hin1 tiay at ont> time thnt even I was nr)t a :i\Ir. J\fuLLAN : You know nothing at all about bad ft'llow. 'rr e I ut;; gone bnck b> the o~her si_de it. of the H011Se---T bn.lieYe th y hL·ve iE'O!nls~rl h1m HoN. R. PHILP : The new Mini,;ter for a 3-Iini:stPr for Ralhvay:-~}dp, bnt I do not know J\Iines has also livwl a long time in Xorth \vhet.her it iR true or not; ttt any r \.te lH-~ has (-,lueensland. He knows his electorate well, gone there. (Laughte".) J c,mnot for the life of a,lcl kno" s Charters Towers 'i ell. He has tbe me undmstand why there should he any oppo+ confidenc.e of a great numl:er of miner,; in tion aG all. I f-.JY it is sitnply per. oaal anhnus Oh rters T,,,·ers and other parts of Queensland, dirh~tel ag·ainiit the head of llw Goverument. and I would have thought there could ba1·e been If I was there the same men would be against no possible objection to the hnn. member for me. Kennedy being appointed a< Minister for Mines. ::Ur. BoW,IA~: It has taken you a long time to Hon. members cannot say be knows nothing of find this out. mining. They might have said that of the bte HON. R. PHILP : I have been there before, J\'Iinister for llc[ines. 'l'be present Secretary for and the Labour p:Jrty was just as bitter against ])fines is also a man who has always taken a deep rne as t!lsv are against the Premier. interest in mining matters in Queensland. I know when I passed the Mining Act in 1897 J\Ir, Bo~nuN :~They have every re:-,son to be. no member took a keener interest in that Act Hox. R. PHILP: That is their policy­ than the present Secretary for 1\Iine,,, and intense hi tterne~s. :Mr. Browne, the late member for Croydon. LABO!:R liiElllllEilS: Ko; untrue! Out of fifteen or sixteen mining members thooe two hon. members took the leading Hox. R. PHILP: That is the policy of the part in criticising that Act, and belping me Labour party-down Kidston ! 'With the ex­ to make it better. He is an old member-I ception of two members. they allowed him to think he was returned in 1893-and certainly sell as much land as he liked. there cannot be any personal objection to 1\Ir. 1\Ir. BmnLI.N : They did not. Jackson. Then, again, the hon. member for Mackay, Mr. Paget, the present Secretary for Hox. R. PHILP: I agree with the selling of Agriculture and Railways. has a good knowledge the land. The hon. member for Clermont and of agriculture. Certainly there can be" no per­ the hon. member for Leichhardt were the only sonal objection to him as a Minister. None two men in this Chamber who raised their voices whatever. Again, Mr. Barnes, the J\linister for against it. Education. He has only just taken office. Mr. HARDACRE: \Ve voted against it. There are three ex· Ministers on that side of the Hox. R. PHILP : I say they were the only House; and if anything has been done that two members. should not have been done, it has been done by their old colleagues. Then, again, we have J\Ir. ]\fr. Bowl\L\.N: No; you are wrong. Appel, the member for Albert, as Homa Secre­ Hox. R. PHILP : At that time they had tary. He is a native of Queensland, and I think thirty-five members, and could have turned the it speaks well that we should have a native of Government out if they liked. I think I have Queensland in that office. Then we have the taken up as much time of tb"' House as I ought member for Oxlev as Minister for Land~. I think to take up, but I certainly camwt SP.e any justi­ everyone will adrrtit that he is an excellent Minis­ fication for the vigorous opposition againsc the ter. There can be no personal objection to him Government. The Government are carrying out at all. Then, again, the Treasurer. He is also a their policy as they promised to carry it. ou.t; if native, and he was the colleague of thcJe three it has not been carri>we turned ronnel and betrayed Cabinet that party. \Vhen the Labour party was sup­ secrets on the floor of the House, and denounced porting the present Premier they could not find their former leader. If I could not agree with a better man in the whole of Australia. He my former leader I would say nothing about was carrying on the policy he is carrying on him. I say, in regard to the hon. member for now. It took hon. members opposite years and Ipswich, the bon. meml1er for Brisbane South, years to find out bow bad he is, forgetting that and the hon. member for Barcoo, that their con­ they are condemning their own action, became duct has not been in cood taste at all, and it they supported nearly all the measures he has would be better, if they could not agree with the brought in. Now, I contend that this opposi­ Premier, to walk across the floor of the Honse tion to tbe present Government is only a per­ and say so. It shows their bitterness. I wonder sonal matter. There are forty-nine members of what we are getting to in public life. It is the House plerlged to support the policy now getting so that men who can find other employ­ brought in by the present Government. ~ent outside tbe House will not be induced to Mr.. J. M. HuNTER: K o coalition. contest an electorate at all. I hope that wben the division comes the Premier will have a HoN. R. PHILP: Fancy any man saying majority-I hope he will carry on the business that there is to be no coalition in politics! The of the country, even with the majority he has two strongest men who ever sat in this Cham. got. her were Sir Samuel Griffith and the late An OPPOSITION :\Ill~IBER : A majority of one? Sir Thomas :.Yfcii wraith, and they [5 p.m.l thought that, in the interests of HoN. Jl· PHILP : Yes, even if he has only Queensland, they should come to­ one. gethtr. It was a splendid thing in the interests ::\Ir. Bow~us: He has got a good master. of Queensland that they came together. It The SPEAKER: Order, order! Hon. R. Pkilp.] 4i2 .Address in Repl,y. [A.SSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

HoN. R. PHILP : I am satisfied that the they care whether so-and-so said so-and-sn or country are with the present Government, and I not? They want business done. They find no am not afraid to go to the country-I was not business being dnne; and remember, when the afraid last year. elections come forth they will blame the gentle· An 0PPOSITIO:I ME~!BER : You would carry on men opposite for the stoppage of business. I say with one. the blame will fall on the right shoulders when they blame the other side of the House for The SPEAKER: Order ! I do not suppose stopping the business. th"t this House is prepared to say that I am taking a wrong course in endeavouring to sup· 1\fr. MANN: 'fhey blamed you for stopp;n~ it pre&s ejaculatiuns. once. HoNOURABLE :MEMBERS : Hear, hear ! HoN. R. PHILP : I have been in the House for twenty·three years. I have never known a The SPEAKER: No one can show me any debate take so long before. authority in the records of any Parlil1ment, or in J\Ir. BowMAN : You had fourteen speakers on our own St(Lnding Orders, which go to show that that side of the House and we had only fourteen I am wrong in doing so; and yet I find, despite speakers from the Labour party. my constant tfforts to repress these ejaculations, that hon. members who have been in this HousP HoN. R. PHILP : For every •peaker on this as long as I have-the oldest members here-are side there were two speakers on tht' Opposition. apparently the most persistent interjectors. I Mr. BOWliiAN: No. Decidedly not. hope the overpowering goo:l eense of this House, HoN. It. PHILP : Only yesterday afternoon on both sides, will support me successfully in two members from that side of the House endeavouring to suppress these ejaculations. occnpied the whole day. Just fancy two mem· HoNOURABLE MEMBERS : Hear, hear ! bers taking up the whole of the time fnr one day ! If we went on at that rate of progress, we HoN. R. PHILP: You will always have my would be here for thirty-six days discussing this support, Sir. motion. The SPEAKER : I would much prefer that Mr. BOWMAN: The Minister for Mines was the hon. gentleman would ignore these ejacula· the chief aggressor. He made the longest tions. speech. HoN. R. PHILP : It is very difficult to do so. HoN. R. PHILP : And he made a very good I do not care about talking in spite of the inter­ speech. He was unjustly accused of doing jections. Remarks were made which were not something which he did not do, and he had to strictly true. I repeat again that this opposi­ make his position clear, and I consider that he tion to the present Government is purely a m!Lde a very good speech. I hope that hon. person(],] one. There has not been a reason members on the oth~r side will endeavour to given by any member on that side of the House bring this debate to a close this week. why a vote should be given for the want of LABOC:R MEMBERS: Hear, hear! and laughter. confidence motion. HoN. R. PHILP: I think it is only a fair Mr. LESINA: I gave one. thin!'( that we should come to a vote, seeing that HoN. R. PHILP : I think you gave as many this is the fifth week. for as a~ainst. (Loud Labour laughter.) I am A LABOUR MEMBER : Take it now. satisfied that the country wants a, Government HoN. R. PHILP: So far as I am concerned I like the present one. They want a Government will sit down at once if 11 vote is to be taken. I that will open up the country; which, at all certainly think that we should arrange to take event•, knows the wants of the country ; and the vote on this question to-morrow night. the;· also want a Government that will have the confidence of the people here and in the old land Mr. Bow~IAN: Arrangements may be made to as well. take it earlier than that iJ you are willing. Mr. BowMAN: You have not got a monopoly HoN. R. PHILP: I am not the leader of the of knowledge there. House. You will have to ask him about that. HoN. R. PHILP : At all events, I am satis· The PREliiiER: \Ve will take the vote to-night fied that there is not a monopoly over there. if you like. Mr. BARBER: vVe do not claim it. Mr. BOWMAN : I am willing. LABOUR MEMBERS : Hear, hear ! HoN. R. PHILP: I do not claim to know Mr. MDRPHY: You will take the vote when we more than most people, bnt I do claim tn know are ready to let you take it. more abcmt the country than many members of this House. I am not sitting on the Govern­ GovERNMENT MEMBERS : Ah! and laughter. ment benches now, and my services are available HoN. R. PHILP : The party led by the leader to the House at any time. I am not exclusively of the Opposition want to coalesce with that tied down to one side of the House, but I am party ovet· there, and they are refusing their going to support the Government so long as they allegiance to the Labour party already. carry out the policy they have enunciated. I Mr. LESINA: There is no coalition with this hope the good •ense of the leader of the Opposi­ party. tion will permit him tu withdraw his amend­ Mr. BowMAN: No; and that is a statement ment. which you made two or three times this afternoon, Mr. BOWMAN: No chance. which is most unfair. HoN. R. PHILP : The debate has been HoN. R. PHILP: I am pleased to hear that attended with a good deal of personal bitterness, there is not a coalition. But you are working which is deplorable. together. Mr. BoWMAN : That is not my fault. Mr. BoWMAN: So did your parties work HoN. R. PHILP : I am glad to say the hon. together. gentleman delivered a t8mperate speech, but Hox. R. PHILP : I thought you were coales· there has been a good deal of bitterness during cing, but if it is not so, I must apologise. The the debate, which is not of benefit to Queens­ two parties in opposition nnly agree on one land. I say the electors of Queenslanrl are not thing, and that is to down the present Govern· benefited one iota by this debate. What do ment. (Opposition cheers.) What is to happen [Hon. R. Philp. Address in Reply. [28 JULY.] Address in Reply. 443

afte~ that they do not care. If they succepd in If the leader of the Labour Party is at all puttmg the present Government out of office, sincere when he says he will support measures after that there will be nothing but confusion and not men-- and chaos. I think there should be an election. Mr. BowMAN : Hear, hear ! Mr. RYLAND: Not necessarily. HoN. R. PHILP: He will support these HoN. R PHILP: It is not possible to carry measures. He said he supported measures and on for very long with the position of partie3 not men. as it is at the present time, and I think it Mr. BOWMAN : I did. would be better for the country to have an elec· Hox. R. PHILP : And yet the hon. gentle· ti?n· Let the country settle it. The country man, after telling me that, once went and voted will have a better opportunity this time of against it. settling the matter, becr1nse we will have one Mr. BOW}IAN: Because it was a bad measure. solirl party going to ask them to return us here (Laughter.) again. I am satisfied that the country are not in accord with this stoppage of business, and they HoN. R. PHILP: It was not a bad measure are not in accord with this internal private com· at all. I hope the bon. gentleman has learned plaining and digression into things which something since then. If he is "incere in ought not to be brought into this Chamber ·saying tha.t be supports measurc·s and not men at all. The country does not want to con­ then he will support the Government in carrying cern itself about what the bon, member for out tl:le business which it has put before the Ipswich says, or what the hon. senior member for country. Toowoomba S>1ys. They want to know what the GovERNMENT MEMBERS : Hear, hear ! House is doing; what is the best thing for the Mr. HARDACRE (Leichhardt), who was country, and what this Parliament is going to do received with Labour "Hear, hears!" said: As for th: country. \V~ eay that at pre,ent they an old member of this House, I wish to express are domg nothing. \Vhat sort of " position are my deep sympathy and regret at the death of hnn. members in on the other side of the House? the late Hon. John Leahy, and also the death of They are only <:nimated by. personal animosity. the late ~lr. Campbell, the hon. member for They are thmkmg of nothmg but personal ani· Moreton. mu,, I pointed out the individual members of The SPEAKER: Order, order! the Ministry and they could not find fault with an;v of ~hem on personal grounds. Personal l\lr. HARD ACRE: Although they were both ammus IS at the bottom of it, just becanse the political opponents, I think that all members Premier was at one time a member of the Labour sitting on this side of the House-- party. The SPEAKER: Order! I called the House Mr. BowMAN : Because he sold us. to order, and I hope hon. members will preserve Mr. MURPHY: Because he betrayed the order. country. Mr. :MANN: I rise to a point of order. I HoN. R. PHILP: The bon. member for Croy· cannot hear the remarks of the Speaker owing don was a member of the Labour party and he to the conversation which is going on between left it to join Mr. Kidston's party, and now he the ban. member for Townsvrlle and the Premier. has left the Kidston party to join the Blair party. Mr. HARD ACRE: Although both of those He has only been in the House for a few years hon. members who have po.ssed away were and he ha" belonged to a different party every political opponents of ours, I think I am ex· year. (Laughter.) pressing the views of members sitting on this Mr. MDRPHY: I never left the Labour party. side, as well as my own, when I say tho.t we The Labour party shifted me for saying that regret as sincerely as any portion of the House Kirlston was a good man. that those two gentlemen have pa~sed away. (Hear, hear !) Whilst I have been in this HoN. R. PHILP : I would like to see this House I noticed that apart from whatever vote taken to-night. Look at the business we political opmions they held they were men who have to do. There are four railways lying on the were worthy of respect. (Hear, hear!) I ex­ table looking at us. (Opposition laughter.) ceedingly regret the loss which this Chamber has The PRE>IIER: They have been there for a suffered by the death of those gentlemen. Now, month. there has been in this debate a great deai of HoN. R. PHILP: Look at the big pro- irrelevancy. There has been talk on all kinds gramme of the Government.. \Vhen those Bills of questions and subjects. It reminds me of a~e brought in, that is the time for those forty· the man's address on "Rambles through the nme members who are pledged to the Rock­ Univt-rse," with rernarks on n1agicians, genii, hampton programme to say whether they will and also various other matters by the wayside, support the Government or not. I hope that The debate so far has bean sumething uf that when this vote is taken we shall be able to get de9cription, and I am going to bring the ques· to business. tion back to the point so far "' I am able. I Mr. MULLAN : With a majority of one ? will first deal with the hem. member for Towns· ville, who has just sat down. One thing he was Hox. R. PHILP: Yes, even with a majority remarkable for "'as the utter reckless ne"' of his of one. statements. There was $Carcely a statement ::'11r. BOWMAN: You will hang on to it. made by the hon. member that was not received HoN. R. PHIL P: Let me tell hon. gentlemen by refutations, contradictions by t be very men that one of the finest men we ever had in this with whom he is now associated. He guessed at Parliament, Sir Arthur Palrr.er, carried on right his facts, then multiplied them by two, brought through a whole Parliament with a majority of them into thi£ House, and put them forward as one vote. And there is no reason why we should truths. not do the same. Thirty-six men are better than Hon. R. Pmr,P : I always spoke the truth. thirty.five any day. (Laughter.) There is no Mr. HARDACRE: I think hon. members reason why the thirty-six members sitting on t!.is mmt have enjoyed the position the hon. member side of the House should not carry on the busi­ for Townsville occupied this afterno0n, hearing ness before this session closes. Tnis is ,July, and his powerful pleading in support of the Premier we could go on till Christmas. \Ve have four or and his policy-bearing him support a uwn who five months ahead oi us in wqich to do business. twelve months ago went through the country Mr. Hardacre.l 444 Address in Repl,y. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Repl_y. trying to hound him out of office as the man case of the Lands Department. Tbe present who was trying to rob the people of this Sto,te of Secretary for Lands the , other . nic•ht ;ried to their constitutionul rights, who \V:ls trying to make out a gnod c:;:; :ie for hJS adrn1n1stratwn. override the rights of the people, and wh" made The SECR~TARY FOR PUDI,IC INSTIWCTION: And as .... m·tion.-:; in rt>gard to the bon. n1er11ber of a he sue :e<- lerl. n1oi>t opprobrious character. It was s:,icl las'o night with trnth that the Premier is the new Mr. HARDAORE : He 'ucceeded in showing politic.cl }tizzio, who is clinging to the rot,e·, of what tht•y were gl)ing to do. the hon. rne1nber for Towns'lille in orcler tn t,ave Tbe SECRETARY b'OR Pt:BLIC INSTRCCJTION : In himself fnm political execution. The Premier showiug what they had done. had to sit there this afternoon listening to the 1\Ir, HAI~DACR1<~: Why, the hon. gentlennn pleadings of the iwn. i:llembe~ for rrovvn._i\'ille in bat4 only been practical;y a fe~v week~-:-t\".'0 his HUt port, krhnving that P itbout the hon. rnonth~ [Lt th8 most-in ofticn ! \V hat cred1t c::tn rn "'rnber's twln he cnuld not retain office for one he take for the A.chninistl'ation of his depart~ m on: 'nt. Thi~ rnotion of \1ant of coni1dt•nce m2nt.? But I du not want to dul with the is the 8~l:)ncl motion of wan+ of cr)nfidence adt.Jinistrr;,tion f-'J mnch as to get to the tnain that ha8 been levelled against. the Gov• rnment question. I hish p int nut su!fi, lent. rea:~~ms since the coa.Htinn was furHled. The first tnot-.ion for every rnembe1· that Indepenrlt:·ut Opp_os1t10n ht,,;t fies,.:::ion w:ts to the effect that the Govern­ party voting against the cnaiition, e~·an 1f they ment did not pos:¥ ,,s the ("mfidence of thi::; H1\use Lave been fa.Ynur-!lble to the coaht1on 1n the p~~t. bncau.'e the coqlition was formed againRt the will rrbere is sufficient jnf'titication for thf'lTl voting of the l)8op!e ns given expre1.:~ion tt) at the ballot­ a.g~inst it now, becl.u.;;;eof the ev~il resu~ts brought box at the h.st election. This new wotion is ::tbont by the coalition. Practwa,lly It has ~us­ 1nuch \r'ider than the first, tnd for n.n extrernel.~ pended p::.trli-,tnentary represe!1t.ntlon, and h.as good re.~;;-;on, be·~ause it not only includes all that given lB a rnle of aut"Cl'acy; l'G ha~ e::~.used dlJ­ wa" stated in the first motion, but it also cleals satibfactinn in t.:le public Hlrvice, and it has pre­ with the etiect of lhe coalition. The hon. rne~n­ vented hon. members from criticising affalrs of ber for Towmville coulrl not see how any of the St.1te. AH the Hon. 1lr. 1hrlow said in South twelve members who have lPft the Government Brisbane laot ye0, It is about fourteen months If Mr. Philp gets back into power he will start on a since the coalition was first formed nominally­ reactionary C'lr<~er and with the "gag,, the closure, at course it wa, actually entered into at a much and the Stanrtini Order called the "guillotine," no more recent date; but we >~11 know that in Opposition will be able to stop him. essence and in fact it wa;;; formed fourteen That prophecy has been absolutely borne ont by months ago, before the Premier went to the results of the coalition. Practically the hon. England. And what has h>~ppened since member for Townsville has got back to power. then? The hon. member for Oxley in one I know that he is not noruinally in power, but of his speeches last year told his constituents he is behind the Government, and he is dictat!ng that the Premier h\d first lied-as the Premier said­ dissati;.faction in the de!mrtment'. Xe1rly to the Government, and tha,t he had afterwards every dep .rtment is reeking with dis,.q,tisfactiun. lied to the representatives of the people. JYiy lVIen are lec1ving tt:e Police Dep~lrtment b~cause charge against the Prernier is th:J.t he and his of the low pay >• South \Vales the repre.,entati.-es of the PH?ple, bnt by l_ying they were Jiving in a fool's p:_~radi~e so far as to something greater and far h1gher than e1ther the Police Force was conc•:rned, and I say we are Governor or reprr,sentatives of the peoplP-by living in a Iooi's paradise so far as onrPoliceForce lying tu the sovereign people of this State. is C'mccrned. There is di.;;;content throughout the sen ice. Then take the Railway Depart. OPPOSITION MEolBERS : Hear, hear ! ment~tnore dissatisfaction again. Y\.,. e have :i\Ir. HARD ACHE: Twelve months ago the hac! metubers in this Hnnse stating that there is Premier went through this conntry raising the sufficient cause for di>satisfaction in the depart· great constitutional isRue. He told the people ment to warrant the appointment of a Royal that self.g-overnment0 was in danger: that the Commission to inquire into it. Then take the rights of the peup\e were being ridden over [Mr. H ardacre. Address zn Reply. [28 JuLY.] Address in Reply. 445

rou;;h-shod by the hon. member for Townsville a few words uttered by the Premier at Rock­ and those Eupporting him. I ,;ay that to-day the hampton immediately before the election. The issue is ju•t as g-reat, jnst a' high, and just as hon. gentleman "aid- inspiring, t~s it v: as twelve rnonths ago, because, As to the broad re,;;ults of the elu_·,tion, th"re were after all, the i& ue is just the ·--,me. It i' the many little matters in dispute concernh1g which eonstitutiona,J iE> .ue. The question is not their :people might difrer. But one thing was settled so that policy-no:- the personal ~ood qualities or bad there could not very well be any dispute about it. rtnalities of any memLer on that side of the Tha..t was that the electors 0f Qnecnsland did not want House; bnt the one supren1e cp1P<:;tion is that the Philp party back at any price. they have got there, not merely without the con­ The hon. gentleman made that statement, not sent. uf the people, but th~t they have got there merely the night before the election, but again ag1tinst the consent uf the people; and, having and again, at almost every centre that he spoke m got there against the coneent of the peo;•lA, it is throughout the election campaign. He made 1t, the supremt· duty of every me·mber ot this 1-louse, in various forrns and phri3ses, n.t Toowoomba, no matter what his ~~olitic.\1 opininns rnay he, if Hockhamoton, at the Exhibition Building in he has any respect for the principle of self-gov­ Bri,bane,- and at vari0us other places in the ernment, if he lws any resprct fur the principle country. The leader pf the Labour party made of the people ruling over the affairs nf the State, a statement, practically, to the same effect. At to turn that Government ont and comoel them Charleville, the hon. member for Fortitude to go to the electors and get a mancl:.te from Valley, in one uf his first speeches in the cam­ them before they occupy a position of that kind. paign, !-'aid - Mr. D. HUNTER: \Yell, alter the wording of lir. Kidston and Labour were combining to oust the yonr amendment and I will vote with you. Philp Government. 1ir. KRNNA: \Ye don't want your vote. There are two statements made by the two leaders of two larg-e sections in the House who Mr. HARDACRJ<~ : I can quite understand constitute the majority. In both it was clearly the hon. member for Townsville being- surprised put before the electors that the one supreme at·' nyoue voting ugainst the Govern~ isme at that elec,ion was that, whatever little [5.30 p.m.} ment, a.nd seeing no re son why they differences there mig-ht be between themselves, should vote ar;...tinst the Governrnent, they were combined to put the Philp GovPrn­ because he did not see u.n)r n· ,•,on why rnernbers ment nut, and to keep them out. But., in spite should vote against hi; Govmnrnent after they of that statement, hon. members opposite have had been defeated five times m thi,; House hy a done what the electors told them tlley should majority of the people's representatives. The r.ot do, and seeing that they have gnllea and hon. gentleman had a good policy, and he asked deceived the people, they are now wrong~ully on why members should not snp[lOrt him in his the Treasury bench. That reason alone, If there policy-the ::.;ame policy, he say~", a~ he is f..Up­ were no other, makes it the supreme duty of porting now. There was one good and sufficient every member who desires to see public rea'''m, and that was that be w:1s there without policy-- the cons,-r1t and "sainst the wishes of the : •Pop le. Mr. KENKA: And public decency. If that '.1'!1S re good and sufficient reason then for turning the Government out-and the people of Mr. HARDACRE: Yes; it is the supreme the country said it was-then it is a good and duty of every member who desires to show respecll sufficient reason why we should vote the preRent to public policy, to public decency, and to tbe Govt>rnment nut, Ho rnatter what their policy great democratic principle of modern times that rnay be, bFcau~e they are in office against the the people themselves shall rule, to vote against wishes of the people. the Government. It is our busine.,s to put them out. Mr. KENNA : They are there by false pre­ Mr. KENNA: That is one of the chief jn>tifica­ tences. tions for the amendment. ::\fr. HARD ACRE: They are there by false pretences and by political trickery. They have Mr. HARD ACRE: I have given proof of the got there by m<>king statements to the people betrayal of the p~ople by the Premier. I want which they :1re not c'wrying out. Indeed, they now to show how great that betrayal is. The are doing the very opposite of carrying out those issue at the last election was one of the highest, statements. greatest, an,d most inspiring issues that ha.s ever been put before the people of this country. It The SECRETARY !'OR PuBLIO INSTHL'CTION : was the supreme question of the pe"ple's right to :Members on this side ad vocr;ted the coalition at absolutely control the govemment of the State, the time of the election. the right of the people's represr"ntatives to rule in P.,rliament against an oligarchy which was Mr. HARD ACRE: Last year I uninten­ trying to override their rights which bad been tionally did the hon. member for Townsville an won after centnrie~ and centuries of struggle and injustice. I said he alw was to blame because battle in English history. I should like now to he had entered into the coalition against the read some statements made by the Premier wisLes of the people. I made a slight mistake during that election campaign, particularly his in that st.atement. At the election in 1008 the last inspiring mesoage to the p~ople of Queens­ hon. member stated at one meeting that be was land. On the eve of the electiOn he gave the prepared to enter into a coalition, so that as far following noble message to the people:- as he is concermd there is some excuse for his action. GAXG FORWARD Ttl \-ICTORY TO-::'.IOHROW. The SECRETARY l<'OR PUBLIC INSTRGCTION: Message to the Electors from William Kidston. Does that not break clown the whole of your Electors of Queensland~ argument? Once to every man and nation Come& tlw moment to decide, Mr. HARD ACRE: X o; because the Premier, In the strife 'twixt truth and f:Llsehood, 1vith twenty-four of his supporters, and mmn­ For the good or evil side. bers on this side of the House, made the di8tinct To-morrn\V is a daY of destiny for Queensland, and and clear at-:

Let Jour answer be ''No Surrender." Shame on all who wants to support him had tried to rob the desert the people's cause to-morrow. :Men and women people of their constitution:1l rights. He told of Queenshtnd, the eyes of Anstrali~L are upon you. Fear not, hesit§t.e not; but gang forward to victory. them they had disfra.nchised the dectors by fixing the date of election before a certain 9, !lOO· Another occasion at Rockhampton, he said- electors became fully registered electors in order to vote. He told them that the party now sup· We will teach Robert Philp and his supporters not to porting him were a party who had actually used lay profane hands upon the ark of seH-government. the postal vote for intimidating the electors­ The men whom he d ·red to lay profane hands the women. He told them the party now sup­ on the ark of gr>vernrnent have now got hold porting him were a party who actually had tampered with the judiciary of the cour;try for of the ark of government. He told the ele~tors that the Philp p>Jmhler whG has been ruined already~ Mr. AIREY : The feeling is only on this side of he made a last desperate throw-a last de,;perate the House. (Laughter.) chance to recover himeelf. He said it was a last Mr. HARDACRE: Yes. I would just like desperate chance for the old Philp party, and to­ to say this with regard to the Premier's own day they have got another chance. This is their statement on this matter. This is an old gag of last desperate chance. It is the chance given to his. I heard it so mew here about thirteen years them by thq hnn. member for Rockhampton-the ago when thA Premier was in the unfortunate Premier. He has given them this new desperate condition in Rockhampton that he had to go into chance by coalescing with the Philp party, so liquidation. I remember well he made the same that, notwithstanding the violation of the people's excuse to me then. I was one of his colleagues wishe,, it will keep him in office. I have at the time, and I asked him in a friendly way proved not only the betrayal-! have proved how he managed to get into that position. the greatness of the betr&yal-and I say when He said, "It" is the persor.al animns of the we recognise the supreme question at issue, l:tockhampton people against me. It is the no man in this House who can rise to the full personal vindictiveness of the Rockhampton responsibilities of the position, who can rise to merchants against me. Because I took np a the full issue of the question, can do anything certain position in politics they have hounded else but vote to put the Government out, no me out of my busines•." \Vhatever happens, it matter what consely put ·forward, t.hat is the therefore, in order that I should make no mis­ stand the present Premier took np. He said, "The take upon that matter, I thought I would refer hon. member for Townsvi!le, the then Premier, to some imp:utial persons and organs for the is trying to evade the issue-he is trying simply purpose of finding out their opmions. You to make a blare of promises to throw dust in the know that when a gentleman is per,;onally ac­ eyes of the people, to evade the question at issue. cused in court the lawyer on his side sonletimeR The question is not their policy, bnt how they brings a respectable citizen to give testitnony as got there, and what right thev have there at to his chamcter. I thought I would gu t•> "ome all." As I told the Premier last year, "The of the hon. gentleman'; present supportet'S wrong; king is on the throne. The king has and friencls just to see whether I was wrong­ got there by usurpation of the rights of the whether I was actually irnhued with prejur1ices, or people. He has got there by cheating the whether my opinions of him were actually based people out of their rights." And l}S one man upon good grounds. "\.nd the first organ that I who objects to that, I am going to give my went to was the B1·i;bane Com·ier. Surely no vote against the Government. I call to mind, man-n(>t even the Premier hituself-cs,n object when I think of the w"y the people rose in to the Cow·ie·r being brought in the witness-box response to the Prracter. It is the paper that as the results of it-I cannot help thinking of eulogises him to-day-he is the stateeman of the the derisive way in which Lowell ridiculed the day, he is the one man Queensland cannot do voters who believed they were voting for some­ wiLiwut to-day, he is everything noble, every­ thing in the way of progrees, and voted for thing virtuous-and if its opiniun is worth any­ snrnet hing almost totally opposite, as they did at thing, if its support is worth anything to-day, that time. surely its testimony of twelve months ago ought to be taken in regard to his character. So they march in procPssions and get up" hurrahs," And tramp through the mud for the good of the cause, Mr. BOWMAN : It wanted to crucify him then. And think they're kind of fulfilling the prophecies, ~·hen they're only just changing the holder of offices. Mr. HARDACRE : I find the Courier said Where A sat afore, B is comforta.bly seated, some very nice things about the hon. gentleman, One humbue:'s victorious, the other defeated. and unfortunately for the hon. gentleman they Mr. AIREY: This is Constitution Govern­ do not ar:ree with the opinion of the hon. member ment. (Laughter.) for T<)Wusville, though, rightly or wrongly, it agrees with the opinion I have formed of the Mr. HARD ACRE: I said the Premier must hon. gentleman. I find the Courier d< scribes be proud to see the position he is in to-day­ him, amongst other things, as a bundle of con­ the position of having to hang on, as one of his tradictions, a Premier without a policy, a political followers said, by "the skin of his teeth," and recalcitrant, a master in the art of prevarication, by the assistance of the very man he made such a political ad venturer, a shallow politician, a harsh accusations ao:ainst last year. What did discredited politician, with playing different be tell the country ? That the party he now characters at every place he visits, as a political. [Mr.Hardacre. Address in Reply. [28 JULY.] Address in Reply. 447 adventurer who would stoop to almoRt anything went further than that, he called them pirates for the purpose of regaining office. It des<;ribes who got hold of the ship of State, and now he, him as a man who has no sincerity-insincerity once having been the captain of a loyal mer· is one of the main features of his character. chant ship, has joined the pirates. Besides that Some of the things have already been mentioned, there are some other discrepancies and dis­ but there is one thing I would like to quote- cordancies amongst hon. m em hers on that side of There appears no limit to the depths of dissimulation the House. The hon. mPmber for Townsville to which Kidston will descend, either for the sake of said of une thing that the Premier did in his own regaining or retaining office. personal capacity of Premier, that he actually Mr. BoWMAN : That is true. committed a political job-with regard to the wire-netting which was sold to a certain firm in Mr. HARD ACRE: I think, if anything has this mty at the instance of the j•mior member for been proved, that has been proved. Rockhampton, he said that the Premier had gone out of his way in this matter, and had actually Mr. LENNON: As true as Holy ·writ. committed what he termed a great political job. Mr. HARDACRE: H has been proved by Mr. MURPHY: Moved the adjournment of the the fact that he has to-dav submitted to enter Honse. into co,.lition with the very man whom he de­ scribed with the most opprobrious epithets some Mr. HARD ACRE: Yes. Then the hon. twelve months ago. l'erhaps the Premier at member for Bulimb,. also termed another trans­ this time was rather vindictive. He might have action that the Government carried out as a been, as the Premier says, imbued with personal political job-the purchase of Jimbour. The animus, so I watched the paper, the Daily llfail, Premier also described the action of the hon. which states a" follows :- member for Bnlimba in the purchase of the "rhat has 'l:Ir. Kidston done to prm•e himself or Justify Maryvale Estate-I don't know whether he the people's trust? He has had the very best of seasons, called it a political job, but he inferred it-he and what does the country get in return P Simply a said it was an illegal transaction perpetrated by harvest of broken promises. The man's own capacity the hon. member without the sanction of this for turning political somersaults is responsible for the present unpopularity o! Kidston. House, and that he had not the legal power to enter into the transaction. I want to know what the Premier sayR in regard Mr. LESINA: For electioneering purposes. to that? Is the Daily Mail also imbued with personal animus and bitterness against him. Mr. HARDACRE: Yes. Then the hon. Mr. KERR : He takes it as a compliment. member for Toowong said of some members on the front benches that they had not clean hands ;\lr. HARDACRE: Now, sometimes I am -actualiy were guilty of c:trrying on the Go­ inclined to think that the Premier is imbued vernment without clean hands. with personal bitterness, and it is just as well to Mr. MuRPHY : The member for Brisbane North say something with regard to the character that said that they ought to be in gaol. he gives the men who are now supporting him. 'V e were told the other night by the Premier 'I' he SPEAKER : Order ! tha~ the men who were opposing him were simply a discordant, furious section ' that they Mr. HARDACRE : Those are some of the had no policy or a~reement in any way what­ things which hon. gentlemen on the other side of ever. There was spleen here, and disappointed the House have said one against ihe other. They hopes there; they wanted a land tax there, but have de,cribed each other, with the most oppro­ they did not want it here; they wanted immi­ brious epithets, as being pirates buccaneering the gration there, and they did not want it here. ship of State, as perpetrating political joh~, as I would just like to say that, even if that be having disfranchised the electors, as having used so, we never got a tax on land values from the postal vote for intimidation, as having tam­ the present Premier. 'Ve supported him for pered with the judiciary of the State, and of years, and we never got a tax on land having robbed the people of their constitutional valnes; and, therefore, there is no inconsistency rights; and now all these gentlemen are sitting in our gettin~ support from those gentlemen, together for some purpose ag•inst the people. even if they do not give us a tax on land valnes, There is an old ~ayint; that "\Vhen rogues fall but give us other good measures. 'Vith regard out, honest people will get their own"; but in to immigration, whilst it is true that this party this case the people will not get their own. is against the system uf immigration of the Mr. LEsiNA: They wtznt to keep us out of character proposed by the hon. senior member for office. (Laughter.) Townsville, this party is not opposed to immi· gration on right lines. Apart from the que>tion Mr. HARD ACRE: On this ground alone, uf State-mded immigration, this party1s as much there is ample justification fer any man in th1s in favour of populating this country as any party House who believes in political honeRty to try in the State. I quite agree with that. There is to do something which will lift up the politics no' inconsistency in the members of the Indepen­ of this country until there iR something like dent party being on this side of the House in respect for political morality-there is ample regard to this matter. But there is a serious justification, whatever comes, to turn that Go­ inconsistency on the part of the Premier, and I vernment out, and let the people have a chance would just like to refer to some of the names of saying whether they are with them or not. that he called them--the lack of harmony on the When we have a Government born of evil, born Government side of the House. He described in defiance of the will of the people, horn of the hon. members who are sitting with him now deception, the result is inevitably hound to be -the senior member for Town~ville and his evil. And that is proved by the position of party-as pirates, who had got hold of the ship affairs in the country. Practically of State, and they had no consideration for the [7 p.m,] all legislation is suspBnded ; there passengers or the ship itself. I would like to know is a sht e of chaos ; and there is no what the hon. member for Bulimba thinks of promise of any good business being done by the that. We know what he called the Premier. coalition on the other side. Attempts have been The Premier called the hon. member for Towns­ made by the Premier and other memh9rS ville a buccaneer-" the mildest mannered man opposite to evade the issue, and they have· that ever cut a throat or scuttled ship." He adopted the lawyers' argument-" If you hav& Mr. Hardacr"-1 448 .Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] .Address in Reply.

no case, abuse the other side"-and ha,,e made Mr. HARD ACRE: And the reply was that charge~ of various kinds against rn<:;mberR on this nothing the l'remier conld give him wonld make side. 'Tak-·, for example, the hon. member for him go b11ck. \Voolloo gahba the other night. All he could OPPOSITION 11EliiBERS : Hear, hear ! say was practically this : "If I did wrong, I know somebody on the other side wh<> had a Mr. HARDACRE : Do we not know that cou.-:in who did wrong, too," and the Premier la~t seSRion when there was a little trouble in the practically adopted the same line of argument ; Home oue member got a railway to his elec­ he never touched the questi1,n at i:-;.:;ue-the torate in order to retain his support? qu•_ stion of t,he nnconstitntlonal position of the An 0PPOSITIO" l\1E~!BER: Two railways. Gov8rnment. You know that at the back of The s,,ORRTARY FOR RAn WAYS: vVho was our Oon,titution is the self-governing principle that? -the p 'ople's right to rule; and it is just ~Ir. HARD ACRE: The hon. member for as politically immoral to try to carry on the Government again.;t the consent of the people Oamboo.'a. as expres,;ed (1t the election as it wa< fur the 'The SECRETARY FOR RAILWAYS : Absolutely hon. rnemher for Towmville to try to carry untrue. on g.gninBt the will of f'le representatives of Mr. HARD ACRE: It is common talk in this the veople. In fact, it i' :. far greater wrong. House . ....\.s ~~racauby h.aR shown, and }i~rskine ~lay has The SEORJHARY FOR RAILWAYS: I can assure shown, ther have been times in the history of the you that it is ;;bsolutely untrue. British Parliament when the Hou~e of Onmmons itself has been corrupt, when the destinies of the Mr. HARD ACRE: vVe know that is true. country and the well-being of the people were at Mr. l\IURPHY : He threatened to leave the Go­ the mercy of a corrnvt Parliament. If a Parlia­ vernment if he did not get it. rnent can he corrupt, it does not justify itR Mr. HARD ACRE: I want to sheet home the existence by remainin>; there against the people's absolute proof of an rcttempt to corrupt members will; and it is just cts wrong for the Premier to -to retain their allegiance by offering them get there 11nd stay there as it was for the late bribes-dangling before them certain things con­ Premier, Hon. R. Phi!p, to try to ca.rry on last nected with the expenditure of public money. year againcit the will 1,£ the peopleJs representa­ I am ju't g-oing to give the utterances which tives. were made by members ,of this House to their 0PPOSITIO" l\IE11llERS : Hear, hear ! constituents. Mr. HARD ACRE: That i.s the gmvamen of Mr. KEN"A: Members on that side. the charge against the Governnl8nt. And how Mr. HARD ACRE: Yes; members on the have they replied? By making all sorts of Government side who it was well known were counter-a.ccu::5ati~ms. The Preruier charged rnem­ very uncertain in their attitude. It was stated bers of this party with bribery--that we held out that they were going to le11ve the Government, bribes of office to members to take their alle­ who are now holding on by a slight slender giance frPm the Government. As far a,·, this party thread, and in order to retain the votes of these is concerned, we hnve made uo offer of any kind. members bribes were given tn them in the shape Tln only lJO'ition we have taken up is the of pu bli~ money expended in their electorates ill. position our leader took up when he supported one fonn or anuthPr. the lJresertt Prernier two year.;:; ago; that i~ to Bay, that we are here for the purpose of support­ ?\Ir. KE"NA: Quite true. ing n1easnres, not 1nen, and as long a,"' we get Mr. HARDAORE: I will first take the hon. good mee,snree, and they do not violate our vlat­ member for Ro"ewood. \Ve all know that the furm or our principle.:-, we will ~upport thern. hon. member for Rosewood had stated in many And if there are member>< who are [Jrepared to ways, privately and publicly, that he was not bring forward a progressive policy embodying going to support the Government. such 1nea:;;ures a~. tho1:1e, I Lay we ha.v e as much OPPOSITION ?lfE}!BERS : Hear, hear ! right tt) fmpport tho"e me1nbers a.s \Ve had to SU!JfJOrt the prf:_·.:.;ent Pren1ier two years ago. A_nd Mr. HARD ACHE: What happened ? At if there ate members of this House who are will­ once there was the influence of intimidation held ing to bring forward progressive rneasures, I over him. don't know that they bave not jusu ''" much OPPOSITION MEMBERS: Hear, bear ! right to the emoluments of office as the present Mr. HARDAOHE: This was done in order Prentier. to whip him into line. An OPPOSITION MRolRER : A jolly sig·ht more. Mr. KE~~A: And yet they talk about us over J\Ir. HAHDAORE: The charge of bribery here. comes ill indt ed frmn the Prenlier, because lnen1- Mr. HARD ACRE: Whilst they did not go ber,; on hi' own oicle lmve distinctly akserted that into the bon. member's el•"ctorate, at that time he has attompt·:d to Lrihe-in f .et, has brihed­ somebody went into that electorate. rnernber~ tu r2tnin their allegiance. Is it not Mr. AIREY : That iH so. public prup,'rty-is it not che talk of the whole corrnnnuity-that some tirne ago, when the Pre~ Mr. HARD ACRE: All at once the hon. tnier was ln clDubt as to wha,t nH:rnberH would 8tay member for Rosewood hurrif·d up to explain his with him, he sent his "\Vhip" and other emis­ position. Thi' was what the hon. n;1ember f?r Baries tn certain m ern hen; to offer them certain Rosewood mid when address1ng hrs c nstlt­ things to ret:iin their alle"Lme,o? I ],,we hF ud uents- that early in the period of uncertainty the late One of the great reasons why he was there was that Govermm.nt "\Vhip," the hon. member for a short time ago he receive1l a communication from the Rosewood Progress A~soci>l.tion stating that they had Burke, \VBnt to the Renior member for Too­ passed a resolution strongly protesting <'Hminst attempts woomba and "'kPposition laughter.) aiL Mr. PETRIE: Good joke ! OPPosrorrox :'.hmmms : Hear, hear ! Mr. HARD A CRI~ : He further eaid- :Y[r. HARDAORE: Then the hon. member :Jir. Kidston was 111) doubt the stronge~t ma,n in the for Rl)::eWf'~od, eyidP-ntly a~ a reason \vhy he was Hon'le, although he had done some little tricks. He prepared to change h i8 pnlitical rtttitude, said­ person!lll;, bad never sought for a portfolio, a.nd would not take one. (Laughter,) He would never bP. bought They wonl!i get their railwA-y from R.o3ewood to ::\Iar­ for thirt.v })ieces of silver, and he was very ~nre of his burg and even Glamorgan Yale, and al~o the line np the old frienu, }Ir. Keogh, so long as he ~t11ck to hi!' Rock­ Bremer Yailey. (Avplan~h'.l 'l'hh' would g(~t wlwJ. \Yas hampton pro ~ram me. 'rhere we! e iiftecn r.;1:lways even more important and thrtt \ras conservation of bein!{ built, and more to be built. anti he was ;wing to water. ·rhe~r were ~{ettiug those from the 11re•­ had doue in the last four years, ;-t11d he had gor; it. ment that, unless he got public money spent m Mr. MuRPHY: They gave him three railways. his electorate, he would not support them. I shall now reply to some other reasons given Mr. HAUDAORE : Nt ont of it, and he would last five ymu '· ·He said that they were the most nut support the Government unless he got the fruitful years that Queensland h<·s ever seen, so expenditure of public money in his electorate as far as lJrogreFt··dve tneasures are concerned. And the price of his support. the reason, be S'1id, why he adopted his presBnt OPPOSITION J\lll:IIBERS: Hear, hear! position 'vas ln order to give us Ill ore measures of that kind. ·when I think of the Pr~mier and 11r. HA.RDA.CRE: I do not know what yon his utterances of than kind, I am alwavs re­ would ' 0 1ll it, :\lr. Spe:tker. Perhaps I would be minded of a character in Longfellow's " Hia­ out of order in c::tlling it bribery and corruption, watha"-a character called Iagoo, who became but it is ts bad as anything I have ever heard in the jest and the by-word of his trihe because of tbe history of the country. It is the expenditure of his boasting. Longfellow described Lim in these public money-the taxpayers' money-not be­ words- cause there is merit in the proposed expenditure, Very boastful was Iagoo. not becam:;e there is any ju~tification for it, not * because there i.s any ground or reason for that ·would you listen to his boasting P expendittH'e, but as the price of political sup­ . . No one ever shot an arrow port. And v, ithout that support t.he Premier Half so far and hi.G;,h as he bad, could uot retain his rnajority for five rninutes. RvPr canght so many fishes, Mr. KENNA : And they have the cheek to talk }~ver ki!Ld ~o many reinrlecr, 0 about this side! Ever trapped. so many beaver. ~one conld run .so fast as he could, :'.lr, HA.ltDAORE: And yet the Government X one could dive so deep as he could, had the audacity to makA charges of bribery None cc nld swim so far as he could, ?;one bad made so many journeys, against thiB Ride of the House, The Premier XonP had seen s0 many \VOnder.s made _m >tttaok on myself and on other mem­ As this wonderful Iagoo. bers in order to divert atttntion from his own Thus his name became a byword action~. I have drawn attention to the mt>-·l~ And :->.,jest among the peoplf\ administr;-ttion ·which has been g-oing on in con­ And. whP,ne'er a boastful hunt.er nection with the expenditure of the t"xpayers' Pl'aised his O\Yn address too highly, money fnr political purpo,es in the Rosewood Ot a warrior home returning tolectorate. IG is arnusing also to think of what Talked too umcll of his acilievementl;i.., All his hearer;;; cried, "Iap;oo : happened in the case of the hon m~mber for Here's Iagoo come among~t us:, Toombul. (Opposition laughter.) \Ve know that the hon. member for Toombul and the h,m, Henceforward it shoul•l be KiJston. \Yhene,·er I 1909-2<' Jlr. Hardacre.1 450 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply. hear the Premier making boasts, I always think we would get honest and progressive ;;overnment, of lagoo the boaster. I know something of the and we were unfortunatelv so considerate that progressive meagures we have had. I know of for the time we permitted them to do things the trouble we had with the hon. gentleman to against our better judgment; and it was only make him pass some of those measures. I know when again and again the hon. gentleman d1d we had at times to threctten that we would revolt crooked things-things inconsistent with our af!ainst him unless he did something to justify policy and our platform, that we were driven to his position, and at times we had to do something take np an attitude, first of reproach, dissension, t•> prevent him doing things which were against a little quatrelling; then the quarrelling became the country's interests. more bittE'r and nwre acrin1onious, until at Mr. KE~NA : \V e never could trust him. last we were driven into revolt against these crooked things. One of his first measures Mr. HARDACRE: The Premier talks about was to reimpose the Special Retrenchment Act tbosP Tuf.sday mornings that he used to have a~ainst which we had pledo,ed ourselves at the with us. \Ve remember those Tuesday mornings. election. Another thing in those early days was We rememher how often we ,pleaded with him to continue the pc•ll tax. Then there were sales not to do evil. (Lam(hter.) Many a time we of land. Then there was drastic retrenchment had r.n acrimonious Tuesday morning with him, of the railway men. Then there was a gun tax, caused by his dictatorial and arrogant attitude and other new taxes, all opposed to their election and the way be was going crooked in< regard to pledges. Then there was the passing of the ob­ maUers. :Ylany a time I was forced to get up noxious Queensland National Bank secret a~ree­ and say, "Mr. Kidston, there is an easy way ment Act. Then there was the stoppage of loans out of this difficulty-cease to do evil, and there at a critical time in the history of this State, will be no quarrelling among us." But he chose which made me denounce the hon. gentleman the crooked path, and we know where it has led when he was Treasurer for having by that policy him. I would like to ask : Has be no Tuesday driven people from this eountry to other States, mornings now ? and particularly to New Zealand. Mr. AIREY: It is one long Tuesday morning The SECRE'£AllY l>'OR PUBLIC INSTRUCTION ' now. Don't you think you are laying big charges Mr. HARDACHE: Why, every Wednesday, against yonr own party in that argument? Thursday, J<'rid:ad ones. I know that immediately we jnined that nobody can ,;et on with him. The whole them and began to support the,n, we found them history of the hon. gentleman's public career going down the Wrong path, doing the Yery is one of frequent and continuous quarrellmg things that we bad to put ant the old Philp -quarrelling with the old volunteer corps Government for doing. The l'remier s~ys he about 1888---quarrclling with the People's told us the right way to go. As a matter of fact Tnc•zxtper in Rockhampton-quarrelling with he intriguei without the knowledge of this party. the Democratic I.eaguc-quarrelling- with the The S'cCRETAHY FOH PuBLIC IxSTRUCTIOX: Separation party. \Yhv. the Hon. John Didn't yon support him all along ? ~\Iurrav said, I think in this Chamber, that the hem. gentleman had killed every party Mr. HARDACR1~: \Ve did not support him that he had orer joined-that even Death in any intrigue. \Ve did not knnw of that intri­ itself could no' hold a candle to the hon. gue. I helpul to defeat the ol,J Government on gentleman in his power of destroying parties their proposals t0 impose stamp duties on busi­ or associations '"'ith whon1 he associated him· Dt':iS people by n1y per.:5h.;tent attitnde in our own self. He killed the Separation party, the Hon. caucus, getting onr party to take up the question John J\Iurray said ; ho neady killed our party; of the scamp duties, and I hart almost to drive ho killed the Kidston party; and the Premier and the late Hon. \V. H. Browne into [7.30 p.m.] I predict that before long he will takino, up tbat attitude, and it was only after a kiil tho Philp party. The hon. lot of persuading and pleading that I g-ot them gentleman qys the reason for the present to take up that attitude of antagoni~m, and we coalition is that he could not get on with the defe,1ted the old Grnernment, But almost Labour party--that they would not help him immediately afterwards the new Government to ,ass the Rockhampton programme. The that we were sup!Jorting antnally passed the very real cause of our final quarrel was eomething sat-ne stamp duties that we bad put the uld which was not in the Rockhampton pro­ Government out of oJfice for proposing. grammf'. \Ye supported the Rockhampton The SECRETARY FOil PUBLIC I!'iSTRUCTION: programme last sE'ssion but one, and the And you voted with them. final cause of quarrel was something external lVIr. HARDAORE: I J,, not remember to that policy. The real cause of the com­ whether I vote•l with them. plete separation of ourselves from the Pre­ mier was the passing of the Mount Elliott­ The SECRETARY l'Ol\ PUBLIC INSTRUCTIOX : You did. Hampden semi-syndicate railway. Mr. HARD ACRE: Well, possibly I did; and, The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC WORKS: You as I said before tea, we were far too considerate sat in opposition long before that. After the and generous to the Government. \V e hoped second election you sat in opposition. [Mr. H ardacre. ..tlddre.Ys in Repl,y. [28 JULY.] .Address in Reply. 451

Mr. flARDACRE: It is quite true that v;e or committed~" perpetrated" is, I think, the sat in opposition, but we gave him our sup­ proper term to use~without the knowledge of port. T'he .:V1inister for \Vorks made this Parliament. excuse for leaving the Labour party, that it Mr. KENNA: To placate a follower. was because of the socialistic objecti.-e of 1905; but his interJection provt:s the fallacy 1Ir. HARD ACRE: What the reason was I of that statement, because he says we s. Hampden railway proposal was not in the atrocious malversation of public funds in Rockhampton programme. giving away a public utility for nothing to a follower. Any elector of this State who ?\fr. Scrjective of 1905, and then it was for "a.y to malhich we as members of Par­ know if that is a. fact, but I know that it is liament have no right to deal~it is a matter a valuable conces.sion, a.nd that if the country which concerns the organi•ation> outside of had ~-:ot fair remuneration for it, that re­ Parliament altogether.,. The hon. gentleman muneration would have amountlf-sacrifice mem­ A grandiloqnent ma\llresto o_n a scale that i~ Jnt~nded bers, like the hem. mz>mber for Nundah, had to daz;~,le the unthinkmg b\' 1ts cheap granucul. ~ut made in standing to principle e.-en though it which to the eye~ of those who know has the word. 111~ cost them money to go through another elec­ sincerity 'vritten acros., its face. tion-notwithstanding a.!! that, hto threw over Th1.t rt.ocumcnt is both clever ~~d dishm:est. D~ yo~ the loyal support hD got from this side, all notice the way it. fights shy of ~1~mg de~mte ?.romtses. the .elf-sacrific,.· of thoso men. For what? "The Gm·ernment lloves to do th1s. lt 1s de~uable to For the purpose of joining with the party who do the other tiling." rrhat is the language 9f the sheer he himself declarBd were a party of conser­ opportunist. vativE> reactionari<>s who had blockz>d all pro­ Then he said another thing--it had escape doors gressive n1casurC'-5, a.nd whom ·he fought all round- strenuously at the last election. Just one The propo~ing and conside1·in~ trick~ c?lot~l~ the word ;n regard to the other statement he whole of the l)remier's speech. H1s speet.;h 1s llke an tufreal stage prodnction, with e:sJape doors evel'_v:vhere made. He r·eally went further than I have. round, whenever the llonr should eume for bun to He boastEocl not only of his legislation, but honour his pledges. he boasted that he had cau,,ed the prosperity of the country. Everybody who looks round Then he made another statement, which 1s knows the rea&ans for that prosperity. The more important. He called th1s pohcy new. good seasons we had, the high price- of wool, It is new to him. He ha.d become a sudden the high price of cattle, the high price of convert to half its present p!anks. Half of tallow. them were copied from the 1'\ahonal L1heral Federation, the others arc put m to. placate A GOYERNMEKT 1\[K:\IBER: \'\hat about his old allies. and the small ~<;mammg fc·w mineral~? consist of glittering generahhes and hne ::VIr. HARD ACRE: Yes; the high price of humbug. minera..l.11. ~Ir. KE~KA: He says that of tl!.e Rock­ GOVERKMBNT :\IE}IBERS: Oh, no! hampton programme? Mr. HARD ACRE: The high price of coaL Mr. HARD ACRE: Yes; ;f the Rockhamp­ Mr. KENNA: And copper. ton programme .. That last statement_ con­ Mr. HARDACRE: Yes; copper, tin, and tai11s the real g1st of the matter-half the every one of thD mintorals went up in pric<>. Rockhampton programme lS taken from. t~e Besides that the price of coal is high as welL old Conscn-ative party, the old Patnotw We know the price of all pa.stora1 products League, the old National Ass-- has gone up and that good sea&ans ha.-e pre­ 'l\Ir. KEKNA: The Poople's Progressive vailed. and thB hon. member for Townsvillc League. . only Last yBar said the present prosperity is Mr. HARD ACRE: Yes. Half of 1t w~s due to the indlustry of the people and the taken from their platform, and half put. m good seasons. l\lr. Kidston has done nothing to placate the me,mbers of our party. Dunng to advance the country. _\nd now he practi­ 1908 when the hon. member for Townsv1lle cally says the prosperity has been brought was 'fighting against the present Government, about by the Pr<>mier, and the Premier claims wo managed to carry half these planks whwh he has brought it about. It reminds me of were put in to get our support, and there 1s that old fable of the fly upon the chariot nothing l<'ft in the Ro,ckhampto',' progran:me wheeL The chariot was being driven along now but half of the :i';abonal L1beral pohcy; furiously aJld a tremendous amount of dust and now, because there is nothing left but was created, and the fly on the whtoel said, the old conservative planks, the Hon. Robert " Look at the great noise and dust I am Philp is going to support the Governmr;mt making." I shall say something moro in re­ which is going to pass those conservat:ve gard to the present nwasures in the Governor's measures. The hon. member for Oxley tned Speech. vYe are to support the present Go­ to evade the question, too, b:y: say:ng that vernment not only because of the great after all it was not a coahtwn, 1t was a amount of good they have done, but also fusion. I could not understand the <'!1stm9- because of the good they are going to do. tion between a coalitiou and a ruswn-1t The hon. meml1cr for Townsville also saicl a seemed to be a distinction without a differ­ great deal abotut tho Rockhampton pro­ ence. I thought a dictionary might throw gramme that was contained in the Governor's somo light on the matter, and I found the Speech. It is a remarkable thing, if the de.finition of "coalition" to be--act of senior member for Townsville believe.d the coalescing, union of persons particularly Rockhampton programme was such a good under one body, confederation. Fusion was programme, that we had him twelve months defined as-act or operation of fusing, state ago fighting the Government over it, although of being melted or blended together. (Oppo­ the Premier had the Rockhampton programme sition laughter.) I do not know that there [Mr. H ardacre. Address in Reply. [28 .JULY.] Address ~n Reply. 453 is much distinction between the two. Mr. HARDACRE: I know the hon. mem­ Coalescing moans the joining of two bodies ber for .l.ubigny wanted a railway as a into one body, and fusion means the melting reason for supporting the Gm·ernment. or blending of two bodies also into one body. }[r. THORX: That is not true. \Yhen we find. as we do in the case of metals, that when two different metals are fused :\Ir. HARDACRE: \V c. know what the hon. together, the n ult contains the quaiities of member said. It was said that the hon. mem­ both bodies in proport.ion to the different lwr for "'\ubiO'nv0 told hi.-3 as.;;.::wiutes one night quontities of the nwte>ls fused together-! that he 'va.s g~oing to hav0 done ,vith tl~e have jnst been thinking that probably that }(id.ston Go\·crnrnc_.__._t; tho hon. member sa1d 1~ the oonect description. There are, I "Ko. wait." and the uoxt dtq thPro was think, thirteen memLers of thE' old Kidston brought do\YD the Goombungco R'ailV\7 ay. party 110w supporting the Premier, and :!\:r. TnoRx: Nonsense! twcnt·.·.four mmnbers of the old ConservatiYe Tho SECRETARY FOR RAIL\':AYS: I brought pa1·ty--at any rate, it is ycry nearly that. down that railway. and the hon. member for Therefore, there 1 oue-third of the old .._q_ubigny knc\v nothing about it. Kiclston party and b·o-thirds of thfl old Con­ 1 Sf'rvatiY(~ rarty lJC>hind the prt's{'nt Goyern­ Tho SPEAKER: Order Tho hon. mem­ ment, so tho result must be that the Kidston ber must bo allowed to make his speech with· Goyocnrnont han' bef·n conservatisod to the ont interruption. extent of two-thirds-.in fact, as 'one hon. c\Ir. THORN: I rise to make a pBrsonal n1e!nber said son1e little time ago, in a yoal' explana.tiou. (Opposition laug:hter.) The hon. or two the Prernicr vvill be the biggest tory gcnt.lcmau has accused mo of in Austnlia. I have just gone through the [8 p.m.] bcin,. bribed by the Government Goyernmcnt programme, and I find that the owr that raihYay. I giye that a policy foreshadowed in the Goyernor' s Speech fiat contradictiou. actnally continues on the lines of the fusion l 1\Tr. HARD"\.CRE: ='.lember.; of this Housfl have inclicatc•d~--thc programme is rPally two· know many thin;;s that the outside public do thirds of thfl old G:mservative party's pDlicy and one-third of the Kidston policy. not know. The SECRETAUY FOR RAILWAYS: You evi­ Mr. THoax: ~What 1s the definition of dently haYe an intimate knowledge of bribery. " conservative " ? 1\Ir HARDACRE: Not nearlv as much as :}fr. HARD ACRE: Anything that is re­ the l;on. gentleman. DBaling "furthflr with actionary. In tho Go.-ernrnent programme the RDckharnpton prograrnmfl and the ps, and was particu­ THORX interjected. larly intRnded to apply to th<> Dawson Coal "'.lr. Field. A Margarinfl Bill, a Companies Act Tho SPEAKEH: Order order! I must ask Amendment Bill, a Mines Regulation Act hon. members to refrain' from making intfl.r­ Amendment Bill, a ::\Ietropolitan \Vater and JCctions. Sewerage Bill, and another particular thing­ ~,rr. HARDACRE: It is true that in the the Transcontinental Railway, north-west by Govcrnrnent programn1e we are promised_ a south-ca.s•. I vcant to know something about TradfJ Disputes Bill and a \Yorkers' DwBll· that. 'What I know is that that was not in m o-s Bill; but we know that after a caucus of the Rockhampton programme, but it was in th~ members of the Philp party the 'Trade the hon. member for Townsville's speech in Disputes Bill was dropped; and. after a depu- 1907. Hon. members who care to look at the 1 a tion of lmilding societies to the Treasurer, Brisbane Courier of, I think, ='.larch, 1907, will thB \Yorker.q' Dwellin,;s Bill was dropped. fine! et map of that Transcontinental Railway, But, after all, what does it matter what we v:hich 1.vas given as one of the reasons why haYe been prornised in the Goyernment pro­ peoplo should support the senior member for c-ramm-e? In "JEsop's Fables" there is the 'rownsville in:3tead of the presc~nt Premier. ,)orv of an eagle 1··ho met a kite one clay, )/ow, rBmarkable to say--or not remarkable and' was lamenting that he could not find a to :Say when we know the hem. member for mate. The kite ;,aid, ·'Well, why not take Townsville-wo find that the Transcontinental me'" The ea·:~lc •aid, ''\\'hat caJ1 you do?" Rctilwuv is brought down as ono of thfl mea­ The kite said, " I can carry an ostrirh to you sures i"n the Governor's Speech. Do not in mv talons." So thev n1ated; and, after lorget that it goe.; past a certain pastoral the r;1arriagc vvas over, 'i:ho t'aglo said to the iwldine; in which two members behind thfl kite. " J\'ow. catch me the nstrich." The ltite Gm·ernment are inkrested. That shows that went awav,' and after a long delay brought we are not going to get the Rockhampton back a sm,all moL; se. The e1glo 'aid, "VV hat progra1nmC?-; we are going to get the pro­ is this vou he>Ye brought me? Did you not gramme put forward by the senior member promise~ Ine an ostrich?" The kite said~ for Townsville. "Yes; an cl I would haYG promised anything Mr. THORN: You think you know every· to obtain vour royal hand." So the pre­ thing, but you know nothing. sent Goyernment would promise anything- Mr. Ilardacre.l 454 Address in Repl_y. [ASSEMBLY.] .A.dd1·esg in Reply. thcv would fill the eves of the electors "ith democracy, and what happened immediately a ghre of promises, 'as the Premier asserted after the election? On the morning after the of th" h®n. member for Townsville, to retain election the Daily Jfail, which fought the office. Premier so str<:>nuously and called him all the ::\1r. McRPHY: Do vou accuse the Premier na.mes it could lay its hands on, on the morn­ of kite-flying? • ing after the election it turned round and said. " The only thing to do for this State is The SPEAKER: Order! to try to get the Premier to take in the Philp ::Yir. HARDACRE: I would like to ask the party." Premier, in the words of the hon. member ::\Ir. BLAIR: He took him in, tn assault th<>y did by cunning. What did but it must make them smile when they were the Jlorning Bullrtin of Rockhampton ,.a.y of asked to accept the Hon. Robert Philp as a this coalition when it was first proposed? The reformer, because in all the years from 1890 Rockhampton Bulletin is the inspired organ of to 1903 he has opposed Teform and has the Premier. It is the Premier's principal adopted every measure to block reform. He supporter, and this is what it said regarding blocked electoral reform, fought against a th" manipulations and strategems that were white Australia, wages boards, old-age pen­ going on just before the coalition took place. sions, arbitration and conciliation, the Trado J\lr. BLAIR : \'Vnat date was that? Disput<-s Bill, th<- Shearers and Sugar \Vorkers Mr. HARDACRE: In February, 1908. The Accommodation Bill, against an amendment of Bulletin said~ the Constitution Act, and only last session~ The Brisbane Press is making- its cnstomar.v appeal to only a few w<-eks ago he told the people at Mr. Kidsron to take in Mr. Philp. It will be remem­ Toowoomba that we were the enemies of the hered that befm·e the last (H}07} election the Brisbane farmers because we included them in the \Va.ges Jlress attacked }.1r. Kidston with sustained ferocity, and Boards Bill. ·what hope have we from a Go­ the morning :.1ft er the election when it di!'-covered thRt vernment backed up by the hon. member for :\:Ir. Kidston had not bPen destroyed by all its maledic­ tions, it eooll~· proposed that he shonld take 11r. Philp Townsville and his supporters~men who l1ave blocked reform, like the hon. member for into his Onbinet and unite the Kid!>. ton and Philp parties. History i~ repeating itself. For the last four weeks ::y[oretoiD~men who have behind them all the the Bri~b:±rJe Pre<:.~ ha~ snrpnssea evrn its own record wealth and all thH conservatism of the in the fury of its attacks on ::\1r. Kidston. Throughout country. and the venal Courier, as the Premier the whole eontrover~y it has invHriably described l\ir. called it-the Courier that has always sup­ Kidston and his followers as soeialists. . . . Bnt. on ported a Government that blOl ked reform? the morning arter tl1e poll he was a ''statesman." '!'here was not a word about him being- a sociali~t. . . ::\Ir. KENNA: Always against the working On J.fondas Mr. Kiclston WHS a revolutionary and a rr,an, according to the hon. member for \Vool­ liar, as big a~ revolutionar:r as :\Ir. Bow man. and a bigger loongabba. and more original liar than ?1.1r. Hawthorn. On Friday the Jioil declared that this revolutionary, J\Ir. H~\.RDACRE: Now I come to the real this socialist, this liar, 1his shameless slanderer of the reason for the· coalition. I remember that the King's representative, was the one fit and proper Premier said something very nasty about the statesman in Queensland to be Lord Chelmsford'!'l- first. senior member for Townsvi!J.e. He referred }Tinister provitled tbat he wonld take over l\ir. Philp to that hon. gentleman a~ "the peevish Flnlp, and his followi11g. who was never satisfied until he was in office, That is the real reason of the coalition. but when he was in office he was all smiles, That is the real cause of the existing com­ and 'Nould promise anything." And the s~nior bination of the old conservati\ e reactionaries member for Townsville also said something and the Kidston party. And as a result of of a similar character in regard to the Pre­ that we have practically in full blast, in full mier. He said that the Premier resigned in power once again, the old Philp Gcwernment a fit of pique, and that no man in Queensland that we have fought for years, and that the ever kicked himself so much as did the Premier people of tllis country have fought for years, for what he ha.d done. \Ve know that the and who by an overwhelming majority de­ Premier said that it was the last desperate cided at the last election~as the Premier chance of the Philp party~the Philp reac­ himself put it-decla.red that they would n0t tionaries~to get into office. They called each have the Philp party at any price. other all sorts of names during the election-- Mr. THORN: They have not got him. 1\Ir. THORN: Not true. l\Ir. MuRPHY: Yes; they have. Mr. HARDACRE: And all the public papers, including the Courier and Daily 1II ail, Mr. HARD ACRE: Just a word in passing heaped all sorts of terms upon the present as tD the policy of the Government which has PremieT when he was fighting the battle of been put forward as a justification for the [Mr. Hardacre. .Addrf&S in Reply. [28 JULY.j .Address in Repl,y. 455

prooent coalition. The policy of materia.! de· land, and on the lines of that argument there velopment is not against the platform of our should be greater prosperity for the worker party nor against all the aims of our party. and the tradesman than there is in our own The hon. member for Kennedy put it forward State. the other night that the one way to give The SECRETARY FOR :MINES: They are just employment and to create prosperity was by as well off as we are. expanding production. :Mr. HARD ACRE: But they are no bt'tter The SECRETARY FOR MINES: Hear, hear! off; and yet, according to the argument of :\lr. HARD ACRE: 1\nen I heard that I hon. members opposite, the greater popula­ >vas not surprised that the hon. member left tion, greater production, and greater mat0rial our party. I saw at once then why he left wealth in New South \Vales should mean our party. The senior member for Townsvillo greater prosperity to the workers. As a put the policy of the Government as land matter of fact, "Coghlan" has pointed out that settlement, railways, and more population. At 1 per cent. of the people of New South ·wales once the hon. member for Kennedy and our own £250,000,000, and more than half the party came into conflict. \Ye do not oppose people do not own a single stick of property material progress. "\Ye believe in that. \\'e of any kind. Victoria ought also to be mere believe in railv ays, we lelieve in land settle­ prosperous than Queensland. It has a larger ment, and "e believe in population. If our population, more railways, greater settlement platform was carried into effect, and if our and production, and yet we find that the system of land settlement were adopted, then people are being driven out of the State for instead of the people coming in here at the lack of prosperity-by depreef the pe'?ple are in the same state that they member for Townsville, with his sunny were prevwusly. If we take that as an axiom optimism, bumps his head against the rocks of stat<:'smanship, then we• should expect more every time. He is like the captain of a shrp prosperity in New South \Vales than in who gets wrecked every time he puts to sea. Qneensland. In New South \V ales they have He comes home, and sails again just as a largeT population, there are mure railways, merrily as before', with just the same result. more settklment, more wealth, than in Queene- Our party maintain that permanent results Mr. Hardacre.] 456 .Adclnss in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] .Address in Reply.

cannot follow from a period of material de­ limit to the functions oi the State, pwvided velopment, withoi1t social aull economic the propos,ed extension is justified on its refonn. \Yithin a short time fron1 now there rnerits V\ illJw a dislocation of trade and con1mcrco; The S ceET_\.RY ro:s. P-cnLIC \YanKs: T'he or, m the o!Cl colloquial phrase, a period of 11ou. nleJnbet· \vas never a sociali§.t, I admit. ·· Boo:m, borrO"\\, rnd burst.!' It is all <1. lie 1.va.s q, §invle taxer, but ncyer a socialist. question of tlw dis!·-ibution of wealtn. Hon. memLcrs ha vo dealt with tho objective of this llh·. HARDACRE: I do not know v· hat the party. So far as the ol:jcctive is concerned, hon. m.ernbcr m·ea.ns by "socialist." I believe J.. a:rn not altogether satisfied ,,:ith the objec~ i{ is a thing for a man to rr1ake tv\'O tlYE'. blades gras_,. grcnv \V her-o only on-e grew The S1 -'RETARY FOR i\IINES: 'l'hen you have Leforc. I bBlicve it is a good thinrr to estab­ no right to bo in the party. lish industrie•,, becauoce they giw: employment t•J the pe ; and, if th{' csta 1 ~lishment ot JUr. :.:;:uLLAN: \Vhat is wrong with it? industric" a good thing for the individual~ it is a thing for 1hc State. Dut I c- rmot . ~\lr. R\RD.lCHE: I think it might be unc~ -1~sL1nd this differentiation bet> uen the 1mprov eeL Tho Secretary for :\J.incs nloved t·,·o objective . 1 the atloption of the Federal objective but if Stnmgc that Hll tllis Oiff~?ronce f, JJnh1l;p the ~)ta~o objecdvc is socialistic the 'Fed~ral 'Twixt tn-eedletk lmn anr'l tweedle-rle-dee. objective i~ soci ..distic al>::>o. To ~1y n1iud our The matter is the sa.me, thoug-h the phrasing I objective is not so ckar, but do not fo; one n1ay U-e dif-ferent. moment think th<:t WE: lmvc yet reached perfec­ tion m the phrasing of our objective. Neither The SECRET '-RY FOR PUBLIU \YORKS: It is State nor .Fedora.! objective is perfect but I n1ore than a matter of phrasin6'· It 1s a am curtain our party will imurove the' objec­ matter of principle. tive. We arc the party which has for rts aim }lr. HARD~\CRE. Xo, the h'o objectivec and objec o the uplifting of the masses. \Ve arc the ;;;an1e-" the -extension of the induJtrial como nearer to that ideal than anv other and cconornic fuHctions of the State." But. party in this SL1te. I am like ::-.Iacaulav in after all, it de 'CS not matter to members of his attitude towards the Whirrs. He "said Parliament what the objective is. becau&e we that, in spite of imperfections, in spite of the a.re not here to carry out the ohjBdive. \Ve errors of the \Vhig party in England, it was are here to carry out a specific platform which the party which had brought about all the '"-e h:tYe sign-Ld. The objoctiYe i§ a n1atter for reforn1s in Groat Britain; and, in dPite of any th€ or ~anisatiou. The convention of 1005 la,id imperfections, ho would not leave that party, it down that it was not the objective of the but would always bo found with them. Parliamentary Labour party, but the objBotive Although this party, like all other parties of the Labour organisation, and no candidate has its imporfections~I do not say that it i~ had to sign that obje,rtin,_ absolutely free from error-but everybody i\Ir. ::-.ICLL.'.N: But ho is expBCted to believe who has followed its history knows that it is in it. above all other parties-the reform party­ The SECRETAHY FOR PuBLIC \VORKS: The the party that is in the van of the reform W01·ker will give you a bad time for this. rr1ovement, which has in season and out of season brought fon\ ard reform measures ::-.rr. HAR.DACRE: I do not ca.ro. I am and which has forced reform on other parties: stating rny po.'3ition, and I an1 not a.fraid to After all, it does not matter to members of state my position. I do not believe that the Parliament what the objective is, because we lVorkfl· or any loyal m£~11-k,-·cvvn p ·ern-it has not 1 conc~~rnccl ·,·ith i to carry ow:: the platform. been quoted so far during this dr ate. The Y1T ha.Yo and there I~J no j ushfication people v,'ill r€cogniso that the.~ rernarks, at for anyone the or any l'atc, are appropriate- 1110Ye:;:-ncut on the ground it Fol·life ~,, {·hnn~0 Rnd b1adb that ·'-'lllife Por the C~tu-,:;e of trntlt The SPEAKER: On'~r: I slwulcl like Tn-mnrro'x may stril~e for if hon. nwrnb{_•r to colln.f'-~l· his rcn1a.rks with Then· oA..,.nets ttrc bnilt. that n'ay. queot[on before the Jclom<'. I believe the ;·esult of the election will be that :\Jr. IL\RDACRE: Ye'; I will endeavour thi~, side oi tho I-Ieuse 'vill co1nc back stronger to do so. I wish to show that I do not be­ -llw.t tho country veil! give support to this lien~ in a land tax, but in a land value tax, motion (1.3 hon. ll1ClYJbcr~ in the I:Iouse \vill tha.t. no 1ncmhcr on the o her lde o£ the support it; and, in any case:., 1vhatcvcr is the Houoe can find a 1 .nd t,;~. ;oropo, .tl in our result of the djvision, as I declared at tho platform. oommcnc:·ntc'1t of m:y adclress, in the intere·:ts of public honesty, in the interests of the great Tlw SPEAKEr::..: Order' Is tho hon. mem­ princlpln that th'.} people alone should have ber dealing \vith that Iua' V r on th'-\ r: ·~sun1p· tho right to rule--that their wishes, as de­ tioll that it i. not iucluckd in tha policy of the clared at elec1 ion time, as emphatically as GoYCl'lHncnt? any body of pu>ple could doclare them, are :\Ir. HAEIJ),C'1tE: Me· justification for re­ respooter!-in dw intPresls of that principle, ferrring to a tax on land va.luc; is that if the and in the interests of public honesty, before prc·.ent UnverrunL'nt are displaced, and this any business is done at all. we should appeal party have the opportunity, it will be their to that ruling power and get their sanction duty to propose stcch a tax. \V e have in our to the coalition Liking place-whether they platform a tax on pttblicly created land value are in fanmr of it or not, before we do any -valuo ceeated by the State or by the com­ bu· iness of any kind in this Chamber. munity. Yon cannot build a railway or any HONOURABLE MEMBERS: Hear, hear! public work or bring about any material de­ velopment without increasing the value of After a pause. land. Therefore, we say that instead of put­ Ho:-IOURABLE J'.Inrmms: Question, question t ting a tax on farn1ers, on trade'",men, on Question stated. workers-on any trade or industry-we should rernovo sorno of tho:~e taxes, and impose a ::\Ir. HERBEitTSOJ'\: (Port Cm·tis): With tax on land values-tax hnd monopolie.s, and the indulgence or tho Houso I eh 'ire to say thus ma.ke land cheap for the farmer. By so a fe~, words in support of the motion moved doing wo shall increase prosperity to a greater bv the senior member for Fortitude Valley. ext'mt than it is being increased at the pre­ In cluing so I would like to be brief in my sent time, There is one other matter I should remarks. I do not propose to do as a good lilm to refer to before I conclude. The Pre­ manv other hon. members have clone during mier has challenged this sidP of the House this 'discussion, and I hope to avoid all per­ to go to the country. The hon. member for sonalities. Kennedy said that I was formerly in favour HoxouRABLE ::\IE:IIBERS: Hear, hear! of a coalition with the senior member for Townsville. If the hon. gentleman will look :ur. HERBERTSO::'-i: I propose to deal up H nnsr1rrl for the session of 190i, he will with what tho Government has done in the find that immediatoly before the Premier past and what they have failed to do. I am went to London I said that there ought not very pleased tho people of Rockhampton t-o be. an adjournment of the Hou.so unless it ::'-iorth. and I may say the electors of Centr~l was an adjournment for appealing to the Queensland, have settled the Port Alma. Ral<­ people with the view of getting a mandate v.:ay que~tion. with regard to the coalition. I am not afraid OPPOSITION ::\Ir:MBERS: Hear, hear: of an appeal to the country on that ground. Mr. WooDs: Finally settled it. I believe the countrv has declared and will again declare that th"ey will not have the old :\Ir. HERBERTSO:!\": I hope finally so. It Conservative's at any price, even if associated was stated when this measure was brought with tho Premier to carry out his Rockhamp­ before the Hotcso the people of Rockhampton ton progran1mc. were askin~ for it. Now, it ie plain they have not been asking for it. r_rhe questi{Jl1 has been Mr. KENNA: They will be decimated. submitted to then1 two years follo\ving, and Mr. HARDACRE: Yes, they "ill be deei­ on the last occasion the} ga.-e absolute .Proof mat~d at an election, judgin~ from public that tbev did not require this mca,.ure. a,nd opmtc;n as expr<"3secl at rneetiugs held by the yet the Premier tried to forcD it through this Premtcr at Charters Towers, l\lount ::\lorgan, House in the last two sessions. I object very Rodchampton, Townsville, Toowoamba South strDngly to thi3 1 ancl that is one of the reasons Brisbane, and various other plaeu. If ever I left the Go\·0rnment. I would just like to there was shown disgust in the Government sa.c, on behalf of the people of Rockhampton, and the coalition it was at those meetin.gJ and that the :'\ elson Governmont undertook to public opinion is as much against it no\v 'as it give them a deep-water p

~arried out, at least satisfactorily. The result and accommodation is not good. I would like is that the work has never yet given the satis­ to say, too, that the to,nnage of these vessels faction it should have given, and I say that is the largest of the sh1ppmg on the Queens­ no Government which has been in power since land coast. One of the vessels, when loaded, the X elson Government have done their dutv was 11,900 tons, drawing 26 feet of water. to Rockhampton by completing the channel ·when vessels like that can get m and out, I from the railway wharf they built at an expen­ am certain it cannot be said that there is no diture to this country of something like port there. The average gives twenty-one £200,000. In the year 1904 the Government vessels a year for the past ten year,. I think called for a report on that channel. It was that that shows that the wharf and the. channel furnished, and if the Government of the day are verv satisfactory. There is another matter had carried out the recommendation that was I would like to refer to-that is the Torres suggested hy the Engineer for Harbours and Strait mail steamship service. I quite agree Rivers, it would have given all the sa.tisfac­ with the hon. member for Carpentaria, who tion required to Rockhampton. But there was dealt with this question a few days ago, when a power behind the throne there which he said that Queensland had gained no advan­ seemed to be pulling the strings in another tage bv this service. It has not. It is appa­ directicn. ThC< people of Rockhampton had rent to' anyone who knows anything about this really objected to the Port Alma scheme for a service of steamships to Queensland that th1s number of year•,, Over twenty years ago they senice was running years Ldorc with the l'eturned two members for that city pledged same vessels. against this very scheme, and yet it has been Hon. E. B. FORREST: Not the same vessels. going on year aft-er year; they never seem to be satisfied about it, although when the Mr. HEH;BEH'ISON: We are paying ::\'ehon Government dealt with it and decided £37,000 a year in a direct subsidy, in addi~ion on the Broadmount port two-thirds of the to the attendant expenses, for th1s serviCe, people of Roekhampton were satisfied with which was ~cing before ever there• was any that. The trouble ha.s been that the Govern­ agreement ~ntered into at all. It is called ment which undertook to carry out that work a Queensland scn-ice. It is not a Queensland did not complete it, and I say that the Go­ service at all, any more than 1t .-ver was. vernments up to the present have failed in The vessels l+·a.ve London; they come ant to their duty to these people by not completing Queensland t·iu Singapore and Torres Stra1t, the work they undertook to do. I claim that and when thev arrive in Brisbane they have thP Gov..Jrnment. of the day should complete done with that service. They do not go back tha.t channel as suggested by :\Ir: Cullen. I the same way; they go on by S~uthern ports will just refer to :\Ir. Cullen'.s report for 1904. back to England, and, wh1lst m the agree­ He says- ment it is provided that they shall come out l~or restoring a minimum d~pth of li feet throughout here· within a given time, fr?m the hme t?ey the .Jliddle Channel tram sea to Broadmount, and of re­ leavo Brisbane to get to thmr port of destma­ gulating same at :Ko. 6 Cutting, £11,050. tion in England there is no set time-they can take six months if they hke. Yet we are In another portion of the report Mr. Cullen says- told what a splendid bargain it is for the people of Queensland-for the producers. This From this and the statements as to the drauO'bts of the ordinary coasting vessels that would U!OB the clmnnel, it was put un for the producers, and we had 'vill be gathered that the majority or boats, including another service going in Brisbane,_ the princi­ the "Barcoo " \vould :praetieall v not be detained at all pal port-the Orient liners. for whJCh we were if ~ound to Broadmounr., for lack of water, even if they paying another £26,000 a. year--and the ~o­ arrrved or departed at low water, prodded a minim n111 vernment is subsidising th1s Northern serviCe, depth or 17 feet, »t low water be obtained throughout. which thev expect is going to be an advantage Under the most unfavourable conditions conceivable­ such as th{;' "\'ryandra;' fully laden, dra\ving 20 feet to Central ancl Northern Queensland. Of and arriving just befnre low \Vater-tlw ~ eriod of de­ course, Southern Queensland is provided for tention would not exceed five hours, and such condi­ bv the Orient line. The so-called 'l'orres tions might not occur twice in a year. St,rait Sf',rvice is IlO lTIOre a service for the ::\'orthcrn people any more than it was before Now, that was the contention of that port, and tho agreement was entered mt~. There IS l maintain that the people of Rockhampton another qncstion in co_nncctwn :v1th that ser­ t,ave not been JU~tly dealt with by previous Yice which 1 would hke to brmg up. The Governments. Th1s Government so far have a¥reement provides that only . certain ports not been able to do much, because· they have shall be called at, and 1t spcmfiPs the ports been almost defeated twice within the last few weeks. of call coming down the coast. Some three or four months ago I was Informed, on very :\Ir. KE!i"~A: They are not likely to do, g-ood authority, that one of these eithe·r. [9 p.m.] vessels was coming down the coast . J\Ir. HERI3ERTSO;'\;: It is only right and with about 800 tons of cargo for JUst that the present. Government should give Rockhampton after having discharged a con­ these people what they have been asking' for. siderable quantity at Townsville. 'l'he cap­ With regard to the Broadmount wharf a;1d its tain of the vessel had often been at Broad­ accommodation, I may -,ay that the accommo­ mount with his steamer. when he wanted to dation which has be•en provided up to the tako in or discharge cargo; but under this present has done very "' eU. The line of agreement ho wao not allowed to do so. He ,,teamer~ vvhic.h is coming out now under agree­ s:ent to the authorities or agents to get per­ ment w1th tlns Uowrnment-the British-India mission to go to Broadmount, because when Company's sterome·rs-have been using this h~ was leaving Townsville he thought that wharf for ten yea.re, and I have had a small when he arrived at Broadmount he would be 1·eturn made out of vessels passing in and out ablo to go alongside and discharge into the of that channel to this wharf, which has been railwa.y trucks, so that the cargo might be condemned b" what I ma"V term thB Port carried bv rail to Rockhampton; but he was Alma harbour people. The vesools which advised 'almost immcdiatelv he reached berthed at the Broadmount wharf between Keppel Bay that ho mu~t anchor there and 1898 and 1908 numbered 213. and vet we hear deliYcr the cargo mto hghters. \Vh1le the of people who advocate this Port Alma scheme• people generally are paying for this line to saying that the Broadmo\.mt wharf channel Broadmount, the Rockharnpton people have to [.L1.1r. Heruertson. Address in Reply. [28 JULY.] .Address in Reply. 459 pay for the lightcring of cargo that might be House. (Hear, hear!) Such a measure would carried by that line into Rockhampton, and give the miner a cha.nce of getting on the produce some re1·enuc for that railway. Now, freehold land, which he is unable to do at the I come to the matter of lands. I think the present time, and it would also give the selec" 8} stem of alienation is a bad one ; and I think tor a chance of getting- on to land which is the system of tendering is wry bad, and ought no'\V locked up as mining reserves. In my dis­ to be abolished. trict alone there are hundreds of thousands of JI.Ir. ARMSTROKG: Hear, hear! I think so acres of mining re.servcs, and this land is com­ too. plete-ly cut off from selection. \Vith a. ~lining :CUr. BowMAK: You are on the wrong side. on Private Property Bill passed into law the working miner would have aH the lands of the :Vlr. AR~ISTROKG: Xo. Sta.te open to him. An 0PPOSITIOK ~1E}TBER: You can always The SECUETARY FOR :\liNES: \Ve have got it corno over. all ready to bring forward. cllr. HERBERTSON: I think all the lands :Hr. ::'llt:'RPHY: vYas it the Bill which 1\Ir. -;hould be balloted for; and, in connection Bla.ir drafted; with balloting, I would like to see a stop put The SPE-AKER: Order ! to allowing a number of dummy applications to be put in for a portion of land. It is a :\Ir. IIERBERTSON: There is a great in­ well-known fact that a man mav choose a terest in g-etting these mining reserves thro\vn piece of land, and have it put up; and perhaps open. In my own district one-third of the land somebody in t.he vicinity is de,,irous of getting is -embrac-ed in mining reserves. it. This person may have a dozen relations :Ur. \\" oons: They have issued ipstructions who put in their names against the man who to prevent the miners from getting homestead got the land put up. and the result is that he leases. has no chance. I know a case in point where ::\Ir. IIERBERTSON: That has not been my a man applied to have two selections put up. experience. I find that ihe Government has The holder of the run on which the land was be<>n vcrv fair in regard to that. These selected, a;; soon as the selections were put rrc.ining reserves, generally speaking, are situ­ up, also applied for them; so did his brother; ated where there is the biggest population. I and their wives applied; also, their brothers think that it is a very small mining field that and sisters, and the whole of their relations. does not keep more men at work than many of There we·re something like seventeen applica­ th applied for the land fint; and the result was Department. I know a little about this busi­ that he lost it, though he had waited twelve ness, I think. I have had a little experience months for it to be put up. I believe in the of it. I think that the Government-I am not principle of selection before survey. I believe particularly blaming this Government, bu~ all in the land being mapped out, but it should past Governmeuts-;-have been _very penu_n?us be carefully mapped out. That is to say, four indeed to the mmmg- commumty and mmmg or five selections, or a few selections, should generally. not take all the water frontage and the best OPPOSITION ?.IEMBERS: Hear, hear! of the country, because that means picking the eyes out of the country, and the land Mr. MANN: This Government knocked that is left is no good to anyone. I have had £20,000 off the mining vote last year. some complaints about this picking the eyes :\Ir. HERBERTSOJ'\: I maintain that out of selections in my own electorate. and there ought to be more money provided for I will just read a letter I got to-day from one deep sinking. (Hear. hen.r !) That ought to of my constituents dealing with this very b-e prm·idedi particularly on goldfields vyhere matter- they haye gone perhaps beyond the ordmary Dear Sir,-As the representatiYe of a r,-ood many of ''i orkin-·Jn with Queens­ things have bc~en moving latelv, I am very pleased to see land," the Bent Government three or four you take the stand thnt \·on have rtone, and. shoulll you vP;Lrs ag-o pn.•,.sed a votB of £150,000, to be sp<'nt be able to do ~mythlng in the matter in regard to thi<;; at the rate of £.)0-, oco a :v<>ar. in support of the land jobberv. I think th·-tt I can -gnarantee that any minin_g industry in that State. candidate put forward h.\' Kidsron. Philp, and Co. will not E~ecnrc haJf a dozen votes locally ~tt next election. :\lr. :\lFUPHY: Thev want to give it to the dress circle cro\vd 11(;~v. Mr. KE:"':"'A: Hear, hear! Great applause' The same all over the State. ::'ITr. IIERBERTSO;'-J: 1\"ha.t do we find her<>' You cannot get £50 to put down a I must say that that letter influenced me very sma.!l wa.tor shaft to supply a few miners with much. And that is the opinion of other people. the wherewithal to live. \Yhilst dealing- with land matters, I would like to deal w1th mining- on private property. I The SECRETARY FOR IITrC'iES: Has the hon. think that the Government has been verv lax member only just discovered this? in not brin2'ing for\vard a ::\1ining- on Pr1vate 2\fr. HERBERTSON: I discovered it a loL:; Property Bill, and passing it thr01igh this time ago. Mr. Ilerbertson.] 460 Address ~n Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

The SECRETARY FOil :.\liKES: \Yhv did not the offi~er in charge here, "\Vell. what is you protest boforo '? • £70? There is £200 worth of freight lying :.\lr. J'.IunPHY: Ee went on the deputation on that siding and they arc \Vairiug to get.. a with LB. chance to put it on the trucks." He uicl, ··I •.,ciil have an inquiry made into :\fr. 11ER.DERTSOi\: I haYe b~·en at this that, awl haYu a report n1adr-' on it." very. thing for ~:.. )Jne tirnc. \1-iea.r, hear~) The J'liimster for :.\1ine.s has been tllPre Ollly a, The retwrt was n1acle, alld some five or s~x short he ha·, not had much oppor- 1nonths after\Yard.s the \\ Jrk \Yas put in haud. tunity of it. ~onw little tirrw ago I Yi '2llt to Lougreach, and I found the station ~wcon1n1oJa.tion a di~grace ~Jr. ~\! l;nPHY: Covc'nunen-t ·-.·ill l-'2 all to the Railway Dtpartn1out. .After yuu leave right for the indudry. 1La.u(rhter.) \Vc,twood thera is not a dec,nt railway ::\!r. l~l:NX.\.: \\T{; ;vill not .5tur .-c it an2- wa.y. station. ~..\.t Bogantun~,an, one of the refre:;h­ UEREERTSOc\1: 1\nothcr I rneu t stopping places, there i.s a hotel a. ]ong­ li ko to touch on is that o: the a> di~ta.nee fron1 th" line, and you have to n1ake I v, c._xlcl p·Jint O'lt that H·hil:s .. \YG 1JP1-l' a go'Ocl a boL for it to gc.:: brealda;_,t, it you know d':lal a1~oUt the :-mount Df n1onev tha.t i. -~·oin ,. \vher-c to find the hotel. Thi:.: i the way in to be spent in putting down new railways, I which this Goverurrwnt a~3it"lt.3 the producers and trav-elling pulllic. The same thing occurs think they ought. to rna.ke the raih,·dy~ 1, hich are at present built more eflicient than they all along the line, and at Longrcach you find arc (1:-lear, hear~) Th-ey sp<:nd thou~a.ncb­ the . tat ion buildings consist of a wretched ayo, and millions-in putting cJov;.-n these main pokey little place. which is a disgrace to the lirlf s of ra.il \V a."<', but wha.t al1out the ac..;urn­ department. In the firsc place, it is only rnodaiion pro, 1dcd on these lin(·,.? \Yith re­ e.bout ~0 feet by 10 feet. On inquiry from the gard to the raw producer, in who~e interests station-rr1aster I learned that the takings for the~e lines v .Jre built, ho\v is he treat{~d ·: tlw pr. vioLB year were over £20,00l}, and he Mr. Like a dog·. (Laughter.) was in a little Lit of a box m< ,1:Suring about iYoons: 10 feet cquaro, together with hi" clerk, and Mr. HEHBERTSO:puty Com­ travelling public at ail. 'When the producer n1i:ssioner was up there, and he• informed a brings hio produce to these stations he has deputation of townspeople that he was afraid to throw it on tho ground and leave it there he would 11ot be able to do anything fer them, to be ruined by tho weather. and yet \Ye are squandering thousands of J'\lr. :.\lURPHY: Our Government will alt'I'O arc two ,ta.ticn;c 43 miles apart, and the· about spending a few hundred pounds in freig-ht on cream between those two stations putting up decent station buildings and shed is £1 Ss. per ton. And yet we are told that accommodation for the producers who arc the railways arc built principally for the con­ going to use that line. As a matter of fact, venience of the primary produce-r. I say they the people who bring tlwir cream into the arc nothinp: of the kind. It seem to me that country >1ayside stations have to leave it on evprythin~ is donf\ that can he done a.gainst tne sidings, and there it is left in the open tl10 'mall farmer. Instead of asoisting- him, sun. \Yo talk of putting rail ways into the e·verything is done to di~courage, him. In coulltry to settle people on the land. Yes, we c.,onsequence of th-ese co1nplaints, a.nd in con­ settle thmn. The land settles them. seqnenc•c of what I luw€ enumerated in the l\lr. KENKA: 1Jndcr the land mostly. past. I am going- to vote for the amendment ::\lr. HEitBERTSON: Yes, they get under mow•d bv the senior member for Fortitude­ the land before they cio much good. 'This is Vallev. · the position of affair,; with regard to our OPPOSITION :HE;~IBERS: Hea.r. hear! railways. Only a few days ago I had occasion i\Ir. 2\TGRPHY (Croydon): I desire to to go to the Hailv.:ty Department to ask them maJ;;:0 a fc•w casual obserr; attons upon the to put up a smali shed on an old siding which amendment moved bv the leader of the had been in use for eight or ten years. It Oppositi•m. The party "on this side have been was to enable the farmers to put their stnff very anxious to brinl': the debate to a division into it before it was trucked awav. I was -(la.ug-hter)-but owing to the obstructive told on inquiry that there was no ~noney on tactic'J-- thee Estimates. \Yhat money had been placed there '"'a" all used up. These people had to Mr. Gr.Axl': Don t be sarcastic. clump their stuff on thG sidings, and if it -:\Ir. l\I1JRPHY: Of the supporters of the came on to rain it wus ruined. 'rhese arL' tlie GoYcrnmcnt, wo han' been unable to obtain people we are puttin<_i on the land and that a diYi·~.ion as ea:rlv as vvo would have liked. is tho provision wo are rnaking for thcn1. \V e During- the clebato" we ha Ye heard a lot about build the railways out of the public p_urse, judg-eship \Ye have had the Premier. we and tlw ·o poovlo assist to pay for them. I hav0 ho,r) th • Secretarv for :\lines, Wl' havo had occasion to get a small siding put down had c\ erv member on" the Government side s,Jme twelve months ag-o. \Vhen I went to of the House who has ri.len. attacking the ;:he E'ailway Department to ask about it they leader of this party in connection with a said it would cost £70. There was a great Supre1nP Court judgeship. But I have a com­ deal of timber sent away from that station­ plaint to make against the Government. I or proposed to be sent away-and as they say they tr~ated 2\Ir. M9ocnaughton, the leader had fillecl up the station yard with log timber of the 1'\orthern bar, most atrociously. they could not· get any more in. I said to OPPOSITION J\IEMBERS: Hear, hear ! [Mr. Herbertson. [28 JULY.J Address in Reply . 461

.Jlr. l\IUHPHY: Thcv asked him whether i\lr. :i\IURPIIY: I have no necessity to make he would accept the Xo"rthcrn District Court a personal explanatiDn. ;\'hen the coalition i:'dgcship. That gentleman accepted it. took v. as formed, I said it was a betrayal of the the word of the Government, sacrificed his promise·s made Gy the Premier to the pe0ple bti;inuss in ToYmsville, and was thL n told bv of Queensland, a.nd I was not going 'vith him. lho Gov•>rnmcnt that the matter of the ap­ And "·hat happened? The Secretary for pointment of a Xorthcrn District Court judge ]:'fines vn-)nt to J~ngland. He was not hero at had been pc,tponccl indefinitely. \Vhy did the la would be able t0 give indepe only m1 indPpenrlent snpport<~r then; hut, rnent rdn'e to ratifv it. the sooner that Go­ now he is Ser.rf'tarv for D.Iincs. vre find him vernment is out of office the better for Queens­ going back on a laiid tax, on his temperance land. principles. on thf' pro1nisc with respect to a 0PPOSITIO~ i\IE1!BERS: Hear, hear ! X orthern Dunwich, and Dn his desire fDr fairer Mr. :\ll:RPHY: I suppose that before the treatment of the mining industry. division takes pla.c" wp -hall have f'itlwr the ThP SECRETARY FOR :i\[Il\ES: You ought to Secretarv for Pnblic Instruction or the Trea­ prove that. not make an assertion. surer l::C:tting up to rnake a pf\r,onal C'Xp1anaw tion in connection with the matter. The :Ur. :\fCTIPHY: During this debate the full story of the coalition has been told, and what matter requires explaining, undoubtedly, and do we find? We find that. so far as the Pre­ I am sure th3 countrv will agree with me that mier is concerned. he baselv deceived his :\fr. i\Iacna.u~hton was very Ladly tn·ated by party. \Yhile he was coming t; us and telling the present Gov{Tlllnent. us that there was to be an unconditional The THE-~Sl'RER: Did he tell you that he got sm-rf'nclet of the Philp party. he was going to the promise of thd in the papers that he had accepted the Mr . .J1URPHY: We have it on the authority J\'orthern District Court juclgnhip. of the hon. member for Fassifern. (Govern­ The TnEASL'HER: Dors that make it a fact? ment laughtct.) The TREASl.:EEH: The hon. member for The SPEAKER.: Order ! Townsville denied that. 11Ir. i\Il:RPHY: \Yh0 clof"s not the Treasur-er Mr. i\IURPHY: Did t.he sc11ior member for or sDrne other member of the U0vcrnment rise 'l'ownsvillc eay that the Premier, i\lr. Kid­ in hi· place and explain the matter? ston, had not promised him four portfolios? :.\lr. DLAIR: They cannot deny it. l'\o. \\'hat he denied was that he went out of The TREAScRER: It is the first time you have the caucus meeting of the l:'hilp party, saw raised it. I say didinctly there wa" no pro­ :\lr. Kiclotoll, came back, a ne! said they were Inise ever n1ade t{)· ldr. :,lacnaughton. to get four portfolios. The four portfolios were promised him before that caucus meet­ :\Ir. i\lCRPHY: It was published in the Ing. papers. The SECRETARY FOR Pt.:BLIC INSTRDCTIO~: The TREASL'RER: That does not make it a That is not so. fact. :\Ir. :i\IURPHY: iYc have been told that :'llr. :'\Il:RPHY: The matter was referred some nL mbcrs of the Kidston party ha.vo be-en to by interjection by myself on the night that guilty of giving away caucus secrets. vVhy, the Prernier was cri tici~ing the leader of this the secret~ ha.d br~on givt"n awa.y before the party. \Vhy does not some hon. membe"· on caucus was finished. \Ye had hardly got clown the other side get up and make a personal to the corn<'r of the street before the orl!'all of explanation? \Ye have been told that we are' the CoYernnlClH, the J)aily Jlail. was selling obstructing hu~iness. in thit; IIousc. \Yhy, a special edition. announcing that there had m0st of the time ha.s been devoted to personal been a fusioi1 of parties. explanations by hon. members on that side. Mr. ArREY: And publishing the Premier's The TnEASURER: You have made a few on statement. yDur side. :\lr. l\IL~RPI1Y: The statement must have :Y1r. MU RPHY: I never made any personal been supplied to the paper before the· caucus explanation. '''as held. If tlw Premier ha.d told the mem­ The TREASURER: I said on your side. ber.; present at that caucus that the• Philp Mr. Murphy-.] 462 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Repl,1J. pa;rty were to receive four portfolios, and had! Again he dreamt that be was addressing the free and named the members who were to get those independent electors of the 1Voolloongnbba. "I'm a trades unionist to the backbone, and I am also a loyal portfolios, there would have been no coalition. member of a bitter politica-l anti-trades union party. The coalition was brought about on the blind. r 1n I not persuade you th'lt the men like the hon. It was all on the blind. The only man in the member for Bulimba who previously opposed tlle party who was not going- on the blind! v. as 'rrade Dispute"' Blll are now good democrats and friends the Premi~ that the electors of Queens­ g1vcn the party sufficient time to debate such land did not want the rhilp p:uty- back at any price. (Great applause.) 'l'hat, party hAd put up fifty-four can­ a big que:;tion. didates, and of that number they had secured twenty­ An Ho:-IO'CRABL.E i\lKIIBER: He was playing· four ::-ea.ts. the ga1ne. 'ThBn the Hon. the Premier went on to refer :\Ir. :'llURPHY: Yeo;; he was playing the t0 the lower orders who returned l\Ir. Grant game, but he won't play the game when and himself a.nd the supBrior class who ha.d he has to face the electors of \Yoolloonga.bba opposed him. That ;, one of the remarks the next time. E,ven the silvery-tongued made by the Premier, who was then leader of orator of Burke will not be able to induce the the Opposition, on the occasion of the big organisation· formed under the auspices of the democratic victory when the Labour party People's Progressive League to acc<>pt the and the Kid·.ton party fought side by side hon. member for \Yoolloonga.bba a.ga.in. practically to down the party· which the Pre­ :\Ir. BLAIR: Nv. mier then described a.s ·· political pirates." ::\'Qw he tells us he only pla.ys to the dress i\lr. '!\I URPHY: The hon. mBm ber for circle-he has nothing to do with the lower Woolloongabba referred to a dream that the orders-ho does not want their votes. senior member for Dravton and Toowoomba l\Ir. JACKSOK: It wa.s only a. joke, and you is supposed to have had~ By a singular coin­ know it. cide·nce what ha.s been termed "Hunter's Dream " ha.s dropped into my hands. and I :\Ir. i\IL'RPHY: Everv time the Premier think it would' be interc

It has been shown by quotations from Han· l\lr. MURPHY: Both declined my offer. sard that the majority of members who are (Laughter.) But, with regard to the Speaker· now supporting the present Government, ship, the hon. member for Rosewood and the voted against all democratic legislation intro­ hon. member for Toombul dallied, and they duced into this Chamber, so that when we say almost yielded. (R<>newed laughter.) It is we are going to vote for the amendment only fair to point out that the hon. member moved by the leader of the Labour party, I for Cambooya, in particular, was adamant. say that we are voting for what we believe to Three times did I approach him, and three be in the best interests of the people of times was I rebuffed. (Laughter.) In the Queensland. words of Shakespeare- OPPOSITION :\!EMBERS: Hear, hear ! You all did see how on the Lupercal I thrice did offer him a kingly crown, i\lr. :\IURPHY: The Secretary for Railways \Yhich he did thrice refuse. during thw months. parliamentary debates does not convince me The SECRETARY ·FOR Pt:BLIO IKSTRl'CTION : that it is the duty of a Sptoaker to criticise ad­ A portfolio mania. (Laughter.) versely the utterances of any member. Mr. MURPHY: That is exactlv what I 11r. KEXNA: Hear, hear! pointed out. To some I off<'red ori'e, and to The SPEAKER: Order! The hon. member others I offered two, and when I could not appeare to be labouring under a misapprehen­ induce them to accept a portfolio, I offered sion. It is essentially th<> duty of the Speaker them the Speakership. (Laughter.) It. speaks to endeavour to preserve the proper tone in a well for the purity-(contimied laughter)-of debate. A Speaker is not doing his duty-there the tone of this Assembly that I still retain are precedents for that in the House of Corn· all those portfolios, and that the hon. me m her mons-a Speaker is not doing his duty if he for Fassifern and the hon. member for Rose· allows a member· to make a speech that he con· wood-- siders unworthy of the House without calling Mr. KEOGH: You did not offer me a port: attention to it. folio, did you? HoNOURABLE MEMBERS : Hear, hear ! Mr. Mttrphy.] 4ll4 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Rtpl_y.

1\Ir. :\IURPHY: I do not agree with you on undoubtedly is now giving the Premier every sup­ that point, :'dr. Spt,~ker. \V hat m;cy not suit port bt'cause it suitr,, that party to give the you rnay suit the country and rnay ~uit the Pren1ier support at the ]wer-:ent tinw. C)£ course Hom-e. I have no desire, o( cnnrse, to critici:-;e we Dll n cPgnise thas the .senior n1e1nber for your ruling in this re,speet, bun I '\Yunld j nst like Townsville is undoubterlly the ie«der of that to point out to you that. last night you, ln your party at the present time; and if we go to the capacity a.s Sfjeaker, rose-- country, if therfl i:-3 to be an ekction, if the peop:e 1\Ir. AIHEY : Ht J,r, hear ! of {clneen-:;lar:d are going to be given an nptHJr­ tunity of sho\\'ing whether they believe in this l\Ir. MURPHY: And defended a depart­ coalition or not, I feel perfectly satisfied that Inent you had control of eome time ago. after th·J ·election the p.Arties now Ritting on the ;\Ir. AmRY: A most unhe:ud-of procetding. OpJF'Sition fdde of thi.., Hon3e "vill have to er~ 'iS the floor ami take possesoiun of the Government The SPEAKER: Order! The hon. member benches. m·ost realis•- that if I then did what he considers wrong, he should have cailed attentinn to it at OPPOSITION JIIE1IBEHS: Hear, hear ! the moment, and taken what he believed to be Mr. MFRPHY: Now, et great den! has been the proper step. The hon. member cannot said during this deb%te by members on the justify hirnsplf, or criti/·i~e my rnling uow, Government eide of t.he House, that the party by referriJJg- to anythillg that has occurred on a in opposition are P'1rticularly R.nxions to i1npose pnwinus o<.:c t:sion. a land tax upon the farmers. The hon. member Go>EH:\'oiE::-.-T li1EMm:Rs : Hear, hear ! for Clermont made a speech on the land ques­ tion thtc other o ening, and we notice that :\Ir. ~,nJRPHY : I was explaining to the thousands of copies of that speech are being­ House in c~.."'~_uJection with these portfolios. I con~ circulated mnnng:;t the farmers, in order to try sidered it "'Y dnty, as one who had made the offer and induce them to believP th>tt if there is one of portfolios to cert'lin members of this Chamber, party in this Honee which desires to drive them to show that the h ,%der of tt1is party and the from their farms, it is \he Labour part''· I leader of the Lttbour party were not tu blame in notice in the Queensland Times of Saturday last, that matter. 24th .Jnl} instant, a communication from the OPPOsiTION Ji.IE}JBERd : Hear, hear ! junior member for Ipswich, in which he referred to the speech delivered by the hon. member for 1\Ir. l\IURPHY: I have only to point out Clermont- that 1ny experiences in that connection were LAND YALUE TAXATION. somewhat vari•d-perhaps I might say varie­ To the Editor of Queensland 'l'imes. gated, a::; a more e:sition with regard to that coali­ tion, but the fact remains that during the time Mr. MFRPHY : I am very pleased that the the hon. gentlnnan was in London he \va~ in junior member fnr lp;wich referred to thL speech constilnt conununic...1tion with the :secretary of the of the hon. member for Clermont, and pointed National Liberal Association, whiuh shows that out that no party in this House desired to c n­ prior to hi,, departure for London he had entered fiscate any body',, farm. into an Hgret~rnent to try anti bring about a 0PPOSITIOX MEoiBEHS : Hear, hear ! coalition ut the two parties. He told ns that if he went down uow he would corrw up again. I Mr. MURPHY: It would be madness for any very much duubt that. The hrm. gentleman party to want to do RO. All parties advocate will be nrvHe to find any party in this House settling people on the land and to trust bim eH· sunt-ort him. \Ye know that the [10 p.m.] helping to keep them on the land; rnembtr.s of the Pbilp party have no particular and it would b'c ridiculons for any love for thfl Prernier ; there i~ no reason that party to impose taxation which would have the they should ha1·e any love for the Premier. effect of driving people from their farms or making the conditions so unjust or unhir that 0PPOSITIOX ::\fEoiBEHS : Hear, hear ! they could not mnke a decent living. \Ve are Mr. MURPHY: And I say that it is to the told that the great policy of this Government is great creel it of that party that they are at the railway construction. They tell us there are present time suppurtillg their own leader, who several railways they desire to ]Ja>s thio ,,ession. [Mr. Murphy. Address in Repl,y. [28 JuLY.] Address in Reply. 465

\Ve know they have promised certain railways; Government have no sympathy with the mmmg but are they building all the rail ways this House industry; and it is a remarkable fact that after has alre:~dy passed? the coalition w.n go too far, and that Mr. :MURPHY : Having looked up the the first duty of the Govermn,•nt in connection papers, I Ray it must be admitted that the Pre­ with settling pe~ple on the land is to see they mier in his reply did not expressly say £ii0,000; have an opportunity of getting and working the but every member 'of the deputation, including good land in the neighbourhood of existing rail· the present Minister for Mines, left the building ways. But what do we find~ It has been under the impres,ion that the mining industry pointed out by tf1e Secretary for Lands t:mt was to get not less than £50,000. The Premier some of our rail ways run throngh large estates gave us to understand that if more was needed which ought to be taken over by the State and than £50,000 it would be got. \Vhen the session cut up into small areas for farmers. I am one was closing the House voted a certain Rum of who never favoured to any• great extent the re· loan money; and the senior member for Gym pie purchaRe of estates. The farmers have had to and myself went to the Premier and pointed out pay too dearly for repurchased land. that we bad been to the Treasurer, who told us OPPOSITION J\IE~IBEHH: He'"r, hear! that no money would be available for mining unless we obtained instructions from the Premier :Mr. MuRPHY: And if they were wise they -that he could not make the money available would reco,g·nise that a good stiff graduated land before the end of the financial year-and the tax would break up those es'ates and then they Premier went with ns to the Treasurer and told would have an opportunity of getting good land him to make the money available. \Vhen the much cheaper than they can get it to-day. junior member for South Brisbane, Mr. Airey, OPPOSITION ME~IBERS : Hear, hear ! made up his last J<~stimates as Treasurer he put Mr. M URPHY: Last night the hon. member £50,000 down for mining upon the Estimates. for Barcoo pointed out that it was very easy for Mr. AIHEY : I was told by the Under Secre­ the hon. member for Clermont to advoc\%te a land tary for Mines. tax, because there were no small freeholds in his Mr. :MURPHY: As Mr. Blair told us last electorate. It is equaJly easy for me to do so, session, the Under Secretary for ]}fines received because I represent a distnct where there is no instructions from him that £:i0,000 was available freehold land. All the land in Croydon is held for mining. \Vhat happened? I am not blam­ under gold6elds home~te"d leases, at 5s. rental ing the: Secretary for Mines in regard to any­ for thirty years, and at th• end of that time ls. thing that was said about those conversations, a year. The ad vantage of that system of tenme because he left for England before the session is that when tl;je place goes down and it does not closed. pay to speculate in land or hold land, we do not bother about paying the rates; and at the end of The SECHETARY FOR MIXES : That is so. I the year we do not pay the 5s., and it becomes know nothing about them. Crown land 8gain. 1 believe in a higher exemp­ Mr. MURPHY: \Vhen the mining members tion than appt'ars in the Labour party's plat­ left the Premier what did he do? He took form; I would give more than a £300 ex­ £20,000 off the mining industry in order to play emption in land value taxation. But have the to the dress circle and talk about a University. farmers nothing to fear from the hon. m em hers (Hear, hear!) \Vith regard to a University, who occupy the Treasury benches? Are there about which we have heard so much, I think th>tt no land-taxers on that side? Is not th8 Secretary than money could be better utilised for technical for j\lines a land-taxer? Is not the Treasurer a education in some of the outside centres, ir, land-taxer? Is not the Secretary for Lands a making scholarships and bursaries for Grammar land-taxer? schools more valuable in order to allow the An HoNOURABLE JYiE~!BER: And the Premier. children of poor people in outside centres who win scholarships to have an opportunity of taking Mr. MURPHY: Did not the Secretary for advantage of them. \Vhat opportunity has a Lands, the Secretary fot· 1Iines, the Treasurer, child of a poor man living in Croydon of getting the hon. member for North Brisbane, and several a scholarship and taking advantage of it at the other members on that side vote for land taxa­ Townsville Grammar School~ tion? j\Ir. AUEN: Absolutely none. OPPOSITION JYlE~rBERS: Hear, hear! Mr. MURPHY: Absolutely none. Before Mr. MURPHY: People settling on the land we spend large sums or; a University we want to have no more to fear from the party now sitting spend more money w1th regard to our present in opposition-- system of education. I know that the Treasurer An OPPOSITION ME>IBER: They have less to wants to get a surplus. Well, he got his surplus. fear. The Federal Government took good care to send Mr. MURPHY: I will say they have no him along a surplus, a!ld I sincerely trust they more to fear from the party in opposition than will continue to do so. I am not one of those from the party who now control the ship of who wanted to follow the Premier because he State. It has already been said that the wanted,tofight the Federal Labour party, because 1909-2 G Mr. Murphy.] 466 Add1•ess in Rep1y. [ASSEMBLY.] Add1·ess in Reply.

he said Mr. Fisher would not give him back Premier agreeing to a coalition with Mr. Philp, sufficient money from the Commonwealth. \Ye I would be a supporter of his. I pointed out were sitting behind the Government· at the time that for over twenty years I had been a strong the coalition was brought about. \Vlmt were opponent of the Philp policy, that I had sup­ we ns1\:ed to do? \Ve were asked to vote for ported a leader of the Labour party for years, the old p~rty that wanted to keep on black and under no condition would I agree to a labour in Queensland. \V e were asked to sup­ coalition with the Plnlp p:trty. port the old party which opposed democratic Mr. \YooDS: Every one of us did the same legislation in the Commonwealth. thing. :\Ir. AIREY: Poll tax. 1\Ir. MURPHY: I quoted from the speeches Mr. iVIUI\PHY: We were asked to support of ivir. Kid.;ton, and pointed out to the electors the party which wuuld put on the poll tax. that there wa• no possibility of a coalition, (Hear, hear!) \Ye were a;ked to sup]J<>rt the becn.use Mr. Kidst.on said that that would be a party which wanted to hand over the mining base betrayal of the people. fields of Queensland to the moneyed people who J'IIr. AIREY : And you believed him ? did not want tD fulfil the htbour conditions as they do at present. If we had followed the i\Ir. MURPHY: Of course I believed him. '\Yhen the Premier brought about that coalition, Premier into the coalition we would ha~·e had to agree to all thet·e things. I know that members and when he went back on his pledges, and when are very anxious to get a vote to-night, but there he basely betmyed the people of f<1ueensland, then are two or three other matters I wish to refer to. I, with five others, left him and came over here. A good deal has been said about those who con­ Mr. \YooDs: No hope of a division to-night. tinued to support the Government last se'8ion. Mr. MURPHY: \Ye ar8 told that if we turn \Ve have been told that they supported the Go­ this Government out of office that immigration vernment laclt se~sion, and consequently they will cease. \Ve have also been tnld that there are should continue to snpport tbem. I say that no unemployed in Queensland. That statement is when those hon. gentlemen crossed the floor of absolutely incorrect.. \Ye have also been told by the House they did f[uite right, because when the Pre,nier and by other members sittin" on they supported the Premier in his coalition with that side llf the House that they wanted to bring Mr. Philp they did wrong. They were pledged, out immigrants to populate the waste S[Xtees of as the whole party was pledged at the last elec· the North. ·what has this Government done to tion, not to agree to a coalition. help the North ? OPPOSITION l\IETIIBERS : Hear, hear ! An OPPOSITION ::\1Ei1IBER: Nothing. l\Ir. MURPHY: I am glad that those hon. Mr. MURPHY: There is some fine hind in members saw the errors of their ways. (Hear, the far North in the Gulf country, which is just hear.) I am glad they left. \Ye have been told as good as the land on the Darling Downs. by the Premier, by the Secretary for Lands, by (Hea.r, hear !) But. before you can get a hrae the hon. member for Townsville, and by the hon. popu1ation in the North you n1nst find. a mark%t member for \\'oolloongabba, thc;t. ·.ve are blocking for the people who vettle on that land. Until bu~ine~s this ~ession. Did not he have a majority we find these markets we sh<.uld den·1op the of fourteen last ~-e:::.sion, and \\hat businetSs was great lllinet·;:.tl-partic tlarly the gold--re-50Urcas done? of the North. This afternoon tlw senior men1her Mr. KEXNA: Xothing. for Townsville complained thc,t the hon. member for Toowoomba and the hon. member for Cook Mr. l\IURPHY: Did they attempt to do any wantrd to bring out too many immigrants-that, busin ,,..; ? their P' licy was to hring too many immigmnts ::'\Ir. KENNA: Xo. into Queensland. The hon. member said he 1\Ir. l\IURPI-IY: Ab,~olutely none. \Yhen they never wanted to bring in too In any people at one h ,cl a n,ejority of fourteen, with a ... trong, time. CL'herent, pt'< gTc. %ive l':trty, what did they do? The TREAscmm: Three thous;md; a week, he ::\h. KEXNA: No divided allegiance. said. Mr. MURPHY: I have be.·n handed a copy 2\Ir. J\IURPHY: ~'hey scnrried for recess. of the Bri.:iUane Ccuri,-r, cont;;:lilting a speech Yt.,..h.lt about. the no-rlivid<-d. allegiance, the Rock­ delivered by the Premier, and I find here that hmnA;ton progranune, t hl~ '~trade Disputes Bill, an .. ( everytLing- else ? Tbe debCLte has been he ''id~ goinz on for four weeks. \Ye have nu~t three )Jr. Philp complainld tl1at the Government immi- grar.-ion scllemc d.id. not go far enough, He w::mtcd to da:·s a week. Businecs starts 3.t half-past 3 ve immi:;rants brought in by thousands every ·week. o'c:ock, and 've have been closing do,vn at 10 o'clock at night. JUembe: .3 on this side have not Mr. MULCAHY: \Yh>tt date is th"t? nbjecti'd to sitting five days a week. \\"hen we Mr. IviURPHY: 28th M'roh, 1907, on the S1t be hind the Premier from 190± to Hl08 we had eve) of the election. Ae I pointed out, unle·S Yery late -ittin~s; anr], if it js in the intere~ts of the Government are prepar(ld to give rnure the c~)untry, if it is nee{ ssrry to tr nRact public a'i· istance to the rnining itJclustry than they ara bu,ine·· <, that the m81:1bers of tbi" House should at the present time, unless they will give the sit evl;ry day in the WE:e~c, we are quite prepared Iviines De1Jartment m1 re rnoney to open up our to do 1t; but \le are not prepued to be bull­ rnineral tracts, then there is DO providing for dozed and browb.-..1ten. and told to sit down and &ettlirJg the people on the ]and in far X orthern not all<>wed to ta.lk just be< :tuse it suits the Qneendland. This aftcrn<.on tbe senior member convenience uf the Hon. the Premier. \Ye are for Townsville twitted me witb having been n. nnt here to c~)nsidcr the convenience of the membtr of the Labour pn.rty, and with having Pternier nt all. I, for one, would alv;ayH be suprorted the present Premier. That is quite prepP.red to try to consider the convenience of true. Why did I lea.ve the Latour party? I the Speaker, uut I would nc.t ue preparet1 to go was fired t by the Labour party because to any great extent in tlying to consider the con­ upon many platforms in Qneen8land I expressed venience of the Premier and the front Govern­ my u lmost confidence in the Premier. I p"inted ment bench, bec"use they can come in and go out that I believed he was a ~incere democrat. out of the Chamber just as other members cttn. And when I stuod in his interests for Croydon \Ye are prepared to come here every day and at the last election I was asked on several plat­ help to transact their uusiness. \Ye know they forms whether, in the event of the present want to put through some more rail ways. They [Mr. Murphy. Address m Reply. [28 JuLY.~ Address in Reply. 467 have to put through some railways or they will A, B, C, showing how members on the other lose their majority. It has been sctid that there side pledged themselves to their electors never is no maladminis',r

party last ses,ion, when he had a majority The SPEAKER: I .decide, then, to admit the of fourteen. To-day he is anticipating a majority votes. of one, and he is not certain th<>t he wiil get Division b1ken- that n1aju1·i·y of one. In conclusion, I will AYES, 3:1-. repeat a ver~e-- l\Ir. Appel l\Ir. Hunter, D. The TREASliRER: By the same author as the , A.Jm.•trong .Tackson last. , B&X'D. ~s, G. P. ,, Keogh Mr. MURPHY: Not exactly. We have , Barnes, \-V. II. Kidston whips of brains in this party. On the other side Barton l\Iackintosh Brennan ll Maxwell when the Premier and the Secretary for Lands Cottell ::lloore speak they are finished, and there is absolute Cowap , Paget silence. Even the hon. member for Rosewood " Denham Petrie will not get up and pass a few casual observa­ }"'arrest , Phil p tions on the motion of want of confidence. Forsyth Rankin " Fox Roberts Mr. KEOGH: I might say too much if I did, Grant Somerset (Opposition laughter.) , , Grayson Stodart Mr. :VIURPHY: \Ve thoroughly understand " ~~~~an ~~~~,~e that, and that is why we have been w anxious Hawthorn ~tralker that the hon. member should address the House. Tellers : lir. Maxwell and J.Ir. Swayue. Bill Kidston had a barty­ Yerc ish dot 'barty now? )/OES, 33. V ere ish de shmile of Yllliam proud, l\Ir. Adamson )fr. Lennon 1'he joy of Cow-ap's bt'OW"? , Airev !Jesina V ere is their proud dress-circle silokes, Alien )faun Their hom-o-geneous glee? Barber , )laughan Gone avay mit the lager bier, , Blair :VI ay or der last H Lucinda" spree! Bowman :IIcLachlan Coyne 1\Iitcbell Question-That the words proposed to be Douglas 3Iulcaby omitted (1J,Ir. B01uman's amendment) stand part Hamilton Jl1ullan of the question-put; and the House divided. Hardacre 3Iurphy In division, Herbertson Nevitt Hunter, J. }I. I)avne Mr. COYNE (rising): Mr. Speaker,-I de­ ,, Hnxham Redwood sire to draw your attention to the fact th.ct two Jones Ryland Kenna 1Vinstanley members have entered the House since you Kerr Woods ordered the bar to be closed. Land The SPEAKF;R : Order ! The hon. member 7'ellers: 3Ir. Barber and }Ir. Jones. will state his point of order seated. PAIRS. JIIIr. COYNE: Yes. My point is that the Ayes-}lr. Cribb and 2\Ir. White. hon. member for Lockyer and the hon. member Koes-::\Ir. Sumner and l\:1r. Jenkinson. for Toombul entered the Chamber after you Question resolved in the affirmative. ordered the bar to be closed. The SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC \VORKS: It was The announcement of the numbers was re­ not down. ceived with Government cheers and Opposition The SPEAKER: I ask the hon. member for counter cheers. Lockyer and the hon. member for Toombul whether they entered the House after the bar ADDRESS I::'-r REPLY. was closed. RESli}IPTION 01!' DEBATE. Mr. COYNE: No, I did not say that. I said they entered after you ordered the bar to be Question (motion for the adoption of the closed. Address in Reply) stated- The SPEAKER: Do I understand the hon. Mr. RYLAND: I beg to move the adjourn­ member to state that there was a delay in the ment of the debate. closing of the bar ? Mr. HARD ACRE: Before we go to a vote Mr. Con

The SPEAKER : I think on the question of carry a proposal by a majority of five he offered the adjournment of the debate, according to his resignation, because, altboug·h he bad a parliamentary u"age, the hon. member is in slight majority, it was a moral defeat, and he order. h.td not got sufficient members to effectively nrry Mr. HARDACRE: The Governmmt have on the business of the country. I do not intend come to a vote, and they have got a majority of to delay matters, but I claim that it is the duty one, and now they attempt tu go on with the of the Premier, in the interests cf the country, Address in Reply. I say it is a criticftl time. and with any self-respect for his position, to at Immediately a moral defeat has occurred, it is once rise and support the motion for adjourn­ the duty of the Premier, in the interests of the ment, and at the same time make an announce­ business of this State, in the interest,s of the ment t 0 th6 House and to the country that he dignity of Parliament, and in the interests of his intends to consider his position. own self-respect as the Premier of this State-it Question put- is his bonnden dut.y to get up and make some ::\Ir. BO\YMAK (F01·tit;rde Valley): I had an statement that be will consider his position idea that the proper time to discus; this matter before we go one 'ingle step furthatis­ tion. In fact, it ought to have been the plain factory to the country. duty of the Premier himself tu move the adjourn­ 0PPOSITIOX ME11BERS : Hear, hear ! ment of the debate, in order that he might have Mr. BO\VMAN: The hon. gentleman has time to consider whether hP is justified in going brought down a programme with a very wide one single step further. It is the plain duty of range of Bills, and I would like to a"k him the Government, with a slender majority of one, whether he thinks that by his majority of one to re.sign, and make a statement now that he he is going to be able to carry on the affairs of the will resign. It is impossible for a Government State. with a majority of on'l, out of a House of seventy­ Mr. BLAIR : No chance. two, to carry on the business of this State. It is merely a waste of the time of the country, it is a Mr. BOWMAN: I do not think he can. \Ve have an instance of a Government led by the hon. waste nf the time of the House, and will continue senior member for Townsville, and when he had the political chaos and confusion he has already a majority of two he resigned his position. \Ve brought into the political affairs of this House. were told this afternoon that the late Sir Arthur It simply meaus holding the Parliament of this country up to ridicule and derisi0n by attempt­ Palmer carried on for .some time with one ; but I take it it was in a very much smaller House ing to carry on with a slender majority of one. than the present one, and perhaps a less pugna­ JY.Ir. lYLuwELL: The minority want to carry cious House. I would like to read the following on. paragraph from" '£odd," page 200- Mr. HARDACRE : I submit it is the llut on 6th :\![ay, 1839, the ~1in_ sustained moral Premier's duty to make a statement now, be­ defeat upon their Bill to suspend the Donstitution of the cause, if he intends to carry on, it is plainly Island of Jamaica, the second reading of which was against all constitutional precedents. made an occasion for a trial of pn.rty strength. It was OPPOSITION l\1EMBERS : Hear, hear ! narried lJy a majority of five only, in a fnll House. Upon the following day Lord John Rnssell informed tl~e Mr. HARDACRE :\Ve know very well there House of the n .. :~ignation of 1linisters, alleging that 1t was a case when the Government was carried on had taken pl~ce on account of their not possessing such support in the House of Commons as would enable by a majority of one, hut I would like to point them efficiently to carry on the public business. out that that was in a House of only twenty-five members. There were eleven members for Again in the eame volume, page 203, I find- and eleven members against, and the ques­ Sir Robert Peel moved a vote of want of conlidence, tions were cometimes carried by the vote of which embraced two propositions: '1) that Her the Speaker. The result was chaos. 'What 3Iajesty's 3-Iinisters do not suflicicntly possess the con­ fidenco of the House of Commons to enable them to resulted was a deadlock-thev had to sus­ carry through the House measures which they deem pend Parliament and go into ·recess because of essential importance to the public welfare; (2) that they could not carry on. The ultimate ·re­ their continuance in office under such circumstances is sult was that they had to disentangle them­ at ~ariance with the spirit of the Constitution. selves from that position by transferring a mem­ J'.fr. HARDACRE : Hear, hear ! ber of the House to the judicial bench as a way out of their difficulty. Mr. BOWMAN: Now, I think that if the hon. gentleman leading the Government he~s any J'.Ir. KEOGH: You cannot o:.rry on with a feeling at all of self-respect he will not continue minority of one. as leader of the Government and attempt to Mr. Mt:LLAN: \Ve might get your vote. carry on business. Either he will tender his Mr. HARD ACRE: I say it is against all par­ resignation and allow an opportunity to be given liamentary tradition; it is against all precedent. for another Government to be formed, or he will \Vhen the late Sir Thomas Mcllwraith only bring about a dk;olntion and let the country managed to carry the border tax on the casting determine what is the best thing to be done. vote of the Speaker, he at once resigned; and OPPOSITION J'.IE>IBERS : He"r, hear ! when the hon. senior member for Townsville in Mr. BO\YMAN: At present, I Yentnre to say 1903 actually mfIl3ERS: Hear, hear! Mr. Bowman.] 470 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Ad}ou1·nment.

}fr. BO\VMAN : And the past experience of resign ; and I challenge them to say how it is last session is sufficient to warrant me in saying possible for them, in a full House like this, to that the hon. gei_~tleman, so long as he can get carry on with a majority of one-a majority which throu;;h a few railways-so long as he can get may at any moment disappear, his Estimates through--and probably he may 0PPOSITIO:\ :iYIEMmms : Hear, hear ! call for an a•ijournment for a fortnigb.t or even a month to go to the Premiers' Conference-will Mr. BLAIR: \Ve may have the Premier be perfectly satisfied to get into recess. But if he coming down shortly and telling us that he did the honourable thiug in the interests of the desires to go down to the Premiers' Conference State, with the narrow majority he is hanging to represent Queensland-a man at the head of on to, he would resign. As 1 said . when I a strong, coherent, homogeneous f'arty to go to mm eel the vote of want of confidence, the way the Premiers' Conference. (Opposition laugh­ the hon. gentle man hangs on to office is ter.) 'ro do what? To repre,;ent ([ueemland simply like a barnacle h"nging on to a ship· with a maj,Jrity of one! ~e will not be shaken off until the majority OPPOSITION 2Y1EMBERS : No, no ! 1s reduced by another vote. I think if the hon. gentleman studied the affair.< of the Stote l\Ir. BLAIR: It would make Queensland the from a right standpoint, he would at once laughing-stock of the conference. It would tender his resigntttion, or make a statement, go reduce us to a position of ridicule and contempt; to thA country, and let them determine whether and I tJrotest with all the emphasis and force of the Government i' strong enough, with a ma­ which I am capable aga.inst men clinging to jority of one, to carry out the prngra,mme-nut office-in spite of insults, in spite of jeers, in to carry out the progra1nme, because he has Yiow spite of everything which should induce the lated many promises from the time when he was Premier to get up and m.1ke a statement-with returned in 1908. I venture to thin'<: that if an a majority of one. I can promise him that from opportunity is given, despite all the prophetic this portion of the House he will get the most utterances of the hon. member for Townsville strenuous oprositio:' ; I c. m pronnse fight on the majority I see in front of me to-night will b~ every point. reduced cuns1derably after another election. 0PPOSI1'IOX MEMBERS: Hear, hear ! Mr. BLAIR (Ipswich): I desire to sav one o1· Mr. BLAIR: And I feel certain that at the two words on the position to-niaht. lt i'i I bock of this party i,; the voice of the c"lllntry. think, a position practically unpar:lleled and ~n­ {Government laughter.) If they are willing to precedented in the history of Queensland politics. hack up their laughter by resigning and having "\Ve have here a pitiable position, one which an election, they will find exactly what was shows the depth of degradation to which nolitics found when Arthur :Y-Iorgan went to the country in Queensland have come-- • -they will be reduced, deciwated, annihilated. I do ncJt wish to protract this discu8Sion. It is a GOVERNME:\T :\-IEl!BERS: Hear, hear! and loud sorry spectacle-a contemptible spectacle-and ironical laughter. I protest Bgainst a vote like this being allowed 1[r. BLAIR: Under the leadership of the to pass without some comrnent from the Premier. present Government party. \Ve hrtve the Question-That the debate be now adjourned spect>;cle of t~e so-called Premier sitting there -put and passed. adhes1vely to hJS seat-(laughter)-,upported by a doubtfnlmajnrity of one-a benefit of the doubt The PREMIER: I move that the resumption majority-sitting there silent, treating a hostile of the debate be made an Order of the Day for vote of this House with absolute indifference and to-morrow. I will say what I have to say on contempt, and occupying the position with a the motion for the adjournment of the House. reckles; di'l'egard of the business of the country Question put and passed. and a reckless d1sregard of political decency. OPPOSITION 1IE>IBERS : Hear, hear ! ADJOURXMENT. .Mr. BL~IR: Hanging on there practically The PREMIER: I beg to move that this w1tho~1t ns1ble. 1;1eani' of support. {Laughter.) House do now adjourn. I think this is the proper That 1s the po-1t10n. A,; has been said by his time to say what I have got to say on the colleague, the junior member for Rockhampton present position. As to those who say that the "hanging on by the skin of his teeth.'' ' Premier oughl to con,irler his p•lsition, I may say OPPOBITIOX ME}IBERS: H<:tr, hear! that the l'rerr,ier con,;idered his positi:m five Mr. BLAIR: Is not that saying illustratively weeks ago, and is just in the Ran1e mind as to his exemplified to-night? There they sit hangin:, duty in re;:ard to Queensland as he was then. . on hy "the skin of their teeth." It The vote- that has heen taken to-night has not [11 p.m.] is not my phraseology. but it is aptly altered the position that much (snapping his fing-ers). The hon. member for Kundah told us . descr~p.ti ve of the position to-night. \Vhat rs the pos1t10n? In practically a full over a week ago thrtt if the vote had been taken after the leader of the Opposition had spoken House, :viLb e~ery metnber acconnted for, those n,nt votmg hemg accounted for by pairs, the and I had replied, it would have been just the Govermnent hold on by 34 to 33 : and the Pre­ ~a me; and there is not a member but knows that mier, with ineffab!e effrontery, declines to make 1s so. Everything possible has been done to alter it. \Vhat the senior member for lp;wich says a sta~ernent. l say the people of (-ineensland cry aloua fur some pronouncement as to what he about the insults tht Premier has to sit here and intends to do. The constitutional position is take from hon. gentlemen like him does not this: Can that GovernmAnt earn- on the business affect the question one little bit, and will not of .the Sta~e wi.th efficiency?' Have they a affect my c.mduct. one little bit. m.ctJonty w~nch wrll enable them to c•rry ont the GoYEmomx-r ~IR>IBERS: Hear, hear! shghtest thmg they attempt to do? It must be The PRE:\IIER: It will be a sorry day when abundantly apparent that, so far from having I have to alter my line of conduct-- powe: to do anything of the kind, the position is practlC~l!y chaos. 'l'hey say we have a minority An 0PPOSITIOX l\lE;~mER : \Ve will alter it for of one, and they have a majurity of one; bnt you. that does not alter . th(O position one jot. 'rhe PREMIER: Because hon. gentlemen Thmr bound:'n duty 1s, 1f they cannot con­ like those abuse me. They have been telling us duct t'-le atfarn of the country efficiently, to for the last nine months what they were going [Mr. Bowrtfan. AdJournment. [28 JULY.] AdJournment. 471 to do. "Why do the malcontents raShich told them that the pre·.ent pc,ition showed to what a low condi­ 1\Ir. MULCAHY: I unrlerstoorl you to rule, tion P<•litics bad come, showed that they fully i\fr. Spe;,ker, that the PrelllieJ' was out of order apprec'atcd where the Premier was. The few in c"t1ling nlernbPrs on this side hungry dogs. I remarks which I made on tbis motion of the hon. ask that the words be withdrawn. gentleman opposite-the motion which has just The SPEAK.ER: :From wh>tt I heard, I do not been dde&~ted-- think that the Premier applied the epithet men­ :l\Ir. ::un,LA:s': By a majority of one. tioned in the sonse attributed to it bv the hem. member for Gympie. He used it in a meta­ The PRE~d:IER: It makes an awful difference phorical St'nse a.nd n.n objectionable senSE.'\ r.tnd I to you that majority of one. (Government hope he will not employ metaphors of th,tt kind. lauS(hter.) Anyone who looks at the faces of OPPOSITION MEo!BERS : .Withdraw, withdraw! hon. gentlemen opposite can see what an awful difference it makeR. (Loud Government laugh­ The PHE:\HER: Like yourself, .Mr. Speaker, ter.) There is an awful difference between being I re~ret having used such a n1et:tphor; but it dead ttnd only n~arly dead. occurred to me at the time that it just titte,l the Mr. McRPHY: You are ne~rly dead. situation. \Vhy are they so angry? They have been abusing me at their sweet will. If there is Mr. BmniAN : You are dying fast. anything ill-natured they did not "ay about me­ 'fhe PREMIER: Oh, yes! I have no doubt anything spiteful, anything dishonouring-it that this Government "·ill share the fate of all was because they could not think of it. And Government" in due time; but not now. Not now, h wing used all their best efforts, or their with forty-nine members in this House pledged worst efforts-honour"ble and otherwise, per­ to carry out their policy. haps-to defeat the Government-- Mr. AIREY: No coalition. Mr. BOWl\!A": No i:lsinuations. The PREl\II.ER: No hone·t conduct of the The PHK\H.ER: And having been them­ business of this House can defeat the Govern­ selves defmted they cannot take their defeat ment. (Government cheers and Opposition like men. laughter.) Someone, by s>me other means, Gm-ER:I"ME:s'T ME:IlllERS: Hear, he~r ! (Oppo­ may succeed in doing it, but he will have to sition laughter.) stand up and do it. I told the House before The P REMI.ER : It is quite true that the that I was not going to haul dol' n my flag at majority on this side is only a wajority of one; the behest of deserters, and I am not. but, small as that majority is, it is better than a GovERN~lE:s'1' 11E~!B~:ns: Hear, hear ! and Op­ minority of one. (Government cheers.) pc,sition laughter. l\Ir. ::\lrTCHELL: Even if you have it locked up. 1Ir, BLAIR: Y on deserted every party you 1Ir. KERR: You have to watch your majority belonged to. Y on are an arch deserter. pretty closely. The PRE:\IIER : I would just like to say The PRE:'viiER : A" the memters on thi9 that the Government is going on with business. side of the House hav.; determined to see this GonmN>IE:s-r lYIEli!BERs : Hear hear ! thing through, ic be hoveR me tc belp them to see it through. (Opv sit ion lauJhter and Govern­ The PREMIER: \Vhen a m'ajority of the tnent chters.) And there i" another rea.son, \vhich members of this House want another Govern­ doesnotoccurto hem. gentlemen oppos;k, tu clearly ment tbev will intimate it in the ordinary way. postulate for them,;eh·e,, and I will tell them Until hon. gentlemen opposite can get a majority what it is. The no-confidence motinn did not -even a majority of one-they will have to reruain where they are. (Governn1ent laughter.) deal with Rpecitic lef;islctti(~n, and ther:-~ are forty­ nine mc·mbers of t'Jis House pledged to Clrry out .And I will just ack them to be a little better the policy laid on the taolo of this Hou,•e. tempered abont it. (Oppoei:,ion laughter.) (Oppc ··~ition dif:sent and cries of" Xo coalition.") ::\Jr. 1IcLCAH¥: And let yon callus dogs. Anc\ the:-;• do not want to be ln·ou,f;ht to book by Th- PRE:\HER: JtF;t be a little better Yotins againRr. that legislaLion and the propo:~::.ls tempered a"out it. If I am oc.tten, I shall try of the Government. to take it as well as I can. 1\Ir. :\IuRPHY: \Ve will chance it. Mr. BmnL\K: How did you take it when yon The PRE:YliER: They want, if pos,,ible, to were put out last year? have rerenge f•Jr their di~L~)pointtnent-they Mr. HAMlLTO:s' : \Yhat did you do when you want to have reven1:e on the Premier ithout lost your position last year? baYing it said that they vnttd against their O\Vn policy. They lun·e got to vote against their O\'.•n The PHEHIER : It would have looked better policy before they turn this Government .mt. if they had tried to take their defeat wit.h a little (Government cheers.) They have got to vote better grac~. (Opposition laughter.) I \lope that ngain ,,t the policy they pledged themselves to now they a.re defutted-even alt.~1<~ugh It IS ?nly with "' majority of one-they Will show a httle support before they c \O turn this Government out. (Opposition dissent.) more grace in the matter and take it in a little better way. Jliieanwhile, the Government have GovERNMENT 1\il!J:I!BERS : Hear, hear ! no reason to believe that a majority of this House 1\fr. MuRPHY : Don't get excited. is against them putting through the business Hon. W. Kidston.] 472 AdJournment. [ASSEJYIBLY.] AdJournment.

which they have proposed, an cl, if there is a members whmn the country sent hero to carry majority who ltre determined to defeat the Go­ out that democratic programme and to work vernment, that majority wiil have to do it. togethel·. Mr. Br~AIR: Certainly. Tho PHE)IIER: And who refused to work tog-ether? The PREMIER: They will have to vote agaiest their own policy. I know that the Orposr-rro:o; ~IEoiBE~S: You. senior rnembar· fol' lps\vich will do anything. =,Ir. B0-1\':\IAN: It is just as well to re­ He would vote against the four GospelJ if I peat that tho hon. gentleman got Sf!J:lPOrt from introduced them. tho Labour party on spcc1fic conditions, both Mr. HAjiJLTO>:: Yet you wanted to make him in 1007 ,,nd in 1903. a judge. ;',fr. GnAKT: \Vhat support did they give? The PHK\IIJ~R: I know t.hat he '"ill vote ]'.Ir. BOW}L"?\: The most valuable that against anything that the Premier introducf·P. tho hon. gentleman e\ er got since he became But thr:re u.re other n1ernber _; in this Hou~e Premier.~ The democratic legisL:tion that the besides th'J hem. m mber for Ipswich ,uJd the ho·,. gentlc.man has been instrumental in hon. member for South Brisbane. There are placing on the statute-book wa~ placed there other menl.bers in thiR Hous ~ who are not quite through tho' assistance ho r. He tells us that he has a policy, and the subject~ that on the motion for the adjonrn­ that there are forty-nine members of this lllent of the 1--louse, d1~cu~ _)1on 1s <--Onfined ~o House pledged to that policy. I would like que ,tions adclre>'cd by the leader of the Opposi­ to remind him that when he came into this tion to the head of the Government as to the House after the last election he had twenty­ general course of public business. and that a five followers and there were twentv-two general discussion cannot take place on that Labour members. They were the forty-seven motion for adjournment. I therefore expres& [Hon. W. K idston. Adjournment. [28 JULY.] Adjournment. 473

~he hope that the hon. member will keep :\:1r. BLAIR: And the Speaker has called m mmd those :v<>ry sound rulings for the him to order for using it. In judging a man's conduct of the business of the House. criticism, we look at his record. ~\nd from HoNOURABLE MEMBERS: Hear, hear! his record, I am sure he will pardon me if I Mr. BOWMAN: I do not wish to go against fail to regard him as the cen ,or of either your ruling, Mr. Speaker. honour or anything pertaining to honour, or state that I cannot accept his criticism except The SPEAKER: I am only following the as the criticism of a man who has boeu dis­ previous rulings. tinguished. by a life-long career of betrayal J\lr. BOWMAN: The leader of the Go­ and desertwn. He has betrayed ovuyone vvho vernment laid down very specifically that has had anything to do with him, and every thero were forty-nine men in this Chamber party that has had the slightest connection who were pledged to the policy of the Go­ with him. vernment. There were twenty-five men who J\Ir. AIREY (Bris',an, South): The Premier v.ere returned as I<:"idstonites at the last elec­ has made allusion to the tactics which h ,,ve tion, and they were returned in opposition to brought abr1ut the pres,.nt situation, and he used the position in which the hon. gentleman now the words "disreputable tactics." The '" disre­ finds hirnec!f. putable tactics" that have brought about the OPPOSITION ME1IBERS: Hear, hear! present situation \vere the tootics pursued by the hon. gentleman when he defeated the intentions l,Jr. BOWMAN: And the hon. members of the people in forming a coalition with the who have left the Government are justified PhiJp party. by the mandate that was given by the people of (~ueensland at the last election in leaving The SPEAKER: Order! I a<;ain express the the Government. The E'ockhampton policy, hope that the hon. member will remember my tho hurL gentlen1an has told us, is on the ruling and not start a ger.eral discmsion on the table. I do not know that anybody has dis­ motion before the House. puted that policy, but they have disputed the natunl of the Bills that are likely to be placed :Mr. AIREY: Yes; I will remember your before us, judging by the policy the hon. ruling, and will not st,art a l'eneral discussion. gentleman is endeavouring to carry out. The I hav-e also to remark that" e have to thank the hon. gent,lPman has referred to certain mem­ hon. gentleman for another phrase. He spoke bers sitting on this side as deserters. I think just now about somebody being "near dead." I he Phoulcl\ never attempt to throw stones think as the "near dead" Premier he will be while he lives in a glass house. The hon. known throughout Queensland for a long time. The junior member for Rockhampton has told gentleman is one of the greatest deserters us that the Government are hanging on by "the that the people of Queewlancl have had ex­ skin of their teeth," and the ser.ior member for perience of, after the promise that he made Rockhampton that it is a "near dead" Govern­ at the la•,t election and the non-fulfilment of ment. The Premier also told us that he wanted that promise as evidenced by the position in to go on with business. Last eession, when he which we find him to-clay. had a majority of twelve or thirteen, he found The SPEAKER: I hope the hon. member that he: could not go on with busineFs, and now will not continue that line of argument. he has the effrontery and pompooity to say to JUr. BOWMAN: All I will say, in conclu­ the House that with a majority of one he is sion, with reference to the statement made going on with business. I would ask you, Sir, by the Premier that he is going to hang on if in all your parliamentary exp

The SPEAKER: Order! I hope the hon. am bonnd to point out that I shall undoubtedly member will remember my ruling, that there can have to rule him out of order if he is going to be no general discussion on the motion before the make a speech on the general subject. House. Mr. MANN : I do not propose to make a ::\Ir. HARD ACRE: I do not incend to enter speech on a general subject. I simply wish to upon the general f[uestion, but in a few words I make a personal explanation, and to point ont desire to make clear the political situation at the that during the late election campaign I was present tjrne. asked by an elector at one of the centres where I The SPEAKER: Order ! If the hon. member addressed a meeting, if, in the event of a coali­ is going to discuss that matter, I shall have to tion being formed by the Kidston and l'hilp rule him out of order. parties, I would support that eoalition, and I ?.Ir. HARD ACRE: The Premier has made emphatically stated that, if I got the Cairns seat reference to the Opposition in his statement, on a s8ovel, I would not be a partv to any coali­ and surely I httve a right to correct that state­ tion between the Kidston and Philp parties. ment. An Ho~OcHABLE ::\1E~lBER : Order ! The. SPEAKER: Order ! I have already Mr. MA~N: The Premier made a somewhat referred to the ruling which was given by Mr. similar pledge to the electors of Rockhampton ::\Iorgan ten years ag(l, in which it is laid down and to the people of Queensland, m1d he has that di:;:cnssion on a 1notion for the adjourrnnent gone back on that pledge Jnd deserted his party. of the House h; restricted tn the leaders on either side of the House. The leader of the House The SPEAKER: Order! makes a statement, and then the leader of the Question put and passed. Opposition may ask a question "s to the cJnrse The House adjourned at twenty minutes to of business, but there c~n be no general discus­ sion. The ruling reads- 12 o'clock. Discu~l1ions on general questions upon the motion tlmt the House do now adjourn after baring com­ yleted the business of the sitting are most irregular. 'rhe practice ought not to be encouraged. Reason­ able latitude is g-enerally allowed to the leaders to interrogate ::\iinisters as to the course of business at the nex.t or an:,' future sitting, but, as I have said, a debate on general questions under cover of the motion for adjournment after the House has com­ pleted its labonrs is most irregular. The hun. member has already at some length discussed the political situation, and he cannot discuss it further on the present motion. Ho:<:. R. PHILP: I have no wish to di;cuss the political situation at all, but simply desire to contradict the statement made by the senior memlcer for Ipswich that at my behest certain legislation has not been brought into this House. I give that statement a flat c,mtradiction. I have never at any time asked the Premier not to bring in any n1easures:. Mr. HARD ACRE : I rise to a point of order. After you have refused me the right to discuss a general C[Uestion, I chOCHABLE ::\IE~IBER: He is making a personal explanation. The SPEAKER: In reply to the hon. member fen· Leichhardt. I may S<1Y that what I have said in regard to his du3cnssing the gE'neraJ question is equally applicable to the senior member for Townsville. Ho:\. R. PHILP: I wish to make a persona explan•tion. The senior member for lpswich sta';er! that at my behest the Bill providing for State ill~Ur~-tnce waH not introdnce.cl by the Go· vernment. I give that slaten1ent an unqu~litied denial. Mr. MA,NN: I have a personal explanation to nmke. Tne Premier during the conr .e of his ren1arks to,)k occa:-:;ion to refer to 1nyself in rather bar h tcnns-as a deset'ter, and l propo "'3 to '3hqw to the House that I am not a det'erter, that I have been hithful and lo:,al to the p!c''lges I have gi,,en, and that the Premier has deserted every party that he has belonged to. Mr. :\IAX\VELL: I rise to a point of order. Is the hon. nlen1ber in order in making a per­ "onal explanation without the c: msent of the House? The SPEAKER: I think the hon. member is entitled to nuke a personal explanation, but I [Hon. J. T. Bell.