COMMONWEALTH POLITICS

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2445, 9 March 1909, Page 5

COMMONWEALTH POLITICS

ATTITUDE OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THE PREMIERS’ CONFERENCE. United Press Association, Copyright. SYD—j., March 8. Speaking at Albury, the Minister for Defence declared .that the Labor Government would welcome a challenge. If Parliament censured them they would ask the people next year what they thought. THE PREMIERS’ CONFERENCE. ADDRESSES BY FEDERAL MINISTERS. United Press Association, Copyright. (Received March 9, 12.30 a.m.) HOBART, March 8. Trc Hon. A. Fisher, Commonwealth Premier, with the Hon. IT. Mahon, Minister of Home affairs, and the Hon. W. M. Hughes, Attorney-Gen-eral, attended the Premiers’ Conference to-day. Mr. Fisher, in a general statement, outlined the growing requirements and expanding obligations of the Commonwealth, and intimated that lie would disclose the financial policy of the Government in a speech to be delivered at Gympie at the end of the month. He had no scheme to bo submitted to the conference as regarded the settlement under the Braddon clause difficulty, but would be glad to receive any representations which the conference had to make. Mr. -Malion dealt with the lavish expenditure of some of the States, and said that although federation in 1900 relieved them of departments

costing four millions sterling annualthe expenditure of the States had '' grown from to 7| millions. At the same time the popolalion from the date of federation till 1906 had reclamed practically stationary. It wojfid be idle to contend that any •"'development of Australia in the past ■ eight years warranted such a huge increase in the cost of government.