OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3148, 18 February 1911, Page 4

OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

CYCLONIC. [FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] SYDNEY, Fob. <■ In the centre cf a cyclone, the sajnors tell us, the wind changes its? dnection from one quarter to the opposite without warning. We are noting, some amusement, that this was uiiat happened in that very cyclonic gathering, the Labor. Conference on featuiuaj at the instance of Mr. Holman' the. State A ttorney-General then passed certain motions affirming the most rudimentary principles of democracy, and, on Monday night, after accusing Mr, Holman, and, ini'crontially, these who supported him', of traitorous designs and other unlovely conduct, they rescinded, without notice, and in violation _of accepted practice, the resolution which they had previously passed. It is now pointed out that a resolution to rescind a motion previously passed' can only be taken into consideration on a future day, on- notice previously given. This is a rule inflexibly observed iii Parliamentary p-'o-cedure. It preserves the bouy from making itstlf ridiculous by undoing one day, at the instance of a chance majority.’the work of a previous sitting. But when fanaticism comes into play no rules are inflexible enough to restrain it. Against all usage the Mr Lamond, spokesman for the A.W -L ■> ruled the motion to rescind to lie in order, and the meeting, presumably knowing no better, sustained him. It is regarded as an axiom that any ordinance "which binds earnest men to vote on vital matters against their_ convictions must sooner or later tali to the ground. There will come a time when they feel that they cannot be true to themselves without being true to their convictions of what is best- for the public welfare. Then, either they leave the movement or the movement leaves them. Meanwhile the dispassionate observer regards those happenings as a “wobble.” When the top begins to wobble, it is usually not very long before it comes to the ground. THE STATE MINISTRY. The State Ministry are clearly not a happy family, and even before these lines appear in print, it- would not be surprising if there were some sensational development. Ministers can put up with a good deal from one another, but when one Minister publicly accuses another of adopting “a traitorous attitude then we are warranted* in expecting something to happen. Tlie resolution of the A.W.U., which states categorically that it “indignantly resents the ‘traitorous’ attitude of Mr. W. A. Holman, ALL.A., in his latest attempt to Trick the P.L.L. Conference into opposing the ••Federal referenda," is signed by Mr. D. Macdcnnell, the Chief Secretary cf the State who is also the secretary of the AYY.U.. Can it be possible for Mr. Mncdonncll to meet Mr. Holman in Cabinet until these opprobrious charges have been unreservedly withdrawn, and uniii the withdrawal has been made in public cf the disgraceful imputation ? In spite of “the ironclad pledge,” Labor members and Labor Ministers are still men, and presumably men of honor. Honor does not permit acquiescence even by silence, in charges so approbrious as 1 lios? which have been made against Air. Holman. Therefore the question now appears to all. Will the A.W.C. cut loose from the Parliamentary Labor party, or will the latter cut loose from the A.W.U. ? Evidently two can't walk together if one accuses the other of deliberate and persistent treachery to the common cause. CONFIDENCE.

Air. Holman simply desires that the voting at the Interstate Labor Conference shall be put upon a population basis. Otherwise Tasmania and West Australia with a population between them of less than hair a million, will be able by two to one to outvote New South Wales with a population of more than three times that number. Tne root principle of democracy is “one vote one value/’ How, then, can any system be defended which makes the votes of seme men six times as valuable as the votes of other men? And what are we to think of men who deliberately accept so invidious a position for their own State the premier and 1 senior State cf the union? Who are the traitors, those who desire to perpetuate such a system, or those who demand reform ? Those who wish to perpetuate it excuse themselves by saying that they have perfect confidence in their leliow Australians of Tasmania and the Western State. But such a plea strikes at the very root cf democratic principle, which affirms that power, by whomsoever exercised, is certain to be abused and that the only approach to security is to be found in giving every mail an equal voice in* the conduct of affairs. At present, in the Inter-State Conference a Tasmanian' will have nine times the voting power of a Now Youth AYelshman, a West Australian more than five times, and a South Australian nearly four times. This is excusable in the Senate, -only as long as the powers of the Federal Legislature are rigidly confined to these accepted' by common agreement. But the destruction of that agreement, and the virtual adoption of unification, as sought by the referenda, would make reform of the Senate on a* population basis imperatively necessary. In the Inter-State Labor Conference, which is already committed to the supersession of the powers reserved to the States, reform is imperatively needed at once, if the N.S.AY. Labor men: can have confidence in so many Australian minorities, why not in that which is led by Air, AYade and the Liberals? COAIPULSORY SERVICE.

The arrangements for the registration and examination of the youngsters who are to form the first fighting line, it the Commonwealth should be- attacked by a foreign foe, are meeting with severe criticism, even from those who are in favor of the movement. A requirement which is obligatory _on all the households which come within the scope of the Act, ought, it is pointed out, to have received much greater publicity. At present thousands, who are in danger of being mulcted in heavy penalties, are living in blissful ignorance that they have broken any law. They are not conscious of having violated any moral requirement. But that will not help them. Every man is supposed to know the law, no matter how harsh and uncal-led-for that law may bo. But they are at least entitled to' expect that every effort will be made to acquaint them with any fresh requirements, reasonable or unreasonable, which may be made upon them. If it is enacted that a certain number of families shall bear the brunt of defending the whole Commonwealth, it would to be no more than considerate that each of those families should he specifically notified. But they have been dealt with in the .“'forthwith” style that is so dear to .Labor, but which, strangely enough, Labor is the first to resent, when applied to itself. MR. G. B. EDWARDS. The lamented death of Mr. G. B. Ed- ] wards, who represented North Sydney j in the House of Representatives, removes a man who can ill bo spared. He was no mere party hack, content to be ■ !

shackled- and driven as others might choose to dictate. He always endeavored to understand the points at issue, and to vote intelligently, according to his best conception of hat was required by the- public welfare. Consequently even ihose who sometimes disagrod with him, and who sometimes were grievously embarrassed by his independence, cordially respected him. From all sides of the House have come cordial and unsolicited testimonies to his worth. He succeeded Mr. Dugakl Thomson at North Svdnev and it will not oe an easy matter to find a worthy successor to represent one of the premier constituencies of the premier State. Tie- lamentable accident, by which he and another man lost their lives, was an explosion ot acetylene gas. They appear to have been examining a gasometer o r receiver which had not been m use for some time, and. as it was open to the air they would naturally suppose that it was free from gas. Acetylene gas however, is much heavier than coal gas, and therefore, is not so quick.y <ns.v.pat’ed. Had Mr. Edwards and his assistant taken due note or this ract, and exercised caution accordingly it is P-"en-able that the accident woulo not have happened. The most likely supposition is that one or other struck a maien in order to make a better examination, and that the gas still remaining m tne receiver caused the fatal explosion. THE TOTALISATOR. Mr .11. H. Levien, ALL.A.., has come back from New Zealand a warm advocate of the totalisator. He does not recommend the extirpation of the bookmaker, as is being attempted ir. the Dominion, but he is firmly com viceu that the wagering public gets a fairer deal with the totalisator than, with the “booky.” In the first place it makes its own odds. It lias no "stiff un.-; in the bag to make fancy wagers about. Another point is that ail its dealings are for cash, and on such a scale as to shut out the shilling gamblers, who afford a rich harvest to many penciliers of t he odds. Of course any laudation or any means of gambling is gall and wormwood to those who wish to abolish, not only the bookmaker, but also the habit and practices by ivhich lie is enabled to fare sumptuously every day. lo substitute gambling by the “Tote ’ for per medium cf those who hitherto have obligingly offered themselves to perform the service, will be regarded by these as a very questionable gam. Still, for the statesman, who knows that he cannot, even if lie would, enforce his <jwn sweet will on the people as a whole, it is not so much a quesion of wliat is right in the abstract, as of which is the lesser evil. Even this is not quite so clear as some believe. There can be no doubt, for instance, that the general conviction that the bookies have by far the thickest end -of the stick, and can be trusted to rook their three times out of four, has a powerful restraining influence. No means of gambling is~patronised so freely as that which is believed to be conducted fairly. or even with an approach to fairness. The question will have to lie threshed out from many points cf view before a deliberate and reasoned decision can be arrived at. Air. Levien regards it from the point of view of the Sportsman, which, though popular, is not the only one.