Manawatu Evening Standard. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 11, 1929 OYER-GOVERNED AUSTRALIA.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 242, 11 September 1929, Page 6

Manawatu Evening Standard. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 11, 1929 OYER-GOVERNED AUSTRALIA.

Thirteen Houses of Parliament —eleven State and two Federal—govern the people of Australia, hive out of the six States —New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, West Australia and Thsmania—and the Commonwealth maintain the bi-cameral system, while the sixth—Queensland — conducts the business of the country through its Legislative Assembly, dispensing with the corrective influences of a Second Chamber. The cost to the people of Australia of these thirteen Houses of Parliament cannot be far short of £1,000,900 per annum, the Commonwealth Parliament alone in 1920-27 being responsible for an expenditure of £507,634. In four years that represents an increase of over £200,000 and it is not surprising, therefore, that a Melbourne paper should be pressing upon the Australian public the necessity of reducing the cost of government, and that the Constitutional Commission, which was appointed last year “to inquire into the constitution of the Commonwealth in the light of the experience gained since the federation,” should have arrived at the belief that “Australia has too many Governments for its six millions of population.” There appears to be considerable overlapping of laws, especially in industrial matters and the commission suggests the necessity of increasing the powers of the Commonwealth Government, which might or might not prevent the overlapping referred to. The minority report, for which the Labour members of the commission are responsible, however, ‘ ‘recommends the abolition of the State Parliaments as at present constituted, and the creation of new States, or provinces, governed by local bodies deriving their powers from the Commonwealth Parliament.” Australia is such a vast country, with such diversified interests, that it is open to serious question . whether it could be satisfactorily governed by one central Parliament meeting at the Federal capital, Canberra. The creation of new r States or provinces Avould probably and almost inevitably lead to increased expense,' and that could only be met by increased taxation which ought to be avoided. The unification of the existing State Legislatures, -which would follow the creation of the provincial local bodies, suggested by the Labour minority, can scarcely be regard-

ed as desirable in a country where climatic conditions are so varied, ranging from tropical to the semi-tropical and temperate zones, find the requirements of the population vary so greatly. The Federation has certainly not proved the success that tvas predicted for it, as it lias failed to eliminate State jealousies and has placed the smaller States at a decided disadvantage compared w r ith the more populous States.