a men which is not desirous of being able to appeal to the Commonwealth Arbitration Court. It is true that on previous occasion some of the railway men were misled. They were informed that the wages of those in the best paid services would be reduced if the Commonwealth Arbitration Court were to determine the conditions of the railway men for all the States, and therefore some of them voted against this proposal. This misapprehension has been almost entirely removed. The railway and tramway men represent an enormous voting power. They represent more than 100,000 votes in New South Wales alone, and in all the other States they are an important factor in elections. I am satisfied that the whole weight of this vast voting power will, on this occasion, be used by the railway and tramway men of Australia to give themselves the opportunity, if they so desire, to submit their case to the Federal tribunal. The honorable member for Flinders developed a technical argument, intended to suggest that giving a Federal Court power to fix the rate of wages for State railway employés is an interference with the sovereign powers of the State Parliaments. The State Parliaments have to provide the revenue from which the railway and tramway servants of the States are paid, he said, and it is contended that this proposal, if given effect, will place the Federal authority, through the Conciliation and Arbitration Court, in a position to dictate the rates of pay which the State Parliaments shall give their servants. Around this the honorable member weaves a great fabric of technical argument. He says that the proposal strikes at the root of the relations between the Commonwealth and the States, tends to Unification, and that all sorts of dreadful results are likely to follow. The railways are independent businesses, and the moneys to pay wages are not raised by taxation any more than the money raised to pay the wages of private employers. There is, therefore, no interference with the State taxing power proposed. Let me say that for a number of years there was an appeal from the State Arbitration Court of New South Wales to the Commonwealth High Court. In in numerable cases the High Court of Australia, which is a Federal instrument, was able to dictate to the State Arbitrati n Court, within certain limits, what should be the industrial conditions in the State of Mr J. H. Catts. New South Wales. Nothing very terrible happened because the Federal Power exercised a paramount influence over industrial affairs within a State. At the present time the State Parliaments of New South Wales, Western Australia, and, I think, also of South Australia, have given the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Court the right to fix the wages and conditions of State railway and tramway employés. Independent Railways Commissioners are appointed, with fixed tenures of office, to manage the railways as business concerns, yet their control in regard to industrial conditions has, in New South Wales and Western Australia, at least, been made subject to the determinations of independent industrial tribunals. The honorable member for Ballarat will probably argue that there is something dreadful about giving this power to the Federal Parliament, and I think it quite proper to remind honorable members that in the Federal Convention the honorable gentleman was prepared to go a long way further in the direction of interference with State railways. At the Convention held in Sydney in 1897, the honorable gentleman said It appears to me to be essential to the full and perfect government of these colonies, that such important agencies as the railways should be taken over by the Federal authorities. We are in this country unfortunately not possessed of the advantages of the United States of America, traversed as that country is by magnificent streams which afford natural highways for its people. Our railways in the future will have to serve as streams as well as for railways. They will be practically our only great means of inter-communication, and it appears to me, for reasons which I urged prior to the meeting of the Convention, that under these circumstances Federation will not be complete, will not be able to serve the common interest of the whole of the people of Australasia-for which purpose I understand a Federal Government is to be created-it will not be able to conserve them or develop them as it must and should do, without the control of the railways. It will, therefore, not lie in the mouth of the Leader of the Opposition to complain that this proposal to enable a Federal Court to lay down wages and conditions for State railway and tramway employés. in the event of an industrial dispute, is such an interference with the functions of the State Parliament as to destroy State rights and bring about a system of Unification. I have just quoted what the hon table gentleman was prepared to advocate. and he was very disappointed that his proposal was not included in the Constitution. INDEX ΤΟ PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES. SESSION 1912. June 19 to December 21, 1912. PART I., SPEECHES, pages i to Ixiv. PART II., SUBJECTS, pages lxv to cxxxvi. PART I. SPEECHES. June 19 to December 21, 1912. EXPLANATION OF ABBREVIATIONS.-Adj., motion of adjournment; ad. rep., adoption of report; amdt., amendment; com., committee; cons. amdts., consideration of amendments; cons. mes., consideration of message; cons. req., consideration of requests; dis., order of the day discharged; expl., explanation; int., introductory stages of Bill; mes., message; m., motion; obs., observations; m.s.o., motion to suspend standing orders; p.o., point of order; q., question; IR., 2R., 3R., first, second, or third reading; recom., recommitted. Monopolies) Bill, 2R., 6706 Customs Duties and Production, q., 1794 Day Labour, supply, 1816-18, 1836; q., 1895 Defence Tenders, 9., 987 East Brunswick Post-office, q., 3800 of Electoral Divisions: New South Wales, m., 6737 Engineer for Lines, supply, 1817-8 Financial Administration, address, 673 Maternity Grant, address, 676 Naval and Military Colleges, q., 2971 Northern Territory: Administrator and Employés, adj., 4721 Note Issue, address, 672; q., 792, 804 Public Service: Increments, q., 5085; General Public Service Organizations: Awards, q. 4219 Scottish Regiments: Distinctive Uniforms, m., 7682 Session, Close of, obs., 7714 Speeches, Time Limit to, m., 938, 942 Sugar Industry, q., 66 Supply: External Affairs, 5439, 5468, 5529; expl., 5530 Trusts and Combines, address, 678 A 2 Archibald, Mr. W. O., Hindmarsh: Appropriation (Works and Buildings) Bill, m., 2145 Bounties, supply, 2792 Brisbane Strike, address, 361 Cadets, Prosecution of, q., 2210 Capital, supply, 1724; Referendum, m., 2227 Conciliation and Arbitration Court, address, 35 Constitution Alteration (Industrial Matters) Bill, 2R., 5717 Constitution Alteration (Trusts) Bill, 2R., 6487 Copyright Bill, com. (importation of copies), 4872 Defence Bill, 2R., 2255 Defence Expenditure, budget, 2446 Electoral Divisions: Queensland, m., 4103 Expenditure, Growth of, address, 365 Income and Probate Taxation, q., 2798 Industrial Unrest, address, 359 Inter-State Commission Bill, com. (river ques tion), 7144 Inter-State Trade, supply, 2792 Loan Bill, m., 5102 Mail Branch Officers, Adelaide, q., 3506. Ministers Travelling Allowances, supply, 5220 Navigation Bill, 2R., 3036, com. (exemption), 3651; (mercantile marine offices), 3657; (certificate of competency), 3660; (register), 3711; (rating), 3713; (agreement with seaman), 3720, 3723; (discharge), 3733; (offences against discipline), 3740; (certificated cooks), 3742; (re-survey), 3818; (life-saving ap pliances), 3831; (vessels to be marked with lines), 3841; (carriage of passengers by British ships), 3900, 4134, 4190; (unclaimed wreck), 4232; (compulsory pilotage), 4241, 4243; (licensing of pilots), 4258; (State licences to licensed pilots), 4260; (master to take in pilot), 4356; (Marine Council and Committees), 4373; (employment of loading and unloading), 4386; (compulsory retirement of pilots), 4417; (schedule), 4423 ; recom. (certificates of competency), 4472; cons. amdts., 6857 crew Archibald, Mr. W. O.-continued. Development of, supply, 5434 Railway Construction, supply, 1723, 2145 Officers' Compensation Bill, 2R., 7685 Pine Creek to Katherine River Railway Survey Port Adelaide, Leased Lands, q., 3802, 4221 Postmaster's Claims, South Australia, 9., 3108; Press Slandering of Members, 9., 1982 Royal Commissions Bill, 3R., 1493 State Steam-ship Subsidy, q., 4220 External Affairs, 5434 Prime Minister, 5224 Transferred Officers, South Australia, supply, Tropical Australia, Development of, m., 1009 Works and Buildings (Home Affairs), 1723 Address-in-Reply, m., 453; expl., 788 Appropriation (Works and Buildings) Bill, Arbitration Court, Shorthand Notes, supply, 5329 Bank Deposits, Budget, 2485 Bounties, q., 3584 Brisbane Strike, address, 462 Budget, m., 2482 Business, Private Members', obs., 3128 Capital, address, 456; supply, 1800, 2161 Constitution Alteration (Corporations) Bill, 2R., 6383 Constitution Alteration (Nationalization of Constitution Alteration (Trade and Commerce) Constitution Alteration (Trusts) Bill, 2R., 6414 Dissent from Ruling, m., 5475, 5479 Electoral Law: Absent Voters' Provisions, 9., Estimates, Information about, supply, 2162, 2163 External Affairs Department, supply, 5558 Gold, Production of, Budget, 2485 High Commissioner, supply, 5558 High Court Justices, Travelling Expenses of, supply, 5317 Atkinson, Mr. L.-continued. Historical Memorials of Distinguished Men, Immigration, address, 454; Budget, 2485; Imports and Exports, Budget, 2484 Judiciary Bill, 2R., 7000; com. (amendment of Land Tax, address, 462; Budget, 2485; sup- Mail Service, Tasmania, 9., 3624, 3886; sup- Maternity Allowance Bill, com. (commence- Maternity Grant, address, 462; q., 2931 Miller, Mr., Travelling Allowance, address, 457 address, 457; supply, 1026; m., 1914 Northern Territory, supply, 2161-2 Parliamentary Library, supply, 4968, 4971 Pensions, Old-age, address, 454; Budget, 2484, Potatoes, Irish Blight in, q., 2742; supply, Prahran Post Office, supply, 1025 Preference to Unionists, supply, 2007 Quarantine Bill, com. (amendment of section Railway Gauge, supply, 2161 Referendum (Constitution Alteration) Bill, com. Rifle Clubs, supply, 2007 River Don Trading Company, supply, 5830 2R., 1209; com. (matter material to subject of inquiry), 1304; State Debts, address, 454 Sugar Commission, address, 456, 460 Attorney-General, 5317, 5329 External Affairs, 5475, 5479, 5558, 5564 Treasurer, 5279, 5329 Tasmania Grant Bill, com. (appropriation), Tasmania, Grant to, address, 453 West Devonport Telephone Exchange, q., 3886 Workmen's Compensation Bill, com. (definition), 4827, 4833: (liability to compensation), 4838 Bamford, Hon. F. W., Herbert: Aliens, Employment of, q., 3887 m., |