legislative assembly hansard 1955 - queensland parliament · 2014-06-23 · cobl'rn (burdekin)...

Queensland

Parliamentary Debates [Hansard]

Legislative Assembly

TUESDAY, 23 AUGUST 1955

Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy

Questions. (23 AUGUST.] Questions. 79

TUESDAY, 23 AUGUST, 1955.

Mr. SPEAKER (Hon. J. H. Manu, Brisbane) took the chair at 11 a.m.

APPROPRIATION BILL No. 1.

Assent reported by Mr. Speaker.

DEATH OF HON. J. S. COLLINGS.

REPLY TO MOTION OF CONDOLENCE.

Mr. SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that I have received a letter from Miss K. Collings acknowledging the motion of condolence passed on 9 August.

QUESTIONS.

VISITORS' PARKING FACILITIES, SOUTH

BRISBANE HOSPITAL.

Mr • .MORRIS (Mt. Coot-tha) asked the Secretary for Health and Home Affairs-

'' With reference to the new South Brisbane Auxiliary Hospital, will he please advise me whether any arrangements have been, or are being made, to provide parking facilities for yehicles of visitors to patients, as distinct from that provided for staffowned vehicles, so that traffic hazards on the busy highways in that area may be greatly reduced~''

Hon. w. JU. ])IOORE (Merthyr) replied--'' The area of land available f.or the

South Brisbane Hospital, considered in relation to the requirements of present and prospective building works for the treatment of patients, and the general working of the hospital, would not permit the allocation of parking space for motor cars other than those necessarily there in connection with the con<lnct of the hospital's business. The pP'tk ,-is:ting hours at the hospital would be in the evenings, and on Sunday afternoons, when the heaviest weekday business traffic would not be encountered by visitors.''

ILLICIT TRADING IN METHYLATED. SPIRITS,

THURSDAY ISLAND.

Mr. NICI\LIN (Landsborough-L€ader of the Opposition) asked the Secretary for Health and Home Affairs-

'' 1. Is he aware that substantial quantities of methylated spirits are being imported into Thursday Island and supplied illicitly to many of the Torres Strait Islanders~

'' 2. If so, will he say what measures are being taken to ~tamp out the traffic in methylated spirits~

'' 3. If not, will he make inquiries to ascertain the extent of the traffic and take appropriate action against those who are responsible~

Hon. w. M. ])IOORE (Merthyr) replied'' The Director of Native Affairs, in com

mon with Church leaders at Thursday Island, is aware that some natives there

are consuming methylated spirits. It is equally true, of course, that some white people throughout the State consume methylated spirits. However, as this is a commodity that has a legitimate place and use in the community, it is not practicable to prohibit its sale. In fact, it must be agreed that methylated spirits is an essential commodity in JV,any homes without electric light installation, for the lighting of primuses, power lamps, &c. This is particularly the case at Thursday !Bland, as wood and other fuel for stoves is scarce and expensive there. It is considered by the Director of Native Affairs, however, that more methylated spirits than is necessary for legitimate use is imported into Thursday Island. Hon. members will re~lise that it 'is not possible to prohibit or even limit the importation of this commodity. The only avenue open is to endeavour to limit the amount natives may obtain, to that properly required for domestic purposes. This matter is already in the hands of the Solicitor-General, having been referred for his advice as to the possibility of prohibiting the sale of methylated spirits to any native at Thursday Island who has not a written permit to purchase same, issued by the Director of Native Affairs, or some person nominated by him.''

MOTOR-CYCLE ACCIDENTS.

'ilir. MORRIS (Mt. Coot-tha) asked the Secretary for Labour and Industry-

'' With respect to accidents which ocurred to riders of motor cycles in Queensland during the twelve months ended 30 June, 1955, can he inform me-(a) the age of each rider injured; (b) the number of injuries received by pillion riders; (c) the age rlassiilcations of riders carrying pillion riders injured~''

Hon. A. JONES (Charters Towers) replied-

'' Statistics for the twelve months ended 30 June, 1955, are not yet available, bu' the statement, vhich I now table, contains information with respect to the y€ar ended 31 March, 1955. The Government Statistician advises me that it is not possible to provide details of pillion riders in single ages and this information therefore is shown in age groups.

DOMESTIC SCIENCE TEACHERS, DEPARTMENT

OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.

ltir. PIZZEY (Isis) asked the Secretary for Public Instruction-

'' During the financial years endins 30 June, 1954 and 1955, respectively-(a) What was the maximum number of domestic science teachers employed by the Department of Public Instruction~ (b) (i.) How many resigned because of approaching marriage~ (ii.) How many resigned for other reasons~''

80 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

Hon. G. H. nEVRIES (Gregory) replied-

" (a) 1953-1954, 250; 1954-1955, 272. (b) (i.) 1953-1954, 35; 1954-1955, 37. (ii.) 1953-1954, 22; 1954-] 955, 18."

MITIGM'ION OF FLOOD DAMAGE, DON RIVER

AREA.

lUr. COBl'RN (Burdekin) asked the Treasurer-

'' As the recent floods in the Don River area, caused, it is almost unanimously thought, by the substantial siltation that has occurred in the river due in large mensure to the low-level traffic bridge, were exceptionally destructive of valuable crops, farmlands, roads, &c., and as experi· encc has taught that such disastrous floods recur, on an average, once in every four or five years, ·will he kindly have an investigation made by an engineer of his department to ascertain and report on the cause or causes of the floods and suggest methods to be adopted to mitigate them in this productive area~''

Hon. E. J. W ALSH replied-

(Bundaberg)

''In the abseHcc of more specific informahon it is presumed that the Honourable Member refers to the low-levd bridge over the Bowen to Ayr main road. I would, therefore, wggcst that he direct the question to my colleague, the Honourable the Minister fm- Transport.''

PAPERS.

The following paper was laid on the table, and ordered to be printed-

Report of the Auclitor-Genernl under the Supreme Court E'unds Act of 1895.

The following papers were laid on the table-

Orders in Council under the Abattoirs Acts, 1930 to 1949.

Order in Council and Reguln tions under the Primary Producers' Organisation and Marketing Acts, 1926 to 1954.

Audit Inspector's Report on the Books anr1 Accounts of the Queensland Coal Board from 1 August, 1954, to 22 July, 195:'5.

Report of the Queensland Coal Board for the yenr 1954-1955.

Rules under the Poliee Acts, 1937 to 1954.

ADDRESS IN REPLY.

RESUMPTION OF DEBATE-SECOND ALLOTTED

DAY.

Debate resumed from 10 August (seep. 44) on Mr. Brosnan 's motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply.

Rt. Hon. J<'. lU. FORnE (Flinders) (11.19 a.m.), who was greeted with Government hear, hears, said: Mr. Speaker, at th~ outset

1 wish to extend my hearty congratulations to the hon. member for Fortitude Valley and the hon. member for Mulgrave for their very fine constructive speeches in moving and seconding the motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply.

I gladly associate myself with the expressions of loyalty to Her Gracious Majesty the Queen that were so eloquently voiced by the hon. member for Fortitude Valley.

I deem it a great honour to return to this Parliament of my native State as member for the large and important pastoral electorate of Flinclers.

While listening to the very fine statement of policy achievement and proposals for the future, prepared by the Government and enunciated by His Excellency the Governor, Sir John J_,avarack, my mind went back to his very fine military record with which I became so familiar when I wm; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Army in the War Cabinet of the clay. I gained a first-hand knowledge of his great work. firstly as an outstanding military commander, and later as head of the Australiau Military Mission at Washington in the United States of America. It is not surprising to me, therefore, that he has achieved such outstanding success as Governor of his native State.

I am clceply grateful to the electors of :E'linders for their expression of conficlene<c in me at tlw bv-election. I shall do everything humanly ·pos~ihle to ;justify that co;lfidcncc, and l shall <lcvote the whole of m~' time to making Tcprcscntations on behalf of that vast electorn te. T sinceTely thank the Premier, Hon. V. C. Gair, the Deputy Premier, Hon .. J. E. DuggaH, nwl the Secn'-tary for Labom and Industry, Hon. A. Jones for their efforts on mv behnlf. Mr. J oneF< acted ns campaign dire~toT. I also thank tlw Secretary for Mines and Immigration, Hon. C. G. McCnthie, the hon. m<'mber for ~ortll Toowoomha, Mr. L. A. vVoocl, the hon. member for Carpcntaria, Mr. A. J. Smith, and all others >vho rendered great servic·e in that campaign and supported my candidature. My win was an endorsement of Labour's policy.

Since my election I have had Tcason to feel very grntcful to Cabinet for the sympathetic consicl·eration gi,·cn to the mnnc: requests I hnve submitted. Members of Cabinet have shown a proper understanding of the requirements of a far-flung electorate such as Flinders.

I shall be making strong r,epTesenta tion,; in respect of a number of other matters such as road-building, improvement of roads, and the building of houses foT employees of the Railway DepaTtment and other employees who are required for woTk in towns throughout my electorate. At the moment it is difficult to have the work carried out because of a shortage of carpenters and other tradesmen. I shall also make further representations for

Address in Reply. [23 AUGUST.] Address in Reply. 81

an Improvement of housing conditions for railway fettlcrs. The construction of community camps with greater amenities for fettlers is cwmething I have advocated, and it is a matter in which the Minister for Transport has taken a deep interest. He has already shO>Yn his interest in a practical wav. He believes that better housing facili'ties should be provided for the employees of the Railway Department as soon as pos~ibl£>, prnticulaTly in these outback areas. The community camps would house 12 to 14 employees and their wives and families. Educational facilities that cannot now be pTovided at small camps could he provided under those circumstances. I know there are practical difficulties holding the proposal up foT the present, but they are temporary obstacles that will eventually he overcome. Because of the cost, but chiefly because of shortage of tradesmen, it has not been possible to erect the camps, but I know the Minister appreciates the need for them.

I traYelk(1 oveT the road from Charters Towers to Hughenden. I believe that strong representations should agnin he made to the }'cderal GoveTnment to·- tr,cnt the Charte~s Towers to :Mount Isa Road as a llntional defence highway. It is extremely important to do that. If it was, it would at least be a national work undertaken in Qm•cnsland by the F,oderal Government.

::\lr. Jiul!er: What did you do when you were in the Federal Parliament "I -

"illr. FORDE: I shall deal with that. I did a great job for Austnllia as a Minister in th0 Curtin and Chifley Gm·ernments. I am not going to be tC~kon awav from the theme of -my speech, but T assure hon. members opposite that a grent deal was done bv the Curtin and Chifley Governments for which I was . Dcr;mty Prime Minister~ in gearing Austrahn mto an all-in war effort. We are justifiably proud of their achie1·ements.

Governme;lt ::Jembe:·s: Hear, hear!

::\Ir. l<'ORDE: Hon. members only have to ~eac1 the recent nTticles b)- Major-General IVhitney, who sen-ed in Australia undeT General Douglas MncArthur to realise the achievements of Labour Gove~nments, because Gen_eral MacA;thur and General Whitney gave praise to Pnme Minister Curtin and his Government in which I was Deputy Prime Minister.

Gonrnment lllembers: Hear, hear!

Mr. }'ORDE: If the Railway Department could innease the western allowance and generally make conditions more attractive in places like Hughenden and the towns further west by increased pay, better housing facilities and improved working conditions, there would not be the great difficulty in getting staff as there is now.

Since the Labour Party assumed control of the Treasury benches in 1915 there has been a succession of legislative ennctments that have greatly improved the conditions of the masses. I refer to the system of

arbitration, the liberalisation of the health policy, education, State insurance, electrification of Queensland. Better roads, reafforestation, liberal workers' compensation, and long service leave. I shall not mention them all in detail because they have been ably dealt with by the hon. member for Fortitude Valley.

'rhe time has come when we Australians should learn the lessons of history because there is no doubt that on the world's horizon nre evil forebodings because of the difficulties that nations have in working with one another. There is reason for some anxiety. TheTe was never a more urgent period in the history of Austr:!lia than the· present for speedy development of a State like Queensland, antl the urgent need for immigration and incTeased population. The Queensland Government have rendeTed outstanding service in the faee of great difficulty antl it is regrettable that they have not been able to get adequate financial assist:mce from the Commonwealth Government. \Ye are living in a troubled world, n world at the crossroads. There are 1,200,000,000 people OT half the population of the \1-orld living between the north of Australia and the north of China. We know the threat of imperialistic Communism. There is the danger that some of these over-populated countries might cast covetous eyes upon Australia. The only way in which we can justify before the bnr of international public opinion our right to ho'd a country of 2.974,000 square miles witcr a population of only 9,000,000 is by opening it and cleveloping it. That ean Pnly be done with generous financial assistance from the Comrnomyealth Government and the constructive policy of the Quecnslnnd Labour Government.

On my way hack from Canada through Englnnc1, India, Singapore and Indonesia, I saw something of the teeming millions to the North of Australia and the conditions under which they lived. A prominent statesman told me that in India, with 350,000,000 people, virtually two-thirds of his people were not getting more than one squnre meal a day. The smne could be said of China. Pakistan has 100,000,000 people-hundreds of thousands of \Yhom aTe suffering from malnutrition. Indonesia has a population of 80,000,000 and there arc 100,000,000 people in the old Japanese empire. But heTc in Australia with an area of less than 3,000,000 square miles we lmvc a population of only 9,000,000. We \\·ant moTe population. Australia must populate or peTish.

This country must be developed and opened up. The north-western portion of Queensland, part of which I have the honour to represent in this Parliament, is not the Cinderella section of Australia; it is a rich pastoral area that is destined to carry a gTea tly incTeased population. One hns only to hear something of what the Queensland Labour Government have done for places like Mt. Isa to realise just what has been achieved. When the proposal to build the


railway line from Duchess to Mt. Isa was brought before this Parliament-! think in 1926-every member on the Opposition side, headed by the then Leader of the Opposition Mr. A. E. Moore, opposed it. That proposal was designed to open up the North· west and to develop that great enterprise at Mt. Isa, a town which today supports a population of some 9,000 people. I beli·eve that if the Tory Party had been the Government of this State, there would have been no Mt. Isa as we know it today. Under the secondary industries assistance legislation, which was enacted in the early days of Mt. Isa, the Government guaranteed the eompany to the extent of £500,000 in order to keep it functioning while its financiers were overseas seeking foreign capital. Does that make it appear that this Government are not sympathetic towards the establishment of new industries in Queensland·? Again, when Mt. Isa Mines Ltd. wanted to build a big copper smelter for the production of copper during one of the most critical periods of the war, the Government came to its aid to the extent of a further guarantee of £500,000.

In 1951-1952, the Commonwealth Tory Government appealed to copper produ0ers in Australia to increase production. Mt. Isa Mines Ltd. responded to the call, and it was helped by the Queensland Government in earrying out its responsibility to the nation. HowBver, as soon as it started production in February, 195:3, it found that the Commonwealth Tory Government had allowed Australian copper fabricators to import huge tonnages of copper that had been produced by black labour and slave labour in other countries. That imported copper flooded the Australian market, and thousands of tons of blister copper that were produced at Mt. Isa had to Le stored until the company eould find a market for it overseas. Those facts cannot be contraverted by the Opposition.

The fostering of this industry in the North-west by the Queensland Government has resulted in a greatly in;oreased population in that part of the State, and much more work for the Railway Department and its employees on the Great Northern Railway, which runs from Townsville to Mt. Isa. Furthermore, it has provided a local market for the factories of. Australia, the establishment of which was made possible by the protectionist policy of the Scull~n Government in which I was Minister for Trade and Customs. Those factories today give employment. to 1,000,000 people, and it is necessary to find a market for their produets too. The very best market is the loeal market, and new industries like that nt Mt. Isa give employment to people, who bBeome consumers of products from the farms and the factories.

Again, when the North Queensland Cement Company was about to be established at Stuart, near TownsviUe, the Queensland Government came to its aid by guaranteeing its account for £400,000 in the first instance,

and for another £300,000 about three years ago. Today North Queensland has a thriving cement industry, without which it would bt impossible to carry out the developmental works so urgently required in the North. It in now a nourishing industry employing hundreds of people and absorb_ing North Queensland raw materials. It is helping tremendously in the carrying out of works that would not be done if supplies of cement had to come from South Queensland or the other States. North Queensland is very rich and it must be developed on a national scale. Up to £100,000,000 could be spent on big develop· ment works, and the Commonwealth Government should be prepared to assist. The State Government are not merely talking about it; they are doing the work to the very limit of their financial resources.

Government lUembers: Hear, hear!

lUr. FORDE: North Queensland is no Cinder·ella section and anyone who knows it realises its great importance to the State and the nation. That is indicated by the value of its primary production, £60,585,000, and the net value of manufactures, £17,995,000, in an area from Mackay north, including Townsville, Cairns, the Peninsula and the North West. Industry in North Queensland today is in a very prosperous condition, due in large measure to what has been done by this Government, over the years. In North Queensland there are 2,126,000 cattle and 2,:308,000 sheep.

Let us recall the days when Macartney and some of his Liberal Ministers were asked to establish cane-prices boards to give the farmers some say in the price they were to get for their cane. What was the reply of the Tories then W They said, ''Legislation like this is socialistic. It will mean meddling in private industry. It will splinter every plank ·of the Liberal Party's platform.'' But the Labour Party pledged itself to seeing that the cane farmers got a fair deal, and the establishment of cane-prices boards was set down as one of the major planks of its platform. Cane-prices boards were established and for the first time in his life the cane farmer was given a definite say in the fixation of the price of cane. Before that he had to accept any old price that was dictated to him by the reactionary conservative milling companies, or he was told to let his cane rot in the field.

Bear in mind that it was the Labour Party that was in the forefront of the advocacy of a White Australia policy and for sending back to the islands the :30,000 Polynesians who were working in the canefields. Labour and industrial Unionism in this State had confidence in the ability of the white man and it was not long before all the work in the cane industry was carried out by white labour. Industrial unionism and the political labour movement today stand for the maintenance of that policy. Prosperous towns have grown up along the coast-Bundaberg, 1I:.tekay, Proserpine, Ayr, Ingham, Innisfail,

Address in Reply. [23 AUGUST.) Address in Reply. 83

and Cairns-and they are a wonderful example of what may be achieved under whitelabour conditions.

We hav•e to think not merelv of the Flinders electorate, or of the Townsville area, or of North Queensland; we have to take in a broad view of the whole of Australia and realise the importance of its development if we are to retain it, otherwise it will be filched from us by an enemy in the future. Who knows how long we shall be able to carry on without justifying ourselves before the bar of international public opinion by showing that we are developing this country' The whole of the north of Australia is a vast area embracing 1,149,320 square miles and producing nearly £300,000,000 worth of produce a year. Some of the finest metals produced in Australia come from north Australia. Eighty per cent. of Australia's sugar is produced in the north and 40 per cent. of our beef cattle, and 12 per cent. of the sheep of Australia. It is worth holding, worth defending and worth protecting. The Labour Party believes in a policy of development, in opening up country, and that is why it has undertaken the Burdekin hydro-electric and water conservation and irrigation scheme, one that will increase food production in this State by £20,000,000 a year. I also draw attention to the Tully Falls hydro-electric scheme and the Mareeba-Dimbulah scheme, water conservation and irrigation scheme. All these schemes in the North must be developed and they will be developed if we can get the necessary financial assistance from the Federal Government.

Inland abattoirs should be established. The present Government have done a marvellous job in reforestation under the Secretary for Public Lands and Irrigation. It is the most striking evidence of the advance of an enterprising department under the right leadership.

Another great ~roject which should be undertaken is the Dajarra-Camooweal railway. From my study of the future of the cattle industry I am satisfied that the Queensland Labour Government were on sound ground in advocating the building of the line. The Government's proposal was sent to the Commonwealth Government on 5 March, 1953, and I think it was about that time that the hon. member for Coorparoo said that the Commonwealth Government unfortunately were not spending any money on a single national project in Queensland.

More than a year elapsed before there was any reply whatever to the representations by the Queensland Government and then the Commonwealth Government simply said that the proposals were still being examined. No doubt they had been pigeon-holed.

The Queensland Government indicated their willingness to contribute to the undertakings-

( a) £200,000, being the cost of additional crossing stations and facilities necessary on existing lines in Queensland for the operation of the extension;

(b) Three-quarters of the estimated cost of the provision and maintenance of rolling stock;

(c) The proposed share to be borne by the Queensland Government would result in estimated operational losses of £158,000 a year on the above basis.

Therefore Queensland was not asking for something it was not prepared to help to bring to fruition itself. It considered that the direct and indirect increases in national assets and income warranted construction of the railway as a national undertaking.

Consequently it went to the Federal Government, but did they say "Yes," as they did in regard to the aluminium worrl:s in Tasmania, or the building of the Leigh Creek railway in South Australia or the Snowy Mountnins water conservation hydro-electric scheme in Victoria and New South Wales~ No! They would not have anything to do with this great national project for the opening up of the north-west to make it possible for cattle men to get their cattle to market. The Minister for Transport stated in reply to a question in Parliament at the time that the estimated cost as at March, 1953, for the construction of the line was as follows:-

" (1) Dajarra-Camooweal using Australian material, £4,680,000;

"(2) Camooweal - Newcastle Waters using Australian material £10,546,000;

" ( 3) Cost of additional rolling stock, £2,300,000.

'rhe estimated loss on the annual operations on the section Dajarra to Camooweal was £340,000.))

The Premier, who has taken an active interest in this matter, in a statement in Parliament on 7 April, 1954, deplored the apathy anJ indifference of the Federal Government to this proposal for the opening up of the north-west of Queensland and the Northern Territory for the development of the food production of this State and the development of the far-flung portions of the State. The Premier, inter alia, said that Press reports would imlicate that the influence of the Pederal Treasurer, Mr. Fadden, was likely to induce the Commonwealth Government to embark on an air-beef plan, and that such a plan was not supported by a large body of competent opinion in the State.

The Federal Goven1ment have not given any definite reply to the representations by the Queensland Government. This is indicated in a letter I received as late as 19 August, 1955, from the Hon. J. E. Duggan, Minister for Transport. Mr. Gunn, President of the Graziers' Association, strongly advocat·es the completion of this line as one of the necessary adjuncts to increased food produetion. We have to remember that the world's population is increasing at the rate of 25,000,000 a year, and unless more food is produced, millions of people will be faced with starvation. There are favoured nations


that have a productive capacity in excess of their requirement8. Australia is one, Canada is another, United States is another, rmd New Zealand another. Let us grapple with the situation; the ball is in our corner. vVe must assist those men who are prepared to go out and engage in the production of cattle and sheep, and give them better transport facilities. H·ere is something that was indi<'ated by the Queensland Labour Government and put up to the Federal Government, but the latter turned a deaf ear to the proposals. When I left Australia to go to Canada 1 found that although s·econdary industries had progressed a good deal in this State there was room for further developmeut. I was amazed on my return to see the development that had taken place unclor the administration of the Queensland Labour Govemment. In 1946-the year I left Australia-there were 2,882 factories employing 64,312 persons, and their production value was £29,105,000. In 1953-54 ther•e were 5,129 factories employing 96,396 persons and the production amouHte<l to not £29,000,000 but £110,333,000. The Brisbane ''Telegraph,'' one not recogni,ed a" a Labour newspaper, in a leading article on Monday, 8 August, 1955, said-

'' Queenslanders will be gratified that th<:' investment potential of their State is being recognised by overseas interests, at least in principle.

''The old cry that we are too far from important market areas, too remote from the big centres of heavy industry and too under-developed to bother about is no longer valid. Many vigorous local enterprises have shown since the war what can be done by establishing themselves and their products firmly, not only on the local market, but amongst foreign customers.''

It is a new development to find conservative newspapers giving credit to the Labour Government for its broad, constructive policy of encouraging industry and developing the State. Too many people run around crying stinking fish, trying to defame this State and trying to frighten overseas investors from investing money in secondary industries here. It is arrant nonsense to say that Labour does not stand for the encouragement of secondary industries.

The ''Brisbane 'l'elegraph'' of 8 August, 1955, in a sub-leader had this to say in regard to a speech by the Premier-

'' It is encouraging to see a Labour Premier prepared to give a concession in taxation on profits to a company which ploughs back profits, to achieve greater production, greater efficiency, and better employer-employee relationships. The~e are the three things which Australia ne0ds most of all in the present situation of further inflationary threat. The vogue at th·e moment is incentive to the employee. Mr. Gair now sees in this way an incentive to employers to attain the three objectives with which he has conditioned his proposal.

''The idea is commend itself, sible for the country.''

a sound one, and should to those who are respontaxa tion policy of this

I commend the Secretary for Agriculture and Stock, Mr. Collins, on the wonderful work he has done in regard to pasture improvement and fodder conservation. That is a subject in which I have taken great interest. In Canada I noticed that primary producers generally were compelled to undertake largescale fodder conservation, because for four or five months of the year there are 5 or 6 feet of snow on the ground. During the summer season they cultivate crops and store the hay in lofts. It is then used to feed stock during the winter months. In Queensland a great deal has been done in that direction. In my opinion the Secretary for Agriculture and Stock deserves a great deal of credit for his work in that regard. He is a practical man. He was a farmer himself. He knows the disabilities under which farmers have to work and the need to practise fodder conservation if they are to make a livelihood. In the North-West many enterprising graziers conserve fodde:. They gro~v sorghum. Those schemes are m the cxpenmental stage at the present time, but the graziers have been assisted by officers of the Department of Agriculture and Stock ~nd the Queensland University. _Those grazrers have received an undertakmg from the Minister for Lands that they will not be penalised by the security measures t_hey are taking to secure themselves agamst the ravages of drought. The maintenance of flocks cattle and sheep, means full employme;1t for employees in various branches of the pastoral industry.

I compliment the Secretary for Mines and Immigration, Mr. McCathie, on his work in fostering the tourist industry. I give the figures to indicate the growth of this industry over the last 20 years. The over-counter receipts of the Queensland Government Tourist Bureau were £67 000 for the year 1934-1935, and for last yea;. £1,102,000. Th_e Minister has rightly said that the tounst traffic was worth £5,000,000 to Queensland. A great deal has been done by the Government to develop and foster the tourist trade, an industry that is worth a lot, particularly to North Queensland. :Yew branches of the Queensland Gm·ernment Tourist Office have been set up in Adelaide and Toowoomba and officers have been trainecl in the giving of travel service to the public and provided in 10 branches of the Bureau. A further 10 branches of the Bureau have been established in New South \Vales, Victoria, and South Australia, and I pay tribute to the managers of those bureaus. I have in mind particularly Mr. E. A. Ferguson, the Director of the Queensland Government Tourist Bureau, Mr. L. A. Grant, in Melbourne, and Mrs. T. J. Ryan, Queensland Government representative in Melbourne, a woman who has rendered outstanding service to the State over the years and one of the best public relations officers


in any part of the world. I am told by people who have been to the islands along the coast-and some of them I have visited myself-that Queensland is blessed with wonderful tourist resorts. Magnetic Island could be made into one of the most attractive tourist places in the world, and much could be done with Heron Island, off Gladstone, Green Island off Cairns, the Molle islands, Lindeman and' other islands adjacent to our coast. We must, ho"·ever, take a leaf out of the books of some of the other countries of the world who specialise in tourist traffic. This the Queensl~nd Government have been doing for some bme and have thus rendered outstanding service to the people.

The Minister for Transport, by the inauguration of the "Sunlamler " "Midlander '' and ''Inlander'' services' has done a magnificent job. The Governfnent have co-operated by giving subsidies to small towns and cities for the building of aerodromes and thus have encouraged rail and air travel. In fact, they have assisted in more ways than I could mention in the time at my disposal.

I am delighted to have come back to Queensland to find that under the aegis of a Labour Government such wonderful pro?ress :vas made while I was away. The mdustrres of the State are prosperous, due in a large measure to the legislation of the Queensland Labour Government and I mention again arbiti-ation, worl,crs' compensation, t~e ~ibe~·al education policy and the hos]ntahsatron scheme. Queensland is undoubtedly the finest place in the world in which to live.

Jir. BURROWS (Port Curtis) (11.59 a.m.): I congratulate the mover and seconder of the motion and the n doption of the Address in Reply on the conscientious manner in which they approached the subject and I trust tha~ the proposals in His Excellency's Speech wrll be carried out for the benefit of the people.

Over the last six or 12 months, we in (~ueensland have seen unity put into operation. We hnve seen t1yo events one of which would normally be given g;·eat publicity and acclaim in the Pr·ess. I refer to t_h? bir~h of quads in Bundaberg. The publ.rcr~y \iryen to _that eYent_, however, paled into msrgmficance m companson with thnt given to the birth of a new political brotherhood by the union of the anti-Labour parties. Those responsible for the birth of this new brotherhood have instructed their political stooges to go out on a mission.

A few weeks ago Central Queensland received a visit from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Like their biblical prototvpes these men adopted the slogan, '' Conqirest, slaughter, famme, and death,'' to secure support and build up the prestige of. the nnti-Labour forces. At least, that would app_ear to_ be so from newspaper reports of therr arnval and subsequent activities in

Rockhampton, the city of sin, sweat, sorrow, floods, and wa t·er restrictions, and where cveu the bookmakers go on strike. Soon after its arrival, this infamous delegation, with a zeal that could be commended if applied to a better purpose, got down to its task.

The following is an extract from a newspaper circulating in Rockhampton-

' 'Commenting on the next election, both Mr. ::\1orris and Mr. Munro stated it was the int•ention of the parties to secure outstanding candidates for the United r,iberal and Country Party in all parts of the State, so that when elected to govern next year all areas of the State would be adequately represented.''

Their first task was that of conquest. According to the hon. member for Toowong, they had to secure an outstanding candidate for the electorate of Rockhamptou, which for so many years has been honestly and faithfully represented by the present hon. member, Mr. Lar·combe. He is a man of the highest moral integrity, which, apart altogether from his political beliefs, would completely debar him from membership of the Country-Liberal Party.

I,ike the North-vwst mounted police these riders in the night got their man, and they had the satisfaction of knowing that if he \''.as not upstanding he was at least outstanding, a man with whom I am snrc the l>on. member for Mt. Coot-tha found much iE common. As a result of this selection, the coming election promises to be a colourfel eYent, far different from the staid State elections to which we have been accustomed.

JUr. Aikens: It will be like a western moYie, the quickest on the c1raw.

;}Ir. BURROWS: All the latest ultramodern ideas will be incorpora tcd in the policy of the nnti-Labonr forces. I understnnc1 that the hon. member for 'foowong mnst be given full credit for scruring the signature of Central Queensland's greatest lover to the a pplica tiou form that was accepted so enthusinstically by the Liberal Party. I have also been informed that Mr. Pilbcam confessed, during these negotiation.l and approaches, that he never felt so coy in all his life. Consideration for the sacrifice or surrender, of his independence, patent rights, and copyrights of this contemporary of the great Casnnova has not been revealed but, IYhatever the pric·e, the elders of the Lib era 1 Party feel that at long last they have securer] the services of one whose technique will invigorate, and instil a new life into, liberalism. On the personality and exploits of Mr. Pilbeam, the candidate selected for Rockhampton who is expected by the Liberal forces not only to win Rockhampton but also to be the future l·Pader of the Liberal Partv in Queensland, one prominent Liberal Iuis expressed the thought that in Mr. Pilbeam they have a candidate who should prove an inspiration and an example to the hundr·eds of young Liberals throughout the State. There was certainly much rejoicing in the


Liberal Party when the delegates returned to Brisbane with such a !'evolutionary report. Already, I understand, in preparation for the next election they have adopted the wolf whistle as their war cry and the " bodgie " haircut as their battle dress. Free love was borrowed from the Communists. Let hon. members opposite not forget that they did not take that plank from the Labour Party. They borrowed it from the Communists.

But free love is not the only promise that these exhibitionists will offer at the next election. During these negotiations they found time to investigate other matters, and free money for unproductive works waH included in the repertoire of this free and easy band of troupers. The construction of unnecessary roads to uninhabitab1e places will, if their promises are fulfilled, be a feature and a priority in the programme of works for the State under the new order. Reading the less romantic part of this report of their activities, it will be seen that the four delegates in their respective Parties are most enthusiastic in their proposal to build a road to Port Alma.

This road will be within my electorate and it will cover 16 miles of mud, mangrove flats, and low swampy land.

The proposal of a road to this place, which can only be described as a Stygian Creek, owes its sponsorship to another of the Liberal glamour boys, Mr. George Pearce, M.P. It was a result of complaints from officers on boats being loaded at Port Alma that there was no opportunity for them to go to the city to obtain or indulge in the usual amenities that sailors expect when they come to port. This will be appreciated by the fact that it is impossible to build a house or other habitation within sixteen miles of this point and the nearest town of any size is Rockhampton, 37 miles _away.

Port Alma, as it has been rather loosely named, owes its creation to the pre-railway days, when large ships unable to negotiate the shallow reaches of the Fitzroy River to Rockhampton, unloaded and reloaded their cargoes onto and from a jetty-like ramp which was erected at the mouth of what is known as Raglan Creek. As a consequence, Port Alma was established. Upon the construction of the railway line from Gladstone to Rockhampiton, a branch line was built from Bajool to Port Alma. This was a very expensive project because of the ballast that had to be poured on the mud flats. That branch line was built for some 16 miles.

All wharf and other labour is transported to and from Rockhampton, a distance of 37 miles, each way, and on occasions labour has been draw from the port of Gladstone.

The cost of transport, tlravelling time, meals, etc., which has to be borne by the l'mployer or shipping company, is naturally reflected in the high shipping freights, and in the long run it is a burden on the producer.

The cost of building this proposed road some years ago was estimated at £230,000, a

figure which could be doubled today. According to Mr. Pearce, M.P., the Federal Government are very sympathetic in finding the money for this project.

Mr. Pizzey: Before, you were growling because they would not make it available; now you are growling because they are.

lUr. BURROWS: They only make it available wherever it suits their friends and sponsors.

Mr. Morris interjected.

Mr. BURROWS: You wait until I finish this. I have more respect for public money than the hon. member for Mt. Coot-tha ha3.

The cost of building this road some years ago, was estimated at £230,000. According to newspaper reports Mr. Pearce claims that the Federal Government will make this money available. However, the application was forwarded through the Treasury Department here not only on behalf of Port Alma, but on behalf of the Gladstone Harbour Board, but I understand it has not been answered yet. No doubt if the State closed down every other road under construction in Central Queensland and applied all its resourcesmanpower, labour, and material--to the construction of this road it could be built. It is easy for hon. members opposite to advocate its construction; they are more concerned about getting Mr. Pilbeam into Parliament than giving service to the primary producers and the men who are doing a good job for primary production. I quote from a statement by members of this glamour-hunting expedition. The following is an extract from ''The Rockhampton Bulletin'' of 31 January 1955:-

, 'Continued support by the Liberal and Country Parties for the construction of a road to Port Alma was expressed by the Leader of the State Country Party (Mr. K. J. Morris) and Mr. A. W. Munro, M.L.A., yesterday.

''Further investigation was made into the Port Alma road project which both parties had strongly recommended and would urge the Government to construct.''

I am pleased that those two hon. members are in the Chamber now.

The Rockhampton Harbour Board is the authority which is normally charged with the responsibility of financing the construction of these projects, but that Board, although not bankrupt of ideas in spending public money-wasting it-is hopelessly and irretrievably insolvent. It has defaulted in respect of its obligations for interest and redemption in respect of Treasury loans to the extent of over £1,000,000. It has dissipated all that money-not only at Port Alma-in trying to secure a port closer to Rockhampton than Gladstone which is 69 miles south of Rockhampton by road. The result is that the debt is a burden on the whole of the State. Any further exploration to find another port will have to be done by means of Government grant or free


money. The futility of this road proposal will be better appreciated if I read a statement that was made a few months before the arrival of the ''riders of the night'' at Rockhampton. Mr. J·effries, the ex-mayor and chairman of the Rockhampton Harbour Board engaged in a controversy with a Mr. Homer who was advocating the building of this road. Mr. Homer is generally recog· nised as ene of the Lakes Creek stooges and the man who was to look after the interests of private enterprise. This is what was said by Mr. Jeffries, a former mayor of Rockhampton and for some years chairman of the RockhaU::pton Harbour Board, in his reply to Mr. Horner-

"Mr. Homer is asking for a road to be built over mud flats running parallel to a railway line which is rusting from want of use. He does not tell us as to what will be the advantage of adding this additional means of transport, but starts to make a generalised statement that it will encourage industries and improve the turnround in shipping. But how will the road accomplish these very desirable things~

"I submit as follows: (1) The existing railway transport system between Port Alma and Bajool is more than adequate to convey all the freight required to be transported. Statistics disclose that it is capable of transporting in a few weeks all the traffic that uses the port in twelve months. (2) It will be expensive to construct and to maintain; the cost would make it uneconomic and would not warrant its construction. (3) Whilst Port Alma is an excellent port its situation makes it unsuitable for Rockhampton requirements, and should be used only until port facilities can be constructed within the river. (4) Port Alma, being situated on extensive ~alt pans makes it practically impossible Without ~normous expense to provide the necessary high grounds for building warehouses and homes. At high tide the area is covered as far as the eye can see. No livestock can be kept there. (5) It has no water available for shipping, domestic or general use.''

That is the opinion of Mr. Jeffries, and I am sure it is the opinion of the great majority of honest, fair-minded people in Ce~tral Queensland about the possibilities. of Port Alma. This is the project about which the hon. members for Toowong and Mt. Coot-tha and the other two members of the delegation were so enthusiastic. They were certainly generous in their promise to spend another £500,000 in improving faciliti.es! The nearest fresh water is over 17 miles away. Some years ago the Rockhampton Harbour Board called tenders for the supply of stone to be used in reclamation work, but the cost was so prohibitive that it did not go on with the job.

The existing jetty is worn out and needs replacing. That in itself, on present-day eosts would mean the expenditure of hundred~ of thousands of pounds. The area is

infested with sandfties and mosquitoes and those disabilities alone would be sufficient to condemn it as a suitable place at which men could work and live.

Very few people in Central Queensland want to persevere with the project, and I should think that very few have ever visited this most uninviting place. No-one in his right senses could seriously or sincerely sug· gest that any Government should build a port in that area. It is the last place on earth. It could never be a first-class p~rt. The piles are now in 50 feet of mud. Piles of 90 feet had to be used, so that they could be left 40 feet out of. the ground, and even with piles of that length no solid foundation could be got. At present the cargo han.dled at Gladstone and Port Alma is approximately 250 000 tons but Gladstone handles 7 tons to the one ton at Port Alma. The point I make is that hon. members opposite inves· tigated the proposal. I am glad that the hon. member for Toowong is in the chamber to hear my remarks.

Some years a(fo a commission of inquiry under the chairr:anship of Professor Brigden recommended that Port Alma be closed and that Gladstone be the overseas port for Central Queensland. Since then t~e Glad~tone harbour has greatly improved m effiCiency and capacity. I commend that report par· ticularly to the hon. member for Toowong.

An Opposition lllember: Why pick on him~

Mr. BURROWS: Because I honestly believe that he would have the capacity to appreciate the nat~re of ~he re1~ort and could, if he used h1s capamty, arnve at ~ fair and just conclusion. As a matter of fact I am astonished that the hon. member allo~ved his name to be associated with the recommendation and particularly the statement that the matter had been investigated. I submit that had a proper investigation been made it would have revealed that interest and redemption on the proposed road alone, in relation to the tonnage of cargo handled at these places, would be 30s. a ton on every ton of cargo handled at the port. In face of that hon. members opposite said that they made an investigation and they enthusiastically made the recommendation. The average harbour dues at Gladstone are 3s. a ton, but to pay for the road alone it would be necessary to impose a charge of 30s. a ton. Hon. members opposite may ask how I arrive at that, but I say that they are qualified accountants and should be able to arrive at costs. I challenge them to put before this Chamber the facts from which they drew their conclusions. It is true, that harbour dues are paid by the shipping companies, but who, in the final analysis, has to pay-the producer and the farmer. The farmer is a worker. The burden must ultimately be placed on the producer.


It is interesting to recall that notwithstanding that the Rockhampton Harbour Board has defaulted to the extent of £1,000,000 it still has the worst port facilities in the State. In view of the facts I l1ave quoted, the futility of the transaction, particularly in these days of high costs, must be apparent to everybody.

Efficiency in port handling is absolutely essential, and I submit that we in Gladstone have gone further towards achieving that objective than any other port in Queensland. Coal is unloaded from railway wagons and reloaded into ships at a cost of less than 4s. a ton, including harbour dues. It is possible at G lad:,tone to load 9,000 tons of coal in two days without the working of a night shift, whereas at Port Alma it would not be possible to load that quantity in 200 days. That is the place that hon. members opposite claim would be so economic.

The Leader of the Opposition has completely somersaulted in this matter. Only: a few years ago he was one of these horsemen to whom I have referred. I do not know whether he was slaughter, famine or death, but it appears that now he is prepared to slaughter Gladstone and to concentrate on Port ~\lma. Referring to Gladstone, he said on that occasion-

'' A port that has done everything possible to build its trade and, do not forget, the best port we have on the coastline, and one of the best ports we have in the 1vorld. Now it is proposed that it just lie there rotting, doing nothing.''

Tilnt is how the Loader of the Opposition referred to Glndstone when he criticised the Government for not developing it. He has even castigated me for not advocnting its greater use as n port. In addition to spending many thousands of pounds on capital expenditure, the Gladstone Harbour Board today has a credit balance in its revenue nccount of £50,000-odd. I should like to know what has caused the changed attitude of the Leader of the Opposition.

When the hon. member for Toowong allowed it to be published that he, in conjunction with the hon. member for Mt. Coot-tha, had investigated this matter, he submerged professional ethics for the sake of political gain. I do not like saying that of a mnn for whom I have a good deal of respect, but he is one of Queensland's leading accountants-at least he was before he entered Parliament-and he should not allow his name to be associated with a wild-cat, hare-brained scheme to divert money, men and material from useful work to such a useless and wasteful extravagance as the building of a road to 1vhat I have already referred to as a Stygian pool. The hon. member might he able to plead that he was talking politically and not professionally when he endorsed the recommendation to have this road built, but he must accept the responsibility. I should be very interested if he

would lay on the table of this Chamber the facts and figures upon which he came to that conclusion.

The hon. member for Cunningham is another man associated with a grain organisation. That organisation exports thousands of tons of grain through Central Queensland. Before it exported it the officers of the organisation investigated both Port Alma anit Gladstone. As a consequence, they are continuing to export grain through Gladstone. :Moreover they spent quite a few thousand pounds i;1 building sheds and in installi:1g equipment at Gladstone for the purpose. x et the hon. member for Cunningham went to Hockhampton and said in effect, ''We will build your road to Port Alma no matter what h costs.'' He ought to know that hundreds of farmers throughout the State want necessary roads but for political purposes he submerged his principles and said he would back this ridiculous proposal.

That the hon. member for Mt. Coot-tha should he attracted by the proposal is understanda hie ns he is usually less temperate and generallv we do not regard him as a man who wo;1ld pny much attention to facts and other matters as we normally would the hon. member for Toowong. He is the 110isest member of the bunch and I think there is no need for me to condemn his attitude because if a wild-cat or preposterous proposal were presented to the House he would be the first to stand up and support it.

I deplore the fact that the majority of hon. members opposite allowed themselves to be associated with this proposal and I should be particularly interested if. they could produ~e evidence tlmt thev inYest1gatecl the economic possibilities of "the road. I particularly request the hon. member for Toowong when he spenks in this debate-and I hope h~ doesto produce the figures of tonnages, d1stances, costs, and the authorities, on which he came to his conclusion.

I very much regret that I have not hacl time to deal with these matters as I should have liked. State and Federal Parliaments must realise that in expending public funds they have to make reasonably certain ?f some possibility of a benefit to the State m the way ef productive works.

(Time ex]'lired.)

ilir. BJELKE-PETERSEN (Barambah) ( 12.39 p.m.) : It is a pleasure to join with my Leader and others in voicing an expre~sion of appreciation and loyalty to Her MaJesty the Queen ancl appreciation of the excellent work of Her Majesty's representative, Sir John Lavarack, and Lady Lavarack. Their fine work is recognised and appreciated by all the people of Queensland.

I could not help being a little amused at the remarks of the hon. member for Flinders and the way in IYhich he outlined many of the things that ho said would he carried out in North Queensland. We have heard so much along similar lines clown through the years.

Address in Reply. [23 AuGusT.] Address in Reply. 89

1\ry attention was particularly drawn to the fact that over 40 years ago the same hon. member on entering this Assembly expressed appreciation of the Government for the Bill they brought down in relation to ironsmelting works at Rockhampton.

Jir. Forde: That is not true. I never suggested smelting 1vorks being established at Rockhampton.

lllr. BJELKE-PE'l'ERSEN: Iron and steel works. I believe that that would apply to many other similar suggestions for North Queensland.

Jir. }'orrle: That was never suggested at any time by any Government that I know of, in relation to Rockhampton.

J[r. BJELKE-PE'l'ERSEN: There is perhaps very little need to worry about this because, as we know, this Session is the last in the present Parliament, and in all probability it will prove to be this Government's last term of office.

No doubt there are many hon. members opposite who consider it a sheer impossibility because they have been in power so long, and because they know they have a very decided advantage on election day because of the way in which the electorates have been defined. There is no question that very many of the electorates are divided or arranged verv much in favour of the Government. You ha,:e only to take the electorate adjoining Barambah. Those who know these areas will realise that Nanango has a very good Labour vote. Portion of the South Burnett area has hc>en includccl with part of Ipswich in the Somerset electorate. This sort of thing has been done in many other areas throughout the State. Nevertheless we know that sooner or later all dynasties come to an end. 'Ne 8aw this in the fall of the Hitler regime; we see it now in the beginning of the end of the Peron regime in Argentina. He certninly has been all-powerful for very many years.

We see the drift of events now on every hand. I am not alone in this belief; rank and file members on the Government side of the Chamber are also thinking along these lines. Just a week prior to the commencement of this S0ssion I happened to be out West and some men said to me, ''Do you know that Mr. So-and-so (referring to a Government member) does not expect to hold his seat after the next election~'' I said, "How do you make that out~" They said, ''He was speaking about how he could get the pension.''

I also know of another hon. member on the Government side who has been making very discreet inquiries as to possible employment in the event of his and his Government's defeat at the next elections. Even the Government as a whole realise the possibility of their defeat.

The Premier spent a good deal of time in North Queensland recently. That is to his

credit, but one could almost perhaps be forgiven for thinking that he may be contemplating taking up residence there.

::llr. Aikens: Could it not be that the N orthemers have them on the run?

JUr. BJELKE-PETERSEN: I do believe that is so. For obvious reasons which have impelled the Premier to endeavour to consolidate his Government's position, he has seen the writing on the wall, as we all have. vVe have seen it in the recent Victorian State elections, we saw it here in the City Council elections, and n·e saw it in the local authority elections throughout the State. In some instances every Labour candidate was completely and utterly defeated. All this clearly indicates the drift of events. At the time of the Victorian election the Premier was not quite sure which way events would go. There was some sort of hidden feeling of the invincibility of the Labour Government; they found it hard tv concei vc of any possibli ty of defeat. In case things did not go so well the Premier decided it would be better to send his dcpnty so that in the event of the possible defeat of the Government in Victoria it would not detract. ham his own personal prestige. We know that the wisdom of the Premic r 's decision was justified by the results of that election. He was not quite sure then on which sirle of the Labour Party he would be compelled to 1-itantl and he wished to avold Tesponsibility on that occasion. But hon. members opposite should realise that a Government divided against themselves cannot stand. That is the main assumption on which I base mv assertion that this will be the last term "of office of this Governmcn t. To add to the Gowrnment 'so diffic'ulties, the Premiel' and some of his Ministers have very considerably confused many of their supporters first of all by bitterly attacking and opposing Dr. Evatt and the Federal Executive ami later turning a complete somersault and standing side by side with the defender of Communism, Dr. Evatt. \Ve know that the Premier was forced to nclopt that policy and we know that he was m very happy about it. Does that inspirr IJnfidence in any section of the community "I Does it lead to good government? The answer is obvious. The Treasurer and other Ministers when engaging in the campaign next year, will stand shoulder to shoulder with the man whom they so bitterly condemned and opposed. Certainly politics make for strange bedmates. The public are concerned because of the hostility between the go\·erning authority of the Labour PaTtY and the Government. We know that membc1:s of the Government Party have been severely eastiga ted aml ridiculed and belittled to such an extent that there is no doubt who are the rulers and masters in this State. It is because of the general criticism and defiance of the Government and their leaders that we feel there is a great danger of the Government's doing things to maintain their standing with those who are their masters. That is why we fear that this


Session we may have legislation introduced that will Le detrimental to the economic welll>eing of our State. Take the Secretary for Labour and Industry who has been severely dealt with behind the scenes and through the Press. 'l'hat gentleman has been directed to bring in a Long-service Leave Bill to provide for benefits that will increase the cost of goods. Not only does that apply in connection with long-service leave, but to many other measures that we fear will be brought l1efore the House that will add to the cost of industry. Membetrs of the Trades and Labour Council are advocating the introducing of a 30-hom week, and it behoves the Minister to assure the public that his GoYernment ha,-e HO intention of introducing a 30-hour week as they introduced a 40-hour->Yeek on the eve of an election a number of years ~go. Because of the present positim;, we feel th11t the Government will t11ke drastic steps to regain their standing. I think the lioYernm0nt should aim to enact legislation they will not add further to co:;ts in industry.

In regard to costs, I ask hon. members to cast their minds back to the purchase by the Government of the new dredge, ''The Groper''. That was built overseas at a cost ll

10t of £2,000_ or £20,000, but over £200,000

('draper than 1t could be built in Queensland. 'l'h.a~ sta~e of Rffairs is alarming, and in my opmwn 1s a shadow of coming events.

I have said on various occasions that union leaders through their efforts to justify and consolidate their positions and by their incessant demands in all directions are creating a position when they will be the working man's greatest enemy. The purchase of that vessel overseas is an instance of that. At the handing-over ceremony the Treasurer spoke very vaguely about somebody having to look around some\Vhere, somehow, at some time, to see that costs were reduced. I was rather amused to hear that statement in view of the fact that this Government were largely responsible for many increased costs in recent years. They certainly started the ball rolling with the introduction of the 40-hour week. Costs such as land tax, registration fees, and so on, have been increased. Of course if the blame is attributed to someone else, 'there is always the possibility that many people will believe the statement, and that is evidently what the Treasurer had in mind when he said that somebodY else would have to see that costs were reduced.

Hon. members will recall the concern of many people when the contract for the new railway bridge over the Brisbane River at Indooroopilly was given to an Italian firm. That was done because industry here could not compete with overseas firms.

The Secretary for Agriculture and Stock has told producers that they will have to guard against being priced out of world markets. I do not know if the Minister was suggesting that primary producers should work harder, longer, or more efficiently but I know the position in many of our i~land areas.

In regard to mechanisation primary producers are very well equipped and are doing their best to compete on overseas markets, but the price of many things -they are called on to purchase is beyond their control. The Minister and the Government are responsible for the price of many of those things.

~Ir. Power: You were not too pleased with Sir Arthur Fadden at Southport the other day.

IUr. BJELKE-PETERSEN: And very many more people are much more displeased with this Labour Government. Taxes are levied in respect of cows, pigs and other primary produce, yet the Minister tells primary producers to keep down costs so as to prevent their being priced out of overseas markets. Knowing the position of the Government at the moment, it is felt that they may make a last desperate bid to appease their masters l>y introducing measures that will further adversely affect the economy of this State. The public are confused not only from a political point of view but also by the administration of this Government. One day we read in the Press that the Premier in =" orth Queensland told representatives of the dairying industry there that his Government would not do anything to hurt the industry that they represented. And then a little later on we read in the Press where another supposedly responsible Minister of the Crown was condemning the Queensland Butter Board.

Mr. Power: I gave them the same as was gi.-en in South Australia.

Mr. BJELKE-PETERSEN: This condemnation displayed a lack of knowledge on the part of the Minister of the board's work, particul:uly when he spoke of exces~ profits and how the bonnl should be able to absorb some of those profits.

lUr. Power: The worker is paying the 3,tc1.

Mr. BJELKE-PETERSEN: He is depriving the primary producers of what they arc justly entitled to get. He went on to say that he would not allow the public to be fleeced so that the board could pay off its £500,000 expansion programme in 10 years. Did not the Government approve of the scheme' ::-Jow we can really understand why there are many worthwhile industries that are not interested in coming to Queens!Rncl. The Minister himself knm1·s tl;e posit'on nml I say that he should apologise to the members of the Queensland Butter Board and the dairying irtdustry for his remarks. The dairying industry has been criticised by many as being inefficient but in this instance when the organisation is undertaking an expansion progrRmme it is criticised by a responsible member of the Gov·ernment. Instead of criticism there should be encouragement, particularly when butter coneentrates are being purchased in large quantities ovemeas. The Government should be helping our export trade because it helps to build up the living


standards in Australia. I reminu tlt•c Gov· emment of the value to this Commonwealth of our wool, wheat, meat and butter exports. The Government should have been encournging instead of condemning this wonderful organisation. By their actions members of the Government Party will be condemned in their electorates at the next election and I will see to it that vvhat they sny and do in eonnection with this matter will be hTOaclcast in their electorates. They will havf> something to answer for unless they adopt a more realistic attitude towards the people they allegedly represent. I will do my best to see that their words and actions are publicised.

·when I heard the Attorney-General's remarks about the Butter Board, particularly about the ability of the board to absorb increased costs :i: tried to recall of any time that the Minister had refused to accept an increase in his own salary. When incr·eases in parliamentary salaries were granted hP took fine care to see that he got everything· thnt was coming to him; in fact he took it with both hands.

1\'Ir. Power: I am a full-time member, "·hereas you are only a part-time member.

lUr. BJELKE-PETERSEN: And many people are working full time for the benefit of the dairying industry. The Minister's n·marks and attitude would carry much more weight if he had been consistent in the past and had set the people an example.

The Attorney-General seems to think he is the only one who knows what people should receive for their products, but by accepting all increase in his parliamentary salary he has imposed an additional burden on the very people whom he says he is trying to p1otect. The Minister should pra·ctise what he preaches, and that applies to the Government as a whole. They say they are trying to keep clown costs, but what are they doing about increased land values, increased motorvehicle registration fees, and State land tax? The Attorney-General condemned the Butter Board and regulated the tyre manufacturers and the oil companies. Are the Government's actions consistent with what they preach~ Has there not been an additional burden imposed on the people by increased land valuations throughout the State~ Let the Minister ask the people of Southport what they think about increased land valuations! By their actions, the Government have proved that they are the last word in inconsistency. In addition, they are not encouraging industry to come to this State. I admit that some industries have beeJl established here, but they are few in comparison' with those in other States, particularly South Australia. People will not establish industries in Queensland because they know they will have to run the very great risk of having the Minister in charge of prices on their backs.

ilir. Power interjected.

Mr. BJELKE-PETERSEN: The Attorn('y-General, by refusing to increase the price

of petrol, is preventing Queensland from getting high-octane petrol. The day will come when he will have to admit that the oil companies are entitled to the price that they seek. In the meantime, the Government are doing the people of this State a very grave injustice through the actions of the Attorney-General. The same applies to home-owners who have been kept to 1942 values. They have been treated anything but fairly over the years. I know of men who will not do anything to build homes simply because of the attitude of the Minister and his Government. It is Queensland's misfortune that we have had a Labour Government for so long. A comparison with South Australia shows what a clifferen~e a geYernment can make to a State. I am satisfied, in spite of what is said to the contrary, that the Queensland Gove,·nment have prevented development here. However, all those aspects will be apparent when the Labour Government are no longer in power.

It is generally known that at an art gallery one is better able to grasp what an artist seeks to convey if one stands well back to view the pictme. By the same token, if one stands too close to a situation one is likely to be confused by all its implications. That is what has happened with the Queenslnnc1 Labour Government who have lleen too close to the helm of affairs for so long. It ici impossible for them to see the clear, oYeral! picture, \Yhile those of. us who have been standing a little further back know that a change of goYernment at the next election will he in the best interests of the State. Undoubedly, there will then be a return to a broader and more realistic approach to problems confronting Queensland.

JUr. TURNER (Kelvin Grove) (2.23 p.m.) : I am sure that every hon. member who \Yas privileged to visit the recent Royal Show will unhesitatingly agree that it was the finest that this State has ever seen. Some would go so far as to :;ay that there has been nothing in Australia to compare with it. Every phase of industry and activity from the far North down to the border was exhibited. Anv man who saw the Show and failed to appr;ciate the work of this Government must be blind indeed to all the help that the Government have given to all sections of industry because it was apparent everywhere.

The Department of Agriculture and Stock desenes great praise for its exhibit. It was an education, to dnirymen, particularly on the cultivation of pasture land anll the layout of fanns. One striking exhibit showed new land being prepared for planting and then followed the successive processes up to the time the cows were feeding on the pasture.

Next to it was the Forestry Department's exhibit. The officers responsible for that display deserve full marks for their conception of how a forest can be brought into the


city. Realism was carried so far as to bring even a waterfall and growing flora into the heart of the Show so thnt 1'isitors might well think they were walking through a northern fOTe,t. The sub-Department of Irrigation and Water Supply is also entitled to full marks for its exhibit of a model of the Tinaroo Falls Scheme. That working model was a real education to the people. It showed the fall of the water, the action of the water and all the scientific details that few of us ever have an opportunity to discover for ourselves. I read in the paper a few weeks ago that the hon. member for Clavfield was reported as having said that afte1: the next elections that scheme would cease.

l\Ir. H. B. Taylor: Who said that? That report was quite wrong.

lllr. TURNEI~: The hon. member did not contradict it. It is a pity he did not contradict it because he is not· in the habit of making such statements.

Mr. H. B. Taylor: I said priority should he given to the Tully Falls project.

lUr. TURNER: The newspaper reported the hon. member as saying that after the next elections that would stop. I wondered whether it was an inference that this Government, after being re-elected next election, would stop this 1vork. I am very glad to have the denial of the hon. member that he was responsible for such a statement. I think the Press owe him an apology.

Another exhibit by a Government department was the display by the aboriginals. It reflected tremendous credit on the Labour Government for their work with the natives in encouraging them to take up different callings and trades. It is evident that they have become highly skilled in the work that they have s(']ceted. Every item in the exhibit was a joy to see. I was delighted to see how it attracted the public, particularly city people, a number of whom do not think that the native is capable of doing anything. The display included everything from furniture to harness, anything you could think of, and it should convince the sceptic that natives have their fair share of skill. It is to the everlasting credit of the Department of Health and Home Affairs that it has encouraged the native people to take up these callings. On one occasion I had the privilege of visiting the Cherbourg Mission Station. Luncheon was provided by the girls of the domestic science class at the State School. These native girls put on a luncheon that would do credit to anyone, let alone native girls with such a Yery short period of training.

I propose to make a few constructive suggestions in connection with the Show. I share the opinion of His Excellency concerning the exhibiting and judging of live stock. I was pleased to hear a professor a few nights ago say that no beast should be judged on its beauty; that it should be judged on its reprodnctiveness fm dairying purposes or for the fat stock market. I think the fairest way to judge and the most satisfactory is on their

sale value. I did not attend the sale but I read in ''The Courier-Mail'' that a bull was sold for £6,000. That is a lot of money in anybody's country. I think that the number of people 1vho engaged in bidding would be a good indication of the quality of the animal. One may judge an animal and place it first while another equally capable judge may not give it the same marks. I think the fairest way is to decide by the number of people bidding at the sale.

Jlr. }!orris: They bid a lot on the show record of the beast.

1\Ir. TURNER: Some people do, but the farmer who is interested in improving his stock wants an animal that he thinks will increase his productive capacity. The number of people bidding is an indication of how many producers consider that the beast will improve their stork. For that reason I tllink it would he of advantage if the Royal Xational Association considered a change in the system of judging animals. I also suggest to the Association that instead of giving £BOO in prize money for the best trotter at the show it shoulu award the money to stock classes so as to benefit cattle and sheep producers, particularly dairymen.

I haYe before me an adYertisement by the Intcxcolonial Boring Co. illustrating various machines used by the man on the land and <lescrihed as ''The key to the man on the land.'' Instead of giving a prize that would benefit people who buy such machinery, the company offers a prize of £680 for the champion trotter at the show. Many of the people 11·ho own the trotters that compete at the Exhibition come from the other States, and on many occasions the prize money is taken South. If the two amounts of £300 and £680 were offered as prizes to benefit Queensland producers much good would result. That is not destructive criticism; it is constructive criticism. I invite the Royal National Association to consider my suggestions.

I congratulate the moYer and seconder of the Alldress in Reply. Even the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party went out of his way to give the hon. member for Fortitude Valley full marks for his addreas, although he did criticise him for his comments about the General Motors-Holden Coy. The hon. member for Toowong spoke in defence of the profit made by General Motors-Holden's hut the only thing he told us, other than that mentioned by the hon. member for Fortitude Valley, was that materials cost 51.4 per cent. He gaye a figure of £:JO,OOO,OOO as being shareholders' funds. Mr. 'l'rout, the President of the Liberal Party, also defended the company, hut strangely enough, next day a comparative statement was published in ''The Courier-Mail,'' which to my mind supports the statements of hon. member for Fortitude Valley. It read&-

''The Broken Hill Pty. Co. Ltd. earns its profits the hard way compared with General Motors-Holden's. Here is a line-up of the

Address in Reply. (23 AUGUST.] Address in Reply. 93

assets, profits, year's pay-rolls and other figures taken from the latest accounts of the two companies."'

This is the table-

Total assets Net profit

After-Taxation Depreciation

G.MB.H.P. Group. Holden's.

(all in £'s.) 86,543,271 40,921,007

4,341,114 9,923,282

4,009,022 Not shown 5,038,538 1,281,549

Dividend (per cent.) 9-1/6 p.c. 260 p.c.

Dividend amount 2,526,334 4,550,000 Capital 26,698,190 2,311,600 Shareholders'

funds 52,572,524 30,344,530 Payroll 29,053,342 12,667,227

l\fr. Trout in his defence of the company sai<l that it paid £12,667,227 in wages and that Commomvcalth taxes and duties amounted to £7,000,000. In his effort to deceive the public he inrluded import duties. He did not mention the income tax that it paid. He used the figmc of £7,000,000 for taxes and duties to confuse the public. The amount of taxation was not disclosed in the balance sheet of the companJ··

Auyone \Yho has had the privilege of inspecting the B.H.P. works \Yil! realise how necessary it is to replace machinery. Very heavy materials are used and machinery has to he replaced from time to time. The depreciation for the General Motors-Holden's company is £1,281,549-a very small percentage of its total assets. The depreciation for the B.H.P. group is £5,038,538-a far greater percentage of its total assets. The di.-idend represents n per cent. and its total assets are £8G,OOO,OOO, against a dividend of 260 per eent. for General Motors-Hoidens.

I think the hon. member for Fortitude Valley \Yas Yery kind and generous in his criticism of General Motors-Hoidens. If he had been in possession of my information I am sure his remarks would have been stronger. IV e have to realise too that General MotorsHoidens would not be able to exist but for the material supplied by B.H.P., an organisation that is regarded as a primary industry whereas General Motors-Hoidens is looked upon as a secondary industry. Therefore, it would appear that a secondary industry is worth more to the people than a primary industry. I am glad that the exposure by the hon. member for Fortitude Valley caused General Motors-Hoidens to give £7,000 to the Queensland 1 :niversity. The hon. member has done much for Queensland. He shamed this organisation to such an extent that it had to come forward with this gran·t from their profit of £9,000,000.

I congra tu late the hon. member for Bremer on his speech, particularly that part of it where he referred to the Dinmore Pottery. The hon. member organis·ed a party of

Bicmlwrs of Parliament to visit the pottery about three wecb; ago. The hon. members for Fitzroy, Mackay, Bunmda and myself visited the pottery and we were amazed at the work being done by the company virtually in the bush. It is doing a tremendous job not only for Queensland but for Australia particularly when only a very small percentage of its material is imported. Virtually everything comes from the surrounding district; the plant is situated on the raw material. It is turning out 1,800 clay pipes a day. It is installing new machinery and kilns which, when in operation will incTeasc its output of pipes to 3,500 a d~v. '\Vhat a tremendous help this will be to tl;e BTisbane City Council in extending its sewerage system! 0.-er the years complaints have been made about the shortage of pipes. It \Yas said that the Hume concTete pipe was equal to the glazed eaTthenware pipe but till_le has proved that to be incorrect. One mam sewer bToke clown because of the action of acid on the concrete pipes.

On the day of our visit pottery porcelain enamelware was being made. The product used in the glazing of this ware is the only product imported into this country. A_ll kinds of enamelware are made and on thrs day it was making sanitary. pedestals. I was (lLlighted to sec two nahve boys workmg ns tradesmen. Tlwy are apprenticed to the firm and they were turning out work as good as that clone by white people. One lad \i as 16 and the other just over 17. The manager told us that the native boys had some peculiar aptitude that enabled them to work easier, faster, and ·with better effect than white people. The lads were tnrmng out a splendid job. The plant averages about 60 pedestals a day. One is amazed with the work in the different sections and the linking together of all the sections. As ,;·ell as sanitary pedestals, hand-bltsins and urinal stands, every conceivable thing necessary for hygiene in hospitals and ~ther pla.ces is being turned out. There Is nothwg of that kind of ware that they cannot make. They have only one imported man, the pattern-maker, who came from England. It astounds the average layman to see the amount of thought and work that has to be devoted to the pattern making so as to allow for s!Hinkage in the drying-out process.

The hon. member for Bremer gave a very lucid address on socialism and in doing so, he referred to the fact that hon. members opposite have rectmtly, and for some unknown reason, changed the term that they apply to this Govennnent, and to all Labour people, from communistic to socialistic. Previously they always referred to this Government as a Communist Labour Government but now they refer to it as a Socialist Labour Government. The hon. member for Bremer gave them a lesson on what socialism really means. If members of the Country Party were honest and sincere in their beliefs and practices they would be members of the Australian Labour Party, because everything they are doing


today tends towards socialism. The most S{fcialised industry in Australia is the sugar industry, The only thing lacking to make it, completely socialised is the refining of the sugar. The industry grows and mills the sugar, but leaves the refining to the C.S.R. Company.

Every farmer now believes that he should. have his organisation, just as the worker in industry believes that he should have his nnion. It is only by collective bargaining that we can get anywhere. The days have gone when the worker hawkeu his labour at so much a week. Nowadays when a man applies for a job, both he and his employer know the rate of pay and the working conditions. I am Yery happy that the farmers are now doing the same thing.

Another socialised industry is the Committee of Direction of Fruit Marketing; it is worked on a socialistic pattern. Who would say that the Committee of Direction has not done a great job for the man on the land f It has established pools for bananas, pineapples and vegetables, and for eYery other section of the farming industry in which it is interested. It has also established factories at Banyo, Rockhampton and Cairns, and in Yiew of what is happening in South Africa f am of the opinion that another pinf'applo

<Canning factory should be establisheu in North Quoenslam1. Tl:e Government are helping the Committee of Direction to socialise its industry. Is it not better to have such a body to look after the interests of the farmers than to haYe the farmers chasing np all the agents in the markets in an effort to sell their products? The Committee of Direction is gradually getting complete control of the markets. It has bought out section after section. The farmers are taking their products to the Committee of Direction for sale. Only a few days ago M urray Bros. sold another section to the Committee of Direction. The Murray family have been in the marketing bnsines;; for something like 52 years, selling the farmers' goods anu living comfortablv. It will not be long before the Committ"ee of Direction completely controls the sales of all farmer products.

'When Mr. Brucc Pie was member for vVindsor he roundly condemned the Committee of Direction because it did not pay income tax. I cannot understand how hon. members who claim to be Country Party representatives ran associate with the Liberal Party. Mr. Pie, the then leader of the Liberal Party, condemned the Hotel Canberra, the Committee of Direetion, and the Poultry Farmers' Co-operative Society, because they did not pay income tax. I discovered later that he bought some shares in Poultry Farmers. I do not know whether he still has them. On the Floor of this Chamber he condemned those organisations, and yet the Country Party-or rather let me call them the left-wing people of the Opposition-associate with a party that is ()Ut all the time to destroy them rather than

belong to the party that has done everything to help them form their organisations. This Govemment compelled the farmers in the first place to set np orderly marketing, much against the majority wishes of the producers at that time.

Take the butter factories. Who would say that they could be better controlled i~ any other way than under the co-operative system? They have made a great success of their industry since they became co-operatiYe organisations.

Then take the Butter Marketing Boan1. I have said in this Chamber that there is no better-organised group in this State than the Butter Marketing Board because the men in the industry control it. They know the needs of their inuustry and they are anxious at all times to improYe it.

Where would the egg industry be today were it not for the Egg Board? Despite the criticism hurled at it in lean times when the price of feed rose and other difficulties confronted it, the Egg Board has done a maguificcnt joh. Can hon. members conceive of any poultry fanners, no matter what their production, finding a market overseas for the quantity of eggs that has been sent nbroad by the Egg Board over the yeaTs~

All this has been termed socialism. I haYe gone to the trouble of studying various dictionaries for a definition of socialism. This is W ebster 's definition-

" A political, economic theory of social organisation based on collective (or Government) ownership and democratic management of the essential means for the production and distribution of goods.''

Is not that what the sugar industry, the Butter Board, and the Committee of Direction, have donef They have collective bargnining and they a.re run on demo·cratic liues.

runk aJH1 Wagnall's new Standan1 Dictionary of the English Language has this to say-and I want hon. members opposite to understand this-

'' Socialism is distinguished from Cornmunism in not aiming at a community of goods and consumable property nor at the equal reward of all workers.''

The American Encyclopaedia, Vol. 25, says of socialism-

' ' The word is used to designate a eo-operative social organisation where 1he means for the production and distribution of wealth are the collective property of the working class.''

\Y ould you say that the man on the land, tilling the soil daily, is not a member of the working ·class~ Yet we have people coming here and associating themselves with the Liberal Party which has exploited them all their liYes. That is why the members o:t' the Liberal Party have become so wealthy.

I have a copy of a statement by Mr. Francis Williams in ''Fortune'' magazine. "Fortune" magazine is a very valuable

Address in Reply. [23 AUGUST.) Address in Reply. 9&

publication sought by people who want to know things. Mr. Francis Williams is a British Socialist, the author of books, and he was wartime Controller of News and Censorship. He was sent to the United States of America as a British delegate to the United Nations Sub-Commission on Freedom of Information and the Press. This is what he has to say-

'' I know of no better definition of the moral case for socialism than two sentences from the Declaration of Independence: ' ( 1.) We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal, thnt they nre endowed by their Creator \\'ith certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (2.) That to secure these l'ights Goyernments aTe instituted among men deriviug theiT just powers from the consent of the governed ... '

''I am a socialist lJcc:mse I believe that only within a socialist society can these rights be assured. Socialism like all political systems, is a means. Its end is a democratic society recognizing the dignity of human personality and the uniqueness of the individual. Its specific contribution to the solution of those political problems, \dw·h arc among the most intransigent facing mankind, :uises from the belief that man is not an economic but a moral being moved hy idenls and aspirations more satisfriug than those of the materialist conceptions that govern the other great political creeds of the modern world-Capitulism and Communism.

''This is the basis of the political method tlwt the socialist believes should be followed in the organization of community affairs. !~e. holds that ~ good society is possible only 1f It IS recogmzed that men have a funda· mental need to combine and co-operate. !n thi~ belief he is, it may be noted, mcreasmgly supported by the researches of biologists into the nature of life.

''Capitalism, eYen when it outgrows its more ruthless manifestations and becomes lJenevolent nnd patcrnul, is rooted in the the belief that the acquisitive instinet is the primary human instinct upon which a civi_liz_ecl community must depend. The socJa~Ist does not accept this profoundly sceptical am1 pessimistic view of human n

1ature. ~fe is no more _prepared to accept

LJC doctrme of economic man when it is presented to him in capitalist terms than he is when it is presented to him in' Comnnmist terms.

_'' 'fo th~ Communist, of course, the stage of economic deYelop_ment reached by society alone, as Engels smd, determines its form its political pattern and its cultural development. The struggle between classes whose economic vantnge point differs is so nbsolute that. it can only be resolYed by force and wrll only be ended when the largest and least advantaged of all economic classes has succeeded in destroying all others.

''The sodali;;t rejects Communism as a political method capable of achieving the good society because he cannot agree that economic interests, although important, are sufficiently absolute to justify the suppression of political and intellectual freedom and the concentration of all power in the hands of those who daim, rightly or wrongly, to represeut the interests of the lnrgest economic class. But he equally rejects capitalism as a means to the good society becnuse he olJscrves that by denying social control over economic power it reduces in practice the effectiveness of the very political liberties it claims to defend.

''At the conclusion of a meeting of the United States Chamber of Commerce, the United Press canvassed representative leaders of American business there present for their views on nn unemployment total of then over three million. 'Unemployment is a natural am1 normal development of industrial reudjustment,' said one of these leaders. And a secm•d one added, 'Unemployment is a good thing in a dynamic freeenterprise ecouomy.'

''~Within the capitalist concept they were quite right: a system of priYate capitalism requires u reservoir of economically powerless and cxpc!l(lnble human beings for its smooth functioning just us much as a Communist system requires the existence of a politically powerless nnd expendable mass fOl' its operations. The socialist, however, is concerned not with systems but with human beings. He says with all the force at his command that any system which can so dehumnuize its leaders that they can regard as 'a good thing' the infliction upon millions of their fellows of the mental and moral degradntion nnd material suffering of unemployment, of being told hy society that it has no use for them, that their strength and talents are valueless, that they are unfit to do what it is the right of aH men to do, to support themselves and their families by their labour-that such a system is immoral, because it has altogether lost sight of the true values of human life.

''I am concerned with the moral case for socialism. And that case depends, as I shall hope to show, upon absolute values rooted in the nature of man and society.

''Nevertheless, that case does not exist in a Yacnum without relation to other systems. Socialism challenges both the alternatives currently being offered to the world-Communism and Capitalism-not only because it believes them to be misconcciveCl in their estimate of the nature and the needs of man but also bec'ause of their historical records.

"Capitalism, Road to Serfdom: The failure of Communism to make men free needs no documentation by me in these pages. But let us briefly consider the record of modern capitalism. It has, it is true, immense material achievements to its credit. But since it developed out of the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth


century it has repeated a devastating pattern of boom and slump on a major scale no less than eighteen times. These recurring crises it has been able to solve only by the purges of bankruptcy and unemployment. It has required men and women to pay tribute to it by the most terrible of all submissions, the submission to blind economic forces generating their own crises and operating altogether outside the realms of logic or justice.''

lUr. DEWAR (Chermside) (3.3 p.m.) · At the outset I wish to associate myself 'vith the expression,; of loyalty to Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. and members of the Royal family, and to wish them continued good health in the tasks that they carry out so nobly and so well.

Before dealing with the matter I intend to discuss I wish to make passing reference to some remarks by the hon. member for Flinders who deliwreu his second maiden speech today. It consisted of the usual hymn of hate that we hear from die-hard Socialistscum-Labour men. The hon. member went back 30, 40 or 50 years to the horse-::md-bugi!y days. The minds of hon. members opposite do not go beyond those things; they forget that this is 1955-an enlightened age 'vhcn pc litical thoughts are different. I would not have referred to the hon. member's speech but f.or the fact, following an interjection, the hon. member made a comment in regard to the stOl'y by Courtney Whitney in ''The Courier-Mail'' dealing with General MacArthur in which it was suggested he paid great tribute to the Australian Government of the day. It is true that General Whitney gave great ·credit to Mr. Curtin, the Prime Minister at that time. In the article in ''The Courier-Mail'' of 22 August, he states-

'' For this magnificent record, MacArthur credited the sterling character of the Australian people, but even more he credited the splendid qualities of war-time leadership exemplified in Prime Minister Curtin. ''

That is quite correct. I believe that Mr. Curtin was an excellent leader, but that is no re a son why the hon. member for Flinclers can lay claim to greatness for ihe Australian Labour Party. He does it just because once in a decade it happened to produce a gren t leauer. When you take into consideration the lot kicking around these days, you realise that instead of leaders you would be hard pushed to find one who would qualify acl anchor in a tug-o '-war team. Because Ge-neral Conrtney Whitney in three lines eulogised the qualities of leadership of Mr. Curtin, the hon. member for Flinders applies that to the whole of the Australian Labour Party. That is ludicrous. The real text of what General MacArthur meant, and it is a singular fact that he did not mention the Minister for the Army, is explained in his address to the troops, the people who really represented this country. He said-

" Since April 18, 1942, it has been mv honour to command you in one of th.e

bitterest struggles of recorded military history-a struggle against not only a fanatical enemy under the stimulus of early victory, but the no-less serious odds of seeming impenetrable barriers of nature-a struggle which saw our cause at its lowest ebb as the enemy hm-des plunged forward ;rith almost irresistible force to the Yer.v threshold of your homeland.

''There, you took your stand, anll >~·ith your Allies tun1ecl the enemy n<lvance on the o,YCll Stanlcys and at Milne Bay in the fall of 1942, Ums denying him access to Australia and otherwise shifting the ticle of battle in our favour.

'' Ther·eafter nt Gona, \Vau, Salamaua, Lae, Finschhafen, the Huon Peninsula, Maclang, Alexishafen, W ewak, Tarakau, Brunei Bay, and Balikpapan, your irresistible and remorseless attack continued.''

Gcncrnl MacArthnr concludeu by saying-'' I shnll shortly relinquish this comman<l,

which throughout its tenure, you haye so loy:\lly !11H1 so gallantly supported.

''I shall do E>O with a heart full of aclmiratiou for your accomplishments nncl of a deep nflcction borne of our long comradeship-in-amrs. To you of all ranks I bid fm·ewcll. ''

Those arc the men in this country to >~·hom General !1-IaeArthur paid tribute, the men who went overseas to fight and keep the enemy from our shores, not the hangers-on then in Canberra. I wonder what General MacArthur »ould have said about the Evatts and the Chifieys of 1943 and 1944 who were not prepared to face up to the Communist-controlle .. l 'Yatcrfront, men who tied up shipping, who refused to load ships with medical supplies, materials and foodstuffs for our men in i'>ew Guinea·? No doubt the hon. member fo1· Flinders 'vns a member of that Federal Cabinet. Whnt did they do in face of this action by this enemy element in our midst? They did nothing. They put 6s. 6d. a da.v n1cn, aircraft men-and I was one of them-and privates in the Army on the wharves to load these ships. That was done because the statesmen of the Australian Labour Party were not able or did not have the guts to stancl up to the Communist-controlled waterfront. I say poppycock to the opinion of thf' hon. member for Flinders when he takes as a tribute to the Australian Labour Part,ancl Government the remarks by General ~IncArthur about Mr. Curtin.

I propose to spend some time in discussing aspects of housing in this State. On Sunda"·, 22 May, the Secretary for Public Vvorl<s and Housing in a broadcast made a great play of '':hat he alleged to be political inconsistency b:y stating that the Leader of the Country Party, Mr. Nicklin, and hon. members of the Opposition agreed with the amending Bill of 1P53 for the sale of Housing Commission homes at current valuations.

I want to draw attention to a few fundamental facts in relation to the matter. In the first place the Minister drew attention to the

Address in Reply. [23 AUGUST.] Addre8s in Reply. 97

i~sue of '' Ham;arcl'' of 2 December, 1953. So did I. At page 1641 on that clay it will be seen that the :Minister when introducing the Bill said that it provided for-

" (c) (i.) That in determining the purchase price of a house the commission shall have regard to the improved value of the appurtenant land.

( ii.) That the comm1sswn shall not agree to a purchasing price less than capital rost without first obtaining the written consent thereto of the Minister.''

What did we who were in Opposition in 1953 say'l At page 1693 of 3 December, 1953, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Nicklin, said-

'' As the hon. the Minister pointed out, the value of much of the land on which these houses were built, particularly in the early stages, has increased, and it has now been decided that the increased value of the land should be included in the purchase price. That is something with which one tannot disagree.''

At no stage did the Leader of the Opposition, at that time, make any reference to the revaluation of the houses. The Bill we were concerned with was one to make provision for the revaluation of the land. The I"eader of the Opposition and we in Opposition knew the contents of the Bill.

illr. Hilton: Read the Bill.

ilir. DEW AR: I read the Bill and I also read the Minister's comments in relation to it. I, being interested in housing had a bit to say at the time of the passage 'of that amending Bill and I refer hon. members to what I said at page 1694 of '' Hansard" of 3 December that year. I said-

" I do not think it is intended-I should certainly not like to see it happen and I should like some clarification from the Minister on the point-to revalue the homes built in 1947 and 1948 at the figures that I have mentioned before making them available for sale to their present occupants. Apart from the revaluation of the land there should be no revaluation of the house itself in order to jack up the price, to use a rommon expression, in order to get a higher figure when the house is sold to its present tenant.''

I challenge the Minister on his statement that we on this side were guilty of political inconsistency and I ask him to look in the mirror and study his own case. In no uncertain terms did the Leader of the Opposition state unequivocally that he did not cavil at the revaluation of the land, but he made no reference to the house. When I spoke I specifically stated I was not prepared to agree to a revaluation of the house. It is singular that the Minister did not reply to my query. He did not seek to clarify the point in that regard. I say therefore that he is guilty of political inconsistency.

In view of what I have just said it is interesting to refer to circular No. 758 which went

l!J55-E.

through Hou~ing Commission areas somewhere about June. However, it was following the amending Bill passed late last session. The commission stated the case of the easier purrhase of commission houses following the very sensible and sound legislation promoted by the Federal Government without any help from Queensland. This circular set out in detail how homes could be purchased by the tenants. It stated, of course, the principle which we opposed, that of selling houses in excess of the capital cost. The Queensland Government have only to repay the Commonwealth. Government the actual capital cost of the home and therefore they retain the profit which may be made, and will be made in some cases.

I heard recently that a home that had cost t1bout £1,400 was sold to the occupant for about £1,800, 1Yho in turn sold it for about £2,200. I understand that there is quite a deal of heart-burning on the part of the Government that this man was able to make £400 on the deal, and it is being said that the Housing Commission's valuation must have been too low. It is quite understandable that there should be some heart-burning in a Labour Government, which is supposed to be on the side of the worker, but we on this side of the House say that the Government should not make a profit out of these workers' homes. As the State Government have to reimburse the Federal Government only to the extent of the capital cost of the homes, that is the amount that should be paid by the purchaser.

Last week, in answer to a question by the hon. member for Mt. Coot-tha, the Secretary for Public Works and Housing said that 240 tenants had applied to purchase homes that they were renting, 27 had made inquiries regarding purchase, and 58 had been furnished with details of purchase prices. It is an amazing thing that of all those people, only nine had paid the necessary deposits. In a period of nearly four months, this great scheme that the Queensland Labour Government ostensibly forced upon the Federal Government has resulted in the payment of only nine deposits! I do not blame the occupants. 'l'hey have already gained some equity in their homes by the payment of rent over a period of years. Five years ago the homes could have been purchased for from £1,200 to £1,500, but now the Government are asking from £2,000 to £2,500 for them. This is all being done in the name of the great Australian Labour Party, which is supposed to represent the workers! It is not to be wondered at that after four months of salesmanship by the Government, only nine of the 7,000 tenants have taken the necessary steps to purchase their homes by paying deposits.

Mr. Morris interjected.

Mr. DEW AR: When we are successful at the poll-and I confidently expect that that will be next year-we shall take adequate steps to see that the workers who are occupying homes that were built by and


for the Queensland Housing Commission, get a far better deal than is being offered to them under Circular 758.

In a broadcast on 7 August, the Secretary for Public Works and Housing, referring to these imported homes, said:-

"Whilst it is true that the imported houses in the main are constructed of pine timber, as in the case of homes imported by the Commonwealth and other States, this fact was always made public and the view was never held by the Queensland Government that the imported homes, because of the pine timber used, would be equal in dmability to homes erected with local materials.''

It would, of course, be quite ridiculous for anyone to say that they were equal to local homes. I have been very baclly led astray if at any time any member of the Government said other than that these homes were a good buy and were the equivalent of anything else offering in Australia. Never have I heard any Minister or any member of the Government Party utter one word of criticism, except perhaps the hon. member for Kedron. He was quoted in the daily Press a few months ago as asking the same question as we asked on the passage of the Bill. He looked at the question cold-bloodedly without any political bias and said, according to the Press, that the Government would not be able to sell the imported homes because of their inferiority. With that exception, l have not heard any member of the Government Party suggest at any time that the houses were not up to the standard of those available in this country. So I think the Minister broadcast his statement with his tongue in his cheek. It was a square-off because it has become so evident that the homes are totally unsuited to Queensland conditions. In seeking to cover up by saying that similar houses were imported by the Commonwealth and other States, does he suggest that the climatic conditions in Queensland are not vastly different from those in Victoria, Tasmania, ancl South Australia~ The southern climate is not so different from the climate of the country of origin of the timber used as to cause rapid deterioration, but what man with any sense at all would suggest that Queensland's climate would not have a harmful effect on the timber? As has been said, it is not even good for making packing cases.

The Minister said that t!.e Housing Commission appointed a. panel to inspect these houses. I have never heard the names of any of the members on the panel, but no doubt they are all reputable in their own field. He quotes them as saying-

'' The imported house is inferior to the house built entirely of local materials but imported houses are quite adequate from the structural viewpoint.''

As a. layman I doubt it. Let me refer only to the inadequate laps of fibro and the case I brought up in this Chamber in March last where there were fewer than 100 nails in 150 sheets of fibro, or vice versa. No-one who

looked at those houses could sa.y with any degree of truth that they were structurally sound. The Minister went on to quote the panel as saying-

'' Of the three types of houses the Italian is the most attractive externally and internally. We are of the opinion that after consideration of the construction of these houses ancl the depreciation factors of the items of construction that the value of the imported houses is as follows:-

Italian house 15 per cent. less than the local house. French house 25 per cent. less than the local house. Swedish house 30 per cent. less than the local house.''

After all this talk for years about how good these homes were ancl what a. wonderful thing the Queensland Labour Government had clone in getting these homes allegedly a.hea.d of all other States of Australia., an independent panel now tells us that their value is from 15 to 30 per cent. less than the Queenslanclbuilt home of Queensland-producecl materials. I do not need to remind you, Mr. Speaker, that they cost a good deal more than the Queensland home to build. \Vhile we were importing these homes in 1952 or 1953 we actuallv sacked about 80 tradesmen off the 'rrout 'Road settlement.

ltir. Hilton: Due to your policy.

lUr. DE WAR: Due to the policy of my rolleagues, hut they gaye this GovernmC'nt so much money than by the encl of June 1954 no less a sum than £3,143,000 was in credit in the Housing Commission's accounts, yet the Government were sacking Queensland men who were working on Queensland materials at the same time as we were importing rubbish from overseas which experts now say is worth from 15 to 30 per cent. less than the local product which cost roughly 10 to 15 per cent. less to build, so that the obvious loss is somewhere in the vicinity of 40 per cent.

lUr. Chalk: You have to pay for the :Minister's trip.

Mr. DEW AR: I mentioned it once before ancl it was not disputed that in respect of the trip that the Minister made on that occasion overseas, as far as I know, nothing under the contract that he signed was ever delivered in this country. As far as I know the contract was cancelled before it became effective-that was a fair amount of money down the drain.

.:\Ir. Hilton interjected.

ltir. DEW AR: The hon. gentleman did not dispute it last time.

It is rather a significant thing, as is usually the case, that we on this side of the Chamber J)TOmote ideas and after a while the Government pick them up and bring them out like a newlaicl egg-as the latest egg of the Labour Party. Some of their eggs have become a bit bacl lately.

In view of my experience in London when I was there with the Air Force, over the last five years I have made a case fairly consistently-at least on three occasions-for the

Address in Reply. [23 AuGUST.] Address in Reply. 99

development of communal living areas. I PllYisage a place like Hawkins House in Lonilon wheTe there are four big areas groupei! together with about four or :five fioors. I am not sure how many :fiats are built in this area but probably 100 or 200 :tints. It has a playing field, swimming pools Jtn(l park land, all within the area. It is a self-contained community nnil I do not know how more gracious living could be afforded by anybody in any part of the world. I was fortunate enough to have a trip round the world at the taxpayers' expense because I was in the Service. \Vhile I have been in Parliament I have advocated this idea of fiats, particularly when we had building control. I advanced the theory, as I thought practical, of building upwards and sideways, building multiple living quarters under the one roof. This suggestion was made by me and other hon. members on this side of the House. During the last f0w months the Secretary for Public W arks ancl Housiug ha<1 a trip ol't west-somebody must have played the record ''Go west, young man' '-and after his return he expressed enthusiasm about communal living. The hon. gentleman claimed that the Housing Com· mission had developed this idea, that the Gm-ernment had looked into the matter and it would be a good thing to go in for it at In ala.

Mr. Hilton: The hon. member has it all wrong.

~Ir. DEWAR: That is what appeared in the Press; the hon. g-entleman can dispute it if he wishes to. After yeaTS of advocating it by hon. members on this side, the Government have at last agreeil to give it a trial. I commend them for their action although it is a v·ery belated one. It takes a long time for water to wear away a stone and Labour heads represent very h~rd stone. It is pleasing to know that our efforts have had some result. Hon. members opposite will be very worried during thP next few mouths b~cause of the political swing.

In conclusion, after dealing with the general aspects of housing, I always get back to my electorate, but not because I want to. Frankly, I get si~k and tir,ed of listening to the poor devils who have to put up with the shocking drainage in the area in which they live. (Government interjections.) They are only poor d,ovils because of the fact that they live in Queeitsland Housing Commission homes. The more rental homes the Queens· land Government have the happier they will be because it will mean more people they can keep under their screws with the threat of being kicked out. (Government inter jections.) I can quote cases. I repeat what I said on two pr,evious occasions-that the drainage facilitirs that exist in most Queensland Housing Commission projects are a shocking indictment of any civilised community. I received a letter dated 27 July and its contents are not news to me. I have quoted this case on two previous occasions. The sender of this letter from

47 Ballantine Street, Chermside, is probably one of the most unfortunate people in the world. He is in a Queensland Housing Commission homo, and that giv·es him priority. He is nt the end of a slope, and the old Army sewer came in in a north-westerly direction and disgorged itself into Downfall Cr,eek. About two years ago a contract to build roads in the area was let and the snccessful tenderer came with bulldozers and graders and carved out a road. Unknown to him he went through the old Army sewer and it be0ame blocked. After a matt-er of about four weeks all those people on the top side of the hill who were not supposed to put their water into the Army sewer were doing so with the connivance of the Queensland Housing Commission. They were breaking City Council ordinances by doing so. The Housing Commission has not made sumps, therefoPe it must be conniving at it. The water could not get away. I raised the matter during the debate on the J<"inancial Statement last year. I challenged the Minister to have a look at it, but he did not do so. Criticism, however, quickly gets n'sults and >vithin a few clays inspectors were out to see it. They verified the truth of my statements, and then arranged for the contractor to cut a soakage trench from where the Army sewer finished at the second house on the ;.ight in Pechey Street. He eut a soakage trench from this Army sewer to the trap in Ballantine Street. It operated very well for a couple of months. No gr,ease traps were provided and, with the sullage and grease coming down, the trench ceased to operate. lt is like the Labour Party. H has jnst abont had it. This efl!uent is still being disch:ugecl and the property is in a filthier cou(lition than it was before the sullage tnnk was constructed. The overflow is now going into this house at the corner of Ballantine Street and Pechev Street. l ask hon. memb-ers if there is an3; reason why any man should have to live under such conditions. This property and the four houses above it to the left were never provided with mmps. There is concret,e water channelling outside, but the ;property-holders are not allowed to drain into it. The State Government will not allow it. At Gravely the Housing Commission, with the approval of the Government, put in a filtration plant and treated the sullage and efl!uent from the Housing Commission's areas. I understand the cost was not great. I have no knowledge, however, of any similar action in regard to any other Housing Commission project. The hon. member for Kedron has enough troubles of his own at Trout Road. I have all the troubles I want at Chermside, but I say it is not entirely the responsibility of the local authoritv. Under the Local Government Act passed "by this Government no person or authority subilividing an area. of land for building purposes can do so unless first-class roads are provided, with adequate drainage facilities. The Government aPe the only people who do not abide by that law. The yery least that this Government should do

lOO Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.] Address in Reply.

is to bear half the cost to the local authority of providing adequate drainage for people in these housing areas.

Even under dry conditions this man's yard is a boggy mess, and it is time the Government faced up to their responsibility to overcome this position.

Jir. Hilton: What is his name?

TUr. DEW AR: Mr. Trotter, of Ballantine Str·eet.

Various statemeuts have been made about "'hat was said by the Prime Minister in relation to the allocation of one-fifth of the money to building authorities. I quote what Mr. Menzies said on that occasion-

" Frankly, we think that it would be much more satisfactOTy if the States themselyes, being in receipt of these moneys, used them in order to deal with the building societies and leuding authorities within their own boundaries. \\' e do not think that we could do that anv better than the States and we might not' be able to do it as well. If one-fifth of the amount relating to that period of three months after the expiration of the agreement were made available to lending authorities, in the case of New South "Wales, that would amount to £60,000. That, of coume, is by way of example.''

Having nniled the lid to that eoffin I want now to refer to ;mother comment by the Premier at the conference to the effect that the work of building homes in Queensland was mainly the responsibility of the State Government.

~Ir. Power: So it is.

ltir. UEW Alt: Another Minister walks in with his neck right out like an alligator. I refer him to page 79 of the Queensland Year Book which shows-

Dwellings completed by Government authorities 416

Building Contractors-Government sponsored 2,859 Other sponsorships 4,398

Owner builders 2,277

That statement shows that out of 9,950 homes completed in that year 3,275 were built by Government authorities or were Government sponsored.

Mr. Hilt on: They were all rental houses.

~Ir. DE WAR: I say that 6,675 were built by other than Government authorities, yet the Premier of this State had the audacity to say--

~Ir. Hilton: He was referring to rental homes.

Jl'Ir. DEW AR: Of course he was not. He said that in Queensland there were probably fewer building societies than in any other part of the Commonwealth and that the work of building homes has been mainly the responsibility of the State Government.

Mr. Hilton: So it is.

Mr. DEWAR: I have nailed that lie where it stands and I have shown that the Government have been responsible for building less than one-third of the homes built in Queensland.

On the matter of building societies I say it is something we can sponsor in this State to a greater extent than we have done. In New South Wales, building societies were introduced by a non-Labour Government in 193 7 but the scheme proved so successful that successive Labour Governments carried it on and gave it support. Those societies advance 100 per cent. loans to £1,540, 90 per cent. loans to £2,500, and 80 per cent. loans to £3,025. The average loan is between £2,800 and £3,000. A society, on an averag_e, lms £50,000 capital and members borrow m shares of £50. The scheme has grown to a colossal extent.

(Time expired.)

IUr. KEYATTA (Townsville) (3.44 p.m.): It is my pleasure to congratulate the mover and seconder of the motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply. Both hon. members covered the Yery wide field of useful legislation enacted by this Gov~rnment. I read with deep interest the Opemng Speech delivered by His Excellency the Governor which made a survey of the administration of the Government, showing that our policy has been one of development and keen planning in the intrests of the State.

Queensland has cl eve loped greatly f~om. the Government's policy of decentralisation, which had attracted a good deal of unwarranted criticism in certain quarters for not pursuing it. According to ''The CourierMail'' this is what the Governor-General of Australia, Sir William Slim, had to say last week-

'' Queensland acted wisely over decentralisation.

Queensland in extending its industries, had wisely f~llowed a policy of. dece~t_ralisation, the Governor-General (Sir W1lham Slim) said, opening the Royal Show yesterday.

He said this was a policy which every great industrial country in the world was now trying to follow at vast expense and trouble.

Sir William said that Queensland was great, not only because of its size and achieyements, but most of all because of its potential for development.

'If anyone tells you that som~ other city in Australia is twice or three times or 10 times as big as Brisbane-don 't let that worry you,' the Governor-General said.

'You have something more to be proud about. Of the 18 largest country towns in Australia, six-or one-third of them-are in Queensland.' ' '

Addre88 in Reply. [23 AUGUST.) Addre88 in Reply. 101

The policy of the Government, which our opponents have tried so hard to discredit, has been vindicated by the Governor-General of Australia and the Governor of Queensland, who have both distinguished themselves in world affairs.

I rder also to a statement by Senator Critchley, of South Australia, who recently visited Queensland as a member of a Federal Parliamentary party. This is a Press report of what he said-

'' Senator Critchley, of South Australia, who recently visited Queensland as a member of the Federal parliamentary party, has come back full of fine impressions. '\Vhat we saw was an eye-opener,' he remarked today, 'and as for the hospitality of the people up there, I don't think I ever experienced anything to equal it.''

SenatOT Critchle:y made special reference to the timber industry and the sugar and coal resources of North Queensland, and to the settlement of tobacco growers.

I refer also to an article written by one of Queensland's foremost journalists, Mr. H. L. \Veeks, of '' 'rhe Telegraph'' staff, who has just completed an ex ten site tour of North (~uecnsland. This is what he said-

"Population-Key to North Que·ensland. They are a proud people in the North. 'l'hey are proud of their towns, they are proud of the scenic attractions and the potentialities of their districts that await development. They have a great faith in the future of the NOTth.

But they are not quite clear yet on how the Korth is to be developed to the extent that it will carry a much greater population than it does today, and population is the great need of the North."

I am all in favour of a separate State when the time is ripe. The constitution of. the Labour Party lays it down that separate States \Yill be considered. The first essential, of course, is population and then a home market.

lUr. ])!orris: Did you know that a speaker on yom official station, 4KQ, last Sunday spoke against the formation of a new State?

J)Ir. REYATTA: The time now is inopportune. It is agninst the findings and reports of economists. Let us for the moment leave out the economist. Officers of the Chamber of Commerce in Cairns were invited to attend the conference in Mareeba but they refused to have anything to do with it. The Government are doing everything possible in the way of decentralisation and will do even more when the population is there.

Mr. H. U. Taylor: What do you think the population should be~

lUr J{EYATTA: We are working on a decentralisation policy according to the absorption of production by the population. Agriculture is a big factor and the Govemment have kept that in mind in seeking to

develop the potentialities of this great State. In Queensland there is a belt of country about 500 miles by 150 miles containing every known metal. Only recently important metals like uranium have been found, and another new one that has been tested in South Australia.

All these men I have referred to are impartial-the Governor, the Governor· General, the President of the Cairns Chamber of Commerce and Mr. Weeks. There are other articles of a similar nature. They all stress that no community can develop without population. That is why Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne have developed so rapidly. Industry will spread wherever production can be absorbed to the maximum and eventually the markets will extend to the far-flung areas.

Mr. Pizzey: Why has there been so little increase in country population in the last few years~

l'tlr. J{EYATTA: Because of the amenities in the city, ancl other factors. One of the biggest factors in the growth of population is rapid transport and there, of course, the air is predominant. Far-flung centres are, so to speak, a hop, step and a jump from the capital cities. Private enterprise will play a part in deYelopment through air transport. Companies can send agents, economists, salesmen, and workers, by plane to some far-flung town. They ·can he there in a matter of hours, clo their work in a week or two, and return in very ,little time. When the time comes that we can use the by-products from sl;gar-cane, we can have greater population in these areas by the establishment of such industries.

'l'his Government guaranteed the North Queensland Cement Co. to the extent of £488,000. 'l'hat company's production is at least 60,000 tons a year and of this the Government have guaranteed to take 50 per cent. They could take the whole of the company's output but they have allowed the other :50 per cent. to be marketed in the northern area. They have guaranteed that industry not only with money but with practical action by taking 50 per cent. of the output. There is no fairy-tale about that. I was there when the chairman of directors addressed business people and members of Parliament, including the Treasurer, and later the Premier, and told them of the assistance given by this Government. I think you will find that in the directors' report; in any event, you will find it in the Press reports, and many of the Press reporters here> can confirm what I say.

This Government have done a great deal to develop many industries. I am very happy to say that we have invested every cent we have, and that shows our faith in Townsville :md ::"\ orth Queensland.

In the last year we have seen the establishment of cement works in Townsville, Taubmans (Qld.) Pty. Ltd., the North Queensland Fertiliser & Chemical Co. Ltd.,


to mention but a few. Tip-top Paints are a thriving industry up there today and they are exporting from Townsville to the South.

. lUr. Morris: Private enterprise is helpmg you out up there.

Mr. KEYATTA: Private enterprise is essentially part of our economy; we do not deny that. Of course it is part of it but if we decided to make every industry a 'Government industry the first screams would be from our Opposition members that it was Socialism.

This Government have adopted a decentralisation policy to a greater extent than any other State, and our population is also decentralised.

Let me refer to His Excellency's Speech which says-

'' The past season in Queensland seems, from personal observation, to have been on the whole a good one. Even the far West, from Cloncurry, Mt. Isa, and Camooweal down to Bedourie and Birdsville seems t~ have shared in the general prosperity conditions. Certain parts of the State are report~d to have. had five or even six good years m successron. Stock losses due to dry conditions, have been comp~ratively small over these years.

'.'Several local authority areas suffered senous damage to roads and bridges under their control as a result of extensive floods throu?hout Queensland in the early months of thrs year. In addition to the flooding of homes and business premises in cities such as Maryb~rough and Gympie, farmers suffered extensrve stock and crop losses.''

Those paragraphs touch on a very vital matter. The time is overdue when there should be co-ordination between the Commonwealth and State Governments iu implementing a national insurance scheme to protect mdustry, farmers, and householders against loss. If such a scheme can be worked successfully during war years it can be worked equally successfully during times of peace. One of the greatest anxieties of the people is insecurity. It is only proper that if a working man suffers the loss of his home that he should be compensated for it. Such an insurance ~cheme should apply on a national scale. If a national health scheme can be operated why should we not be able to operate a national insurance scheme. I am hoper.,l that such a scheme IYill eventuate in the near future. There is nothing more disheartening than listening to the stories of people who have suffered loss. There should be a definite scheme to afford security to people in business and private life.

Our great sugar industry, which has reached record production, has been helped considerably by the department controlled by the Secretary for Agriculture and Stock. It has been helped by our system of decentralisation.

We have heard condemnation of the Government by hon. members opposite who have alleged slowness in connection with the building of the Burdekin Bridge. Recently I read

in the Sydney "Sun-Herald" that a bridge that was opened three weeks ago was 10 years under construction owing to the short supply of prefabricated steel. That is evidence of the unfairness of the criticism of the Government by hon. members opposite in connection with the building of the Burdekin Bridge. The bridge to which I have referred was only a small one compared with the Burdekin Bridge. The statement that appeared in the Press was made by the Minister in charge of the department in New South Wales and also by the engineer in charge of the work. The Prime Minister will shortly open part of a project costing £60,000,000. This huge expenditure is on the construction of steel works. The first section costing £30,000,000 will be opened shortly. That project was undertaken in an endeavour to catch up with the Jag in steel production in Australia. It is not the fault of this Government that delays have occurred in the completion of the Burdekin bridge, but Opposition members endeaYour to make political capital out of it. That is unfair. When it is fully developed the Burdekin project will provide not only water supplies for town use but also water supplies for irrigation purposes, and electricity will be generated there. After the completion of the scheme, it will be duplicated on the Herbert River, one of the richest areas in the Commonwealth. The future of Townsville will be assured. It will be the second city in the Commonwealth as well as being the second city in Queensland in the near future.

JUr. Jiorris: And the first city in the new State.

:1Ir. l{EYATTA: When the time is opportune that matter will be given consideration. Just as leaders of industry have to depend on an actuarial staff and an advisory staff, the Government and the Cabinet are guided by highly qualified people, and consideration will be given to that.

lUr. JUon·is: Why has it not been done already~

JUr. l{EYATTA: Population is one of the factors to be taken into consideration. I read an article recently by one of the foremost jomnalists in Australia, Mr. ·weeks, on this subject. It is an intelligent report and is IYOrth weighing carefully.

In the pa~t 3~ years 21 small western townships have received electricity for the first time, and investigations are being made in regard to 15 others. Negotiations for the acquisition of three private companies have now reached finality. That is an illustration of the co-ordination of the work of regional electricity boards. If it is possible to extend that amenity to the people in far-flung areas, the Government and the Minister will make sure that it is done. They are to be complimented on their work in that regard.

Another example of decentralisation is provided by the Tinaroo scheme. When completed it will cost £20,000,000 and it will


bring a further 78,000 acres into production. The tobacco industry, which has been brought into being by this project, is of great benefit to Queensland and Australia. It has meant a great saving in dollars. But for the initiative and co-operation of the Secretary for Agriculture and Stock and the Cabinet this industry would have been faced with extinction.

Mr. ~I orris: The advice given by the Department of Agriculture and Stock caused the ruination of one year's crop of tobacco because the department advised growers to use too much arsenic.

Mr. KEYATTA: The hon. member is entitled to express his view, but it has to be remembered that in many primary industries arsenic is used to combat pests and diseases. For instance, the fruit fly is responsible for desh·oying millions of pounds worth of fruit.

As I was saying, although Tinaroo has only a population of 800 it is expected that in the near future there will be 8,000 people there. The industries of the district are tobacco-growing and dairying. The Atherton 'Tableland is a dairying area and one of the richest in the world. l<'ertiliser is never used in the rich, deep Yolcanic top-soil which extends from 5 to SO feet deep. During the war years I t_ravelled down to Brisbane by train with an a1·my padre who came from a farming family in Victoria and he told me that he was amazed with what he had seen on the Atherton Tableland. He told me that before the >var he had never even heard of the Atherton Tablel::mcl. Its production figures simply nmazed him, and he stressed the future when the area was fully developed. Milk from the Atherton Tableland supplies cities and towns right clown to Townsville and out to Mt. Isa. In fact, it supplies virtually the whole of the North with milk. The farmers are directors of co-operative bodies and receive much valuable advice from the Department of Agriculture and Stock. It is possible for an individual farmer or for even the humble householder or gardener to get inforll!ation from the department on any matter which concerns him. What is more, the information is given free of cost and numerons pamphlets are issued by the department. I venture to sav that there is no more efficient a department· in the Commonwealth.

In speaking of the scenic value of North Queensland, I peThaps ran do no better than express the eulogistic references made to our tourist attractions in the North by people who come from the southern States and abroad. Quite recently a party of English golfing ladies came to the Commonwealth and travelled to North Queensland, and this Press statement shows their opinion of what they were able to see on their golfing tour-

'' Found North 'Paradise' ''Six members of the British women's

golf team passed through Brisbane yester· clay convinced that North Queensland is a tourist paradise.

''The team consists of Mrs. B. R. Bostock (Captain), J anette Ro bertson, Veronica Anstey, Briclget Jackson, Gillian Atkinson, and Dorothea Sommerville.

''They arrived at Eagle Farm airport at 1 p.m. from Mackay and left at 2 p.m. for Sydney.

'' The team has spent the last nine clays touring the North, visiting Cairns, TownsYille, and the Atherton Tableland.

'' 'Most British people have no idea of the wonderful variety of scenery here. We would all have liked to have spent much more time in the North,' Mrs. Bostock said.''

iUr. Morris: You know what the serpent in the paradise is. It is the failure of the Labour Government to provide facilities in the North.

lllr. KEYATTA: It is possible to destroy natural beauty by providing too many artificial amenities.

The statement that I have just read is a compliment to North Queensland, and I appeal to the Minister concerned to give more publicity to the tourist attractions of Townsville and its environs, particularly Magnetic Island and the Mt. Spec area. Victorians have told me that they had never heard of Magnetic Island until they went there. Although many tourists are now coming to North Queensland, there is room for thousands more. I have heard it said that the accommodation available in the North is not satisfactory, but first-class accommocla· tion is available in Townsville.

Mr. F. E. Roberts: What about the tourists who bring one shirt and a £5 note and change neither~

Mr. KEY A TTA: I would not belittle tourists by saying that of them. Many of them spend all their available finance iu visiting North Queensland.

I make a strong appeal for the erection of an Eventide Home at Townsville. 1 know that it has been listed for consideration, but it is essential that one be provided as soon as possible.

Mr. 3Iorris: Does the Government own land on which to build one~

~Ir. KEYATTA: I have asked for it.

}Ir, Jiorris: You have been asking for it for a long while.

Mr. KEYATTA: Ask, and ye shall receive. I have the Minister's assurance that the department is following a set plan, and it will not be long before Townsville has its Eventide Home.

A matter that is of vital importance to this State is the establishment of a tuna fishing industry in the waters off the east coast of Australia. Tuna fishing calls for a large boat and expensive gear, which are

104 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.l Address in Reply.

beyond the resources of the ordinary fisherman. However, there is a begging market for tuna. Japanese fishing boats come many thousands of miles and return with their boats loaded. Outside the three reefs near Townsville the sea is teeming with tuna. But the industy calls for heavy capital expenditure. I suggest that the Commonwealth Government should launch a scheme, probably on a co-operative basis, giving an assurance that the necessary finance will be available. However, the move must come from the Commonwealth and State Governments.

As to home-ownership, I make a strong appeal to the Minister that he ask at the next Ministers' Conference in Canberra that the scheme be re-cast to help people own their own homes. I read an article written by Mr. R. S. Melloy, vice-president of the Real Estate Institute. His opinion weighs heavily with me because there is much logic in it and it is confirmed by representations that have been made to me. The deposit is the most important factor •rith home-builders. :E'uruishings and the provision of refrigerators and washing-machines are too big a drain on the resources of couples. This could best be relim·ed by having those items included in the cost of the home and covered by the deposit.

('rime expired.)

lUr. NICHOLSON (Murrumba) (4.24 p.m.) : I desire at the outset to associate wyself with the expressions of loyalty in the motion and those expres&e(1 by hon. members who have spoken in this debate. I also associate myself with the expressions of good wishes and the measure of satisfaction with the excellent work of His Excellency the Governor and Lady Lavarack. Undoubtedly, as the two leading citizens of Queensland they set a fine example, which could well be followed by every other public-spirited person.

The mover of the motion, the hon. member for Fortitude Valley, in his scathing comments on the Federal Government said that they were undermining the confidence of the people. Perhaps there is nothing that undermines the confidence of the people more than the inability of a Government when it comes to dealing with alleged cases and proved cases of bribery or attempted bribery and corruption and graft.

In his opening speech for the Opposition my Leader brought to light the unsavoury state of affairs that exists not only in Queensland but throughout the Commonwealth today about these attempted bribery cases and known bribe.:y cases in which !so many prominent citizens' names have been mentioned. Many scandalous attempts have been made to defame people, and in particular I rise today with one motive clear in my mind. I wish to discuss openly the attempted bribery of a council employee recently, the town elerk at Redcliffe. It is not my policy at

any time to cry stinking fish or make assertions. Personally, I cannot throw any light on who was the big man or who was the top member of Parliament that was mentioned during this case. My name has been mentioned by some irresponsible nitwit who should know better. It has been bandied about and I '"ill say that in most cases it has fallen on deaf ears, but in many other cases it would possibly fall on fertile ground and I particularly refer to some of my more unscrupulous political opponents. I am not saying that it would be accepted by many of my political opponents because I have many good friends amongst them, cve11 though they are politically opposed to me on the Redcliffe Peninsula. I do say that any person with a forked tongue who would go around bandying the name of a member of Parliament, irrespective of his politics, has only one place in my mind, and that is as a last thought.

::\Jy co11science is perfectly clear and I think it should be abundantly clear to the public that if I or any other member of the Opposition had been thought to be in any way associated with the attempts in that bribery ease, the public haYe been given their answer that we :1re in no way involved by the inactivity of this Government to bring about an open inquiry. The public are demanding to know, all(l we as the Opposition are demanding to know, who was this high-ranking M.L.A. ~ Three names w·ere mentioned during the court case, three persons according to the defending counsel have becnn exonerated, leaving 72 members of Parliament. There remain 72 members sworn to uphold the dignity of Parliament, s•voru to uphold the decency of democracy and sworn to uphold and protect the pnblic-72 members of Parliament of whom we could say 20 can be regarded as top members of Parliament.

JUr. Moore: What about the rest?

lUr. NICHOLSON: They are the same as I am, humble servants of the people and humble back-benchers. I am not referring only to members of the Government because we have top members of Parliament in the Opposition too.

I think it behoves the Government at least to bring this thing forward so that we can have an open, free, and frank discussion and au inquiry on the broadest possible principle. There are many questions that can be and should be answered; but they can only be answered to the public satisfaction by a public inquiry. For instance, one question is-on whose behalf did Clarke make this bribe~ I think that we can conrlnd·e that it would not be on his own behalf. I do not know that he does any sewerage contracting. He is a dry cleaner but not a sewerage contractor; so why would he on his own behalf have any interest in a £78,000 contract involving £78,000 of public money~ The bribe may well have taken place only for the integrity and honesty of one man-one man who is held in the highest


esteem in Redcliffe-the Town Clerk, Mr. Pearson. If it had not been for Mr. Pearson-an honest, reliable man-this fraud could possibly have taken place to the tune of £78,000 of public money. Those are the things we have to inquire into. If Clarke was not making the bribe on his owu behalf, on whose behalf was he making it~ What was the original amount of the bribeq What was the original amount when it started at the top~ Who got the whittlings on the way down~

Mr. Walsl!: Did you hear any figure?

i'Ir. NICHOLSON: I have not; I cannot quote any figure. I have mentioned statements and facts as I know them and as I gleaned them from inquiries and court cases. I realise that every man has the right to plead as he thinks fit, but I point out that in the first place Clarke pleaded not guilty and over night he changed it to guilty. Was it in the hope that the whole thing would be forgotten~ I am not in a position to say. But the fact remains, he was fined £100 and, to all intents and purposes, up to the present time, apart from the Press statement that the Treasurer was making further inquiries, we have heard nothing more as to whether the investigations are still going on. We are still in the dark; we do not know any more. Why all this silence? Who are the Government protecting~ Arc the Government protecting this high top M.L.A., or are the Government protecting the man responsible in the first place for making this bribe possible. I· feel that the prosecution of stooges and go-betweens will get the public nowhere as far as stopping bribery and corruption is concerned. There is only one place to stop it; that is at the top. You will not stop it by paltry fines of £100, but by a gaol sentence that will act as a deterrent to any person who may feel disposed to indulge in corrupt practices.

)Jr. Power: That is a matter for the court.

i'Jr. NICHOLSON: That is my opmwn too. The court has authority to sentence a person according to its findings; I am quite in agreement with that. I maintain that there is only one deterrent, that is a gaol sentence.

llfr. Power: The court had power to impose a gaol sentence.

lUr. NICHOLSON: I hope it will be a sentence.

J}Jr. Aikens: Do you think Clarke wo~,ld be able to put his finger on him~

Mr. NJCHOLSON: I do not think anything. It does not pay to think; one must be sure. (Laughter.) If Clarke had been placed in the witness box, if he had maintained his plea of not guilty then you would have heard something that would probably, have made some high-up people squirm.

)Jr. Power: Have you any evidence to the effect that he would supply that information~

1\Jr. NICHOLSON: No, but I have a feeling that he could. I have a feeling also that the change in plea took place only after a very deep conference, but that is just supposition on my part.

Jlir. lValsl!: A conference betweeli whom~

Jlr. NICHOLSON: The parties involved.

1\Ir. Walsll: What parties?

Mr. NICHOLSON: I do not know. I mn surmising that Clarke was acting for somebody else. I think any fair-minded man would conclude that as Clarke was not a sewerage contractor he would not be offering a bribe on his own behalf.

lUr. Aikens: Do you believe someone hlew do\Yn Clarke's ear that night?

Mr. NICHOLSON: Those questions should be answered. The public are demanding to know the answers to those questions. On whose behalf was the offer made~ What amount was originally involved~ Who got the pickings on the way down to Clarke. \Yho \YaS the top M.L.A. ~ Who is the Government shielding, and why~ \Vhy a l'hange of plea on Clarke's part?

I impress on the Treasurer that an amount of £78,000 of public money was involved in this contract. If there had been a weak link in the chain, the skullduggery would not have been discovered. It was discovered because of the action of one honest person. I am not saying that there are not thousands of honest persons in the community who· would have done the same. Do not for a moment think that this has not been a burden as far as Jim Pearson and his family are concerned. He has been a sick man for many years and this has made his. condition worse.

Mr. Power: He came out of it very well.

1\Jr. NICHOLSON: That is so. He did his duty, and he is prepared to do it again if an open inquiry is ever held.

)[r, Aikens: Why should he worry?

Mr. NICHOLSON: He is worried because of the inactivity of the Government. That is the whole point.

I have a perfectly clear conscience in this matter, but I am beginning to smell a rat, since my name has been mentioned.

Mr. Jloore: Who mentioned your name?

ltJr. NICHOLSON: It has been reported to me that my name has been mentioned, and it is only a good friend who would tell anyone "'hat.

1\Jr. Jesson: Did you have anything to do with iH

106 Address in Reply. [ASSEMBLY.]

1Ur. NICHOLSON: That could only come from a low-minded thing such as you.

l1Ir. SPEAKER: Order! I ask the hon. member to withdraw that remark. He must address all hon. members by their correct title.

Mr. NICHOLSON: I accept his denial.

Mr. SPEAKER: Order! I ask the hon. member to withdraw that remark.

:air. NICHOLSON: I withdraw the remark, but I am not going to stand for a suggestion such as that.

Mr. SPEAKER: Order! The hon. member must not qualify his withdrawal. I ask the hon. member to withdraw his remark and proceed with his speech.

Mr. NICHOLSON: I withdraw the remark. The answer to the hon. member's question is definitely "No."

A Government 1\Iember: Until the Leader of the Opposition mentioned it, no-one kr!§w that anything was suggested against you.

illr. NICHOLSON: I am trying to answer any insinuations that have been made. I am entitled, as a member of this Parliament, to do so. I am entitled to a hearing, and I thank you, Mr. Speaker, for giving me that hearing.

I am now going to quote what the Treasurer said when he was returned to this House in 1950. His statement is reported in '' Hansard'' of 12 September, 1950, at page 346. It reads-

'' So far as I am concerned-and there are many people \Yho know this-there is no place for the grafter or corrupter within the Parliamentary circle.''

l'\Ir. Walsh: I do not withdraw any of that.

Mr. NICHOLSON: I should not think the Treasurer would. I want to know whether the Government are going to leave the matter stand as it is or whether they are going to have an inquiry into it or make some statement about it so that the public can be informed. That is the crux of the whole matter and the reason I rose to speak. ·what is going to happen with regard to the attempted bribery and when will there be an inquiry into it, if ever? Will the Treasurer live up to his 1950 statement or will he let things lapse~

::nr. lValsll: At this stage, irrespective of "·hat you have said, the Government will do their duty and what they consider necessary in the public interest.

l\Ir. NICHOLSON: That is a very nice thought or suggestion and with those remarks ringing in my ears I thank the House for hearing me.

Debate, on motion of Mr. Skinner, adjourned.

The House adjourned at 4.43 p.m.

Questions.

legislative assembly hansard 1955 - queensland parliament · 2014-06-23 · cobl'rn (burdekin)...

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