| <headline><p> <Federal Parliament Meets.> 
| <Financial Problem Presses.> 
| <Labor Policy Only Solution.> </p></headline>
| <p> Next Thursday the newly elected Federal 
| Parliament will meet for the first time.  It is 
| announced that the Treasurer will ask for supply 
| and immediately it has been granted both houses 
| will adjourn until early in July.  This course 
| has been made necessary owing to the tenure of 
| office of retiring and defeated Senators not 
| terminated until June 30. </p>
| <p> In both Houses the Nationalist Government will 
| have an overwhelming majority <mdash>-</mdash> in 
| the House or Representatives 31 and in the Senate 
| 12.  Whatever happens, it is assured that the 
| Labor Opposition cannot seriously embarrass the 
| enactment of the legislation the Government 
| proposes as a means to win the war.  But inspired 
| articles appearing in all the newspapers are 
| urging us not to expect any wonderful policy from 
| the Ministry.  It is pointed out that serious 
| financial problems have to be met, and that 
| drastic economy must be practised.  It is further 
| declared that the Government not only proposes to 
| deal with the war <mdash>-</mdash> which it was 
| presumably elected to confine itself to
| <mdash>-</mdash> but intends to deal with a whole 
| host of other things, such as electoral reform, 
| resurrection of contract as against day labor, 
| abolition of preference to unionists, various 
| schemes of industrial efficiency and so on. </p>
| <p> All of which means we are to expect a 
| legislative instalment of the kind of policy the 
| last Fusion Government contemplated, but was 
| unable to enforce.  The financial programme of 
| the existing Fusion will be on all fours with 
| that pursued by Liberalism whenever it held 
| office.  Despite the growing deficits that are 
| accumulating, taxation is not to be imposed 
| heavily upon the rich.  All the forms of direct 
| imposition are to be avoided, and all the forms 
| of indirect taxation put into force. </p>
| <p> No attempt is to be made to balance the 
| national ledger by levying the rich.  Such 
| efforts as will be made will take the form of 
| sweating the poor.  Public employment will be 
| largely reduced, and as the result of its 
| diminution, wages will tend to fall.  That will 
| not mean any reduction in the salary of the more 
| highly-paid overseeing staff or any lessening of 
| its strength.  Economy <mdash>-</mdash> when a 
| Liberal Fusion is in office <mdash>-</mdash> does 
| not mean retrenchment in the services rated at 
| 500 pounds a year and upwards; it means smashing into 
| the poor devils on 8/- and 9/- a day. </p>
| <p> And the financial problem of the Fusion 
| Government is what, thus early, will breed in it 
| the germs of disintegration.  If the Higgs 
| proposals of last September had been acted upon 
| the Commonwealth income would be about 
| 10,000,000 pounds more for the financial year than  
| will be the case.  Not only has the Fusion repudiated 
| the taxation programme of Labor, but it has not 
| tapped any other sources of income. </p>
| <p> A nation that adds enormously to its 
| expenditure has got to increase its income.  
| Great Britain <mdash>-</mdash> whatever else may be 
| said <mdash>-</mdash> has done this.  Her income 
| for the last pre-war year was 198,000,000 pounds;  
| for the financial term ended last March the income of 
| the British Treasury was nearly 573,000,000 pounds ~~
| almost three times as great.  That huge addition 
| has only been made possible by the imposition of 
| heavy taxes on war profits, the resumption of 
| great industries such as coal, shipping, and 
| railway transportation.  But Australia neither 
| limits the rapacity of the war-profiteer, or 
| diverts to the National Treasury the profits 
| derived in the industries now definitely subject 
| to monopoly. </p>
| <p> Next year our interest and war pensions outlay 
| alone is a staggering provision.  The policy of 
| borrowing <mdash>-</mdash> when borrowing could to 
| a great extent be substantially minimised 
| <mdash>-</mdash> not only leaves untapped present 
| sources of income, but puts the nation in pawn for   
| ever. Instead of floating loans great industries  
| such as the sugar, tobacco, shipping, and coal 
| monopolies should be resumed.  The immense gains 
| accruing in these national necessities would go 
| far to solve the difficulties of the Government.  
| All its talk about provision for soldiers, 
| development of industries, stimulation of 
| production, etc, is so much wind-beating unless 
| it secures the cash with which to commence 
| business. </p>
| <p> To seek to tax tea, kerosene, tobacco, and 
| household requirements, and thus add to the 
| already crushing burden of the poor, will not 
| only add to the misery of the country <mdash>-</mdash>
| it will not meet the situation.  The very 
| basis of all the repatriation schemes is that the 
| industrial buoyancy of the Commonwealth shall be 
| secured.  Where unemployment exists, and 
| industries languish; where wages are low and 
| living dear, the chances of a disabled soldier 
| are not increased <mdash>-</mdash> they are 
| obliterated.  The first thing to do to absorb the 
| returning soldiers economically is to have a 
| socially organised Commonwealth.  That cannot be 
| done where great industries are run in the 
| interests of capitalist monopoly and to the 
| prejudice of the nation as a whole. </p>
| <p> Industrial monopoly not only bleeds the 
| community, it paralyses any approach to a social 
| policy.  Before the Nationalist Ministry can 
| solve its financial problems it has to attack the 
| corporations which found the money for its 
| election bills.  It has to adopt the main 
| features of the labor policy, both with respect 
| to taxation and industrial organisation.  Every 
| man the Government forces out of a job will 
| ultimately add to the chaos now prevailing.  An 
| overflowing Treasury cannot be ensured in a 
| nation of idle men.  Instead of reducing wages, 
| throwing men homeless into the gutter, and 
| reducing the consuming and spending capacity of 
| each household, the Government should seek to 
| foster avenues of employment at the highest 
| possible wages. </p>
| <p> It will pay Australia to increase the wages of 
| the workers and to reduce the profits of the 
| exploiters; it will add to the financial solvency 
| of the Government for it to divert to its own 
| requirements the immense gains now pouring into 
| the coffers of the rings and combines.  Let it 
| take possession of coal and ships; let it cut out 
| war-profiteering as it would a cancer; let it 
| organise industry, open up the untapped resources 
| of Australia and ensure avenues of useful 
| occupation for its citizens, and it will then 
| find its financial problems solved. </p> 
| <trailer><p> <June 8, 1917> <The Westralian Worker> 
| <Friday, June 8, 1917> </p></trailer>