The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-08-30
Interesting Talk on tbe Poi
itlcs of the Antipodean
Confederation.
RAILWAYS NOT BANKRUPT
Reports Of Their Condition UHtrue-A
Protective Tariff Chiefly for Revenue.
Exclusion of Negro ard Asiatic Labor
Rigidly Enforced.


Sir Edmund Barton, the prime minis
ter Of Australia. ana cne Of the fore
mcst figures in the organizatioa OF the
new australian. Federation. IS in the
city accompanied by Lady Barton and
their sen and daughter and 3 party OF
fellow Australians which includes the
following. Sir John Forrest. minister
Of defense, and Lady Forrest; Mr. Austin
Chapman. member OF The australian
House of Representatives. and arst
government whip; NJ. FIanne.y, private
secretary TO the prime minister. and
several others. They are at the New
willard
The party IS making a rapid tour Of
the United ard carada. en- route from
I-cndon, where they attended the coro-
nastisE ceremonies. to their homes in
sydney. Melbourne and other Australian
/ cities They are being ehaperoned by
J. ". Huntington. the travelling passen-
ger agent or the Canadian Pacific Rail-
say They viii leave Washington to-
morrow evening
Present Conditions Discussed.
Sir Edmund Barton talked with the
utmost candor Of present Australian
conditions to e reporter for The Times
ode
such dispatches as yua have seen here
in America am IN England rejecting
. GnfagoEably on the srsdit ef the new
ecsL.Ese enweaItb, ne said. n Tepl3 70
/ questions along that line. have been
extremely unfair and absurd Our
finances in Australia are 50 well estab-
Iished that we who are most concerned
IN them are entirely satisfied with thea
This confidence IS shared in LondoE.
Just before I left I net in conference 4
group OF the most prominent fnanciers
Of all Great Britain aad was assured
that every man present at that confer
ence was abundantly satisfied with Aus
tralian properties as 4 field for profit
able investment
Railways Not Bankrupt.
Our railroads have been the sub
ject OF the most attack. 1t is repre-
seneed that We are unable to make
them pay a profit. OF even TO meet tne
interest or their Indebtedness. But any
such statement so boldly made is most
unfair In one province. for example.
our railroads pay handsomely. In ar
other they just meet all their obIigs-
,ions- IN another the annual re-
eeipts a.e less than their obiiga-
tons But the average wiIf enable Us,
We confidently anticipate. to conduct
the railways OF Australia in the most
approved and modern fashion and 10
pay the interest On ali their indebted
Eess- With this statement. supported
3y specific details cited while I was in
London, the bankers OF Great Britain
we're entirely satisfied, as I have said.
4 Protective Tariff.
About our new tarin-that is partly
protective in its nature, but it is de-
signed chiefly to produce revenue At
present there is 70 differentiation in ia
vor OF other colonies Of Great Britain.
Al the London conference on this sub
ject such plan was proposed. and I
shall present 1t to cur legislature on my
return. cannot now anticipate the res
suit It may be either a general in
crease OF our duties on goods imported
from non British communities or a re-
duction in favor Of goods imported from
British communities.
With the excise tariffs. our impost
| duties produce annually a revenue OF
about ES0C0 00G This is ample for the
needs of the federation. But it is not
ours 10 play with By the terms Of ss-
Enlistment we must return 10 the sep
aTate provinces nearly all the funds
collected from them. less the actual
suns spent within those. provinces. This
provision extends in one form or
another over a period OF ten years from
1891
Exclusion OF Negroes and Asiatics.
1T is safe 10 say that fully i've
sizths OF our people are in hearty favor
CT the broad barrier We have estab-
lished against Asiatie and ether Eastern
labor Our purpose is to encourage
white labor at all cost To this end We
have prohibited the immigration Of any
black or yellow races, and have created
q diferential or rebate on certain sugar
tariffs to the great advantage Of the
planter who uses white labor. Out Of
5000 planters in the sugar producing
regions Of Queensland ever 400 have
come forward to claim this benefit.
The law mas been IN operation onIy
since last October. II is too soon 10
judge OF its effect. But we hope that
in FIVE years white labor may be used
exclusively even on the sugar planta-
tions, which were supposedly threatened
with ruin unless the operators were
permitted TO employ Malay laboFers.
There are some of Us who think Aus
tralia would better do without its sugar
plantations than with Malay or Chinese
labor. ----.-