The Washington times., 1922-03-25
AUSTRALIA WILL
LOOK ASKANCE
ONPAC|F|CPAC7
MP. Says Country Sees Treaty
as Little Less Objectionable
Than Anglo-Jap.
BY RANDOLPH BEDFORD.

Member OF Parliament In Australia.
Written Expressly for The International
news Service.
The White race is placed in not
much better position IN the Pacific
by the four.power treaty, now
ratified by the American Senate,
then it was under the disreprtahie
Anglo-Japanese treaty which was a
serious blow TO white prestige.
This statement. believe, reflects
the sentiment of the white AUS
tralian policy toward the pact which
aligns the United States. France
and Great Britain with Japan.
Australia certainly never liked the
Anglo-Japanese alliance and the in
clusion of France and the United
States on an understanding with
Japan merely makes the alliance ap-
pear respectable, which, l believe,
will prove a mistaken view.
My mission to America in part Is
10 open markets for the exporta ton
OF surplus commodities produced by
state owned industries in Queens
land These include meat, coal,
timber and cannery products. The
state OF Queensland hopes to find a
market for the surplus coal in Cal
ifornia and along your Pacific coast.
In this connection, ] believe that
Australia must come into a closer
association with the United States.
Eventually there must come an ex-
change of preferences in regard TO
each others export trade.
Most Australians, / believe. favor
the elimination of all preferences,
even British. on goods which can
b., x.It in "a
On the other hand, for goods which
must be imported, they would favor
a preference in tariffs TO all Eng.
disappearing nations, especially
Canada and the United States which
work under labor conditions APP
preaching our own.
Working conditions. by the way,
are radically different in Australia
to those existing in the United
States. In Australia, preference is
given to unionists under the law.
The commonwealth and state gov
ernments recognize the preferential
rights of union workmen in all
positions. The police. press, bank
clerks, accountants and bookkeep-
ers are organized and have their
recognized unions.
An Australian state government
lost its last fight to disregard the
unionist preferential law. Back in
1917 the government attempted to
end a railroad strike in New South
Wales by running trains on very
poor and limited service with any
labor offered. 1t victimized leaders
of the strike, but after the dispute
was settled the unionists returned TO
work. and the victimized strikers
were reinstated. The preference OF
union workmen still maintains.
A recent coal strike in New South
Wales was settled by the com
monwealth government after EN-
ployes and employers had failed TO
obey the decisions of an arbitra-
ton court The commonwealth gov
ernment made both sides appear be-
fore "A special coal arbitration court
which fixed compromise and end
ed the strike. The courts decision
not only settled wages but also fixed
a fair price to be asked the public
for the coal.
We cannot eliminate the possi.
bility of strikes and loCkouts be-
cause men will strike whenever
they feel the urgency for better
conditions, and mine owners will
operate mines which pay them and
stop operations when II pays to
suspend work. The decisions OF the
arbitration courts, however, are
obeyed Immediately in 30 per cent
OF the cases. and the remainder
after a more or less short delay.