How to Oil Big Government in the 1980s

"The big dilemma facing Government in the 1980s will be how to bridge the gap between the necessity to maintain and even extend the provision of Government services, while making some concessions to taxpayer insistence on some easing of the tax burden."
Kenneth Davidson, in Business Age (Melbourne) March 31st.

The answer to the question posed above seems pretty obvious; a still greater squeeze on energy producers primarily oil producers, but increasingly coal producers. No less than 13% of Government revenue now flows from receipts from petroleum products, and this will increase with the escalating prices of oil.

Mr. Davidson makes the telling point that the Fraser Government will not hesitate to further milk the oil companies for revenue rather than face an electoral backlash from electors, resultant from the imposition of heavier personal and indirect taxation. How many votes do the oil companies have?
We have noticed that the local Communists do not seem to be raising many voices against the escalating price of energy fuels, apart from the "usual tirades against the multinationals. In point of fact, the local Communists will be pleased to see the ever-escalating price of energy fuels, as they fully understand the high inflationary implications flowing there from. Whilst they may give the appearance of hostility to Mr. Fraser's world-parity oil pricing policy (they certainly have not been vocal) they welcome any policy which forces up the rate of inflation. They understand that the result will be inevitable industrial, and social friction, which they are positioned to exploit by way of their influence in the trade movement. Social friction can be revved up by the Left-wingers, media, government, and by demonstrations. The violence indirectly towards the Prime Minister over recent days has ugly undercurrents.

A point which seems to have escaped comment is the high likelyhood of industrial unrest in the coal industry when this is given further exploitation in the immediate years ahead. Coal-mining is undoubtedly more sophisticated and automated than that employed back in the late 1940s, when the (then) Prime Minister Ben Chifley, put in the troops to move the coal "at grass", a period of Communist-led industrial warfare in the coal mining industry. Nevertheless, it certainly has not escaped our attention that communists will have more scope for their "activities" as stocks are once more heavily mined; and they must welcome their extended opportunities. Furthermore, coal can not only be held up at the mine but can be "frozen" by the railway unions. We see trouble ahead in this area. There are already rumours that there will be some world-parity pricing on coal.

Jeremy Lee sends comments on Robert Mugabe and State Banking

The machine which "creates" world opinion is busy on the emerging Rhodesia. Mr. Robert Mugabe is being transformed from a thug who shot defenceless survivors of an air-crash, and mutilated both blacks and whites in his prolonged terror-campaign, into a "moderate" statesman who will stand with the West!
Mugabe is playing his part in this new image-creation with skill. It is a role that has been played many times by Dr. Allende in Chile, the ruthless Marxist who was later easily overthrown, did exactly the same, even going so far as to pledge in the Chilean Senate promising to respect the traditional freedoms" of all Chileans. One year later, Allende admitted to the French journalist, Regis Debray, that his pledge was a tactical gesture devoid of any sincerity.
The same way the West refused to acknowledge that Castro was a communist for a number of years after he took over from Batista. The New York Times managed to describe him as a sincere "agrarian reformer", the "Robin Hood of the Carribean". Only when Castro admitted himself that he had been a communist all the time did the media have to concede the truth. So it is with Rhodesia. after a barrage of reporting which tells us that Mugabe has been transformed the multi-nationals and bankers are lining up to get a piece of the new Zimbabwe. Also the international bankers are bent on ensuring that Mugabe's Zimbabwe soon follows the rest into penury.

Meanwhile, behind his public face of moderation, the "moderate" Mugabe is already dismembering the White community. Whites have been warned that they cannot expect to retain their farming land. Those running the Rhodesian Broadcasting service have been given one week to resign. Mugabe 's propaganda machine will replace them. Mugabe himself has taken the post of Minister for Defence. His first task will be to draw the teeth of the crack Rhodesian armed forces under Patrick Walls.
The impact of this deceitful charade by Marxist actors, before fawning western audiences, on South Africa has been grave. The lesson will not have been lost on the tribes people south of Rhodesia. The South African whites are divided between hard-liners and appeasers, numbered amongst the latter being Prime Minister Botha, who, like Smith believes his spoon is long enough to sup with the Devil.
And all the while, Australia's Fraser pats his own back in this mad belief that this tragic Marxist advance is really a western triumph for which he is chiefly responsible!

STATE BANKING

With interest rates rising day by day (almost 19 percent in the U.S.A. and 20 percent in Britain), the monopoly of credit the greatest monopoly of all, is being ruthlessly enforced. Money is only available on the terms of the money masters. Small businesses and farms only receive a few contemptuous drips from the tap on terms which compromise their viability and ownership.
Vast multi-national enterprises, bent on capturing control of the industries, energy and mineral resources of the West, have no trouble finding finance - witness the incredible $10 BILLION being poured by Rockefeller's Esso into the Rundle Shale deposits.
Small governments, too, are-being shackled by financial centralisation. Local Government is in a pitiful condition. The States are gradually losing their sovereignty.

The Constitution provides a way out for the State Government which dares to use it - Section 51, subsection xiii allows the States to operate their own banks independent of central control. Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen promised in his election policy six years ago that he would resort to a State Bank. So far, nothing has happened.
Recently the Queensland Labor Party (the old guard, not Hayden's Socialist-Left interventionaries) came out in support of a State Bank, to be used NOT for socialistic purposes, but for helping small businesses, farms and Local Government. Perhaps this is why the Federal A.L.P. is intervening
It is known that Premier Joh Petersen received strong opposition from sections of the Liberal Party and the Trading Banks to a State Bank. It was claimed that this was "socialistic" although the sort of Reserve Bank direction of Trading Bank activity currently is much more so.
However there is a strange new move, with the proposal of a banks, led by the Hill Samuel Bank, to buy Australia's only private Trading Bank, the Bank of Queensland. The Bank of Queensland is a unique Bank, still paying interest on cheque accounts.

Hill-Samuel Australia is, of course, an offshoot of one of the international banking firms, Hill-Samuel of London. The Australian (March 14th) reported: "The proposal, which is in its formative stages, envisages a syndicate of major Queensland banks each taking a stake in the Bank to create a "quasi"

It is true that the States could use their constitutional bank powers to save themselves and their communities. But a "quasi" bank controlled by Hill Samuel? Who would determine Bank policy, elected State Government or private international bankers?
We should beware the Greek (?) who comes bearing gifts!

COMMENTS

It sounds satisfactory to us for two reasons. One is, that the ABC will be able to improve its services if provided with more capital, secondly, private sponsorship will bring with it a measure of control and pressure, which will work against the influence of left-wing and Communist propagandists buried in, particularly, staff of the A.B.C. responsible for radio and T.V. programming. the comrades head straight for these areas, if they can.

A howl of anguish from the Left - the cry being... ."hands off our ABC". Nieces and nephews will be busy protesting and lobbying if this plan should be put into effect.