NEED STRESSED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 153, 1 July 1938, Page 15

NEED STRESSED.

STRONG AUSTRALIA. DEVELOPMENT NECESSARY. SIB, EARLE PAGE'S FLEA. LONDON", June 23. The Minister for Commerce. Sir Earle I'ntrr, in toasting the Duke of (Mouoe.-tor at an Australia Club dinner, said that it was necessary nut merely to have an Empire pinti <if d'-l'eiir-e auainst agression, but to have an Empire phui of development that would Lrnaranfee such strength through mobilisation and distribution id' Empire resources as to assure world peace. An undeveloped Au-tralia would be the Empire's Achilles heel. while a fully developed Australia must heroine the main bulwark towards making the Empire invincible, and even invulnerable, said Sir Kaile. Answer to Pessimists. The dil r. held ;it the Dorchester Hotel, v.ns ,„„' of the i I brilliant fund inn- of .he -ea-un. pj w . hir-drcd pen]!!,. iilf.. n ,|e.|. iii.-hiilinjr lenders .loin the so-.-ial. literary and lut-mess world-;. Anion- the uuesis w,..,. ~,,,. Duke, one M.i i <jui-. two Kails, live Vis.otmls. 20 barons and .17 Knights.

The TTie.li Commissioner for Australia. Mr. Bruce, presided. With the Duke of (llottcester. the < !overnor-< ieneral of Australia. Lord Cowrie, and others at the head of the table were the chairman of "The Times.'' Major .1. .1. Astor. the Leader of the Labour Opposition, Major Attlee, Sir Karle Page, the Secretary J for the Dominions. Lord Stanley, and Sir John Sanderson, of the Australian firm of John Sanderson and Co. Sir Earle. in his speech, emphasised the Royal Family's part in developing the Empire, particularly Australia. He referred to the Duke of Gloucester's presence at the Shrine ceremony, and said that they must ensure that the Empire based on the ideals which they fought for should endure. Australia bad spent more titan £027.000.000 on public works, and created a skeleton scheme for future national development, which must now be, clothed with the flesh and blood of population. "The fulfilment of our destiny requires British peoples, investors, engineers and industrialists' help," he said. "I am amazed to hear pessimists suggest that Australia's population will he saturated with a comparatively small advance in numbers. "It is encouraging tbat none of the pessimists agree on the exact number our continent can hold. The plain fact is that given proper facilities for development, outlets for our products and the right class of settlers, we cannot prophesy the extent to which we may expand. "I have some difficulty in understanding the complaint that Australia's population increase and development have been unduly slow. There was not a single European in Australia in 1788, and onlv 10.000 in 1838. There are now 6,800,000." Duke's Tribute. The Duke of Gloucester, after declaring that anything connected with Australia had a very warm place in his heart caused laughter by reference to Test cricket. "I hope to be able to grv to Lord's one affernoon and see Bradman at bay," he said. "I hope, without being unfriendly, that he won't be there too long." Referring to the Sydney celebrations, he said: "It should inspire us that, in such a short span, men of British blood have mastered a continent." The Duke noted with pleasure the resumption of assisted immigration. It was a tribute not only to the remarkable economic recovery of Australia, but to the fact that the Commonwealth recognised the importance of settlement of British people in Australia. "We hope to see once again a healthy, I steady stream of Britishers to the outposts of Empire."