A BLACK NORTH.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17933, 29 November 1923, Page 2

A BLACK NORTH.

MISSIONARY'S PROJECT. aboriginal buffer state in AUSTRALIA. (raox QUB OWS CORRESPONDENT.) SYDNEY, November 22. The /problem of populating and developing Northern Australia lias been attacked by theorists from many angles. Some have, with strong support, suggested a chartered company with rights extending over a century or some other lengthy period; others have proposed froe grants of land to British or Australian settlers with a specified minimum of capital giving them reasonable' prospects of developing the areas; others, again, have suggested encouraging the settlement of continental groups from Europe, such as, on a small scale, proved successful in the iNew Italy experiment in the north of New South Wales. Other interesting projects might be quoted, but it has been left to the ilev. J. S. Needham, chairman of the Australian Board of Missions, of which the Archbishops and Bishops of Australia, and many prominent laymen from the membership, to put forward the most remarkable project of all. His solution of the . problem, and incidentally his answer to those few who favour permitting immigration from tlnj East, is Cue creation of a, great northern buffer State peopled by Australia's own aboriginals. He declares that left to themselves and their own they increase in a greater ratio than do the whites in Queensland, and that have both the right and the latent qualities to form a powerful race in the north. In developing the theory in a speech at an Anglican missionary exhibition in Brisbane, Mr Needham said that it was commonly believed that the Australian aborigines were a dying race. "It will be a perpetual shame upon Australia," he declared in emphatic tones, "if they are allowed to die out, because we can prevent that happening." He pointed out that if the aborigines were placed on reserves at a distance from the teffnptatvons of the white race, were trained to various forms of avocation under the supervision of missionaries, and were given a religion in place of their own, they would increase and multiply exceedingly. In supiort of this, he quoted the Anglican Mission Station at Yarrabah, where during the last ten years the ratio ot increase of the aboriginals and halfcastes had been far greater than that of the white population of Queensland. "God help Australia if the black man does die," he exclaimed in impassioned tones. Mr Needham proceeded to explain that in his opinion the attractions of the towns precluded the possibility of the Northern half of Australia ever being effectively occupied by white Australians. If they drew a line from Cooktown to Carnarvon, in "Western Australia, they would cut off practically half of the continent which at the present time did not have a white population of 6000. The only way in which we could defend ■ that part of Australia against the yellow heathen hordes, and retain our purity of race, was to place our blacks on large reserves in that area under such conditions that they would increase and thus populate it. The 70,000 Australian blacks still remaining could be placed in the Northern pari; of Australia and would eventually create a buffer State against any yellow in-; vader. That he done even if it cost £IOO,OOO. a, year. The missions would help if the Government would pavo the way. In this way we would save the blacks and the blacks would save Australia.