NATIONAL DEFENCE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 160, 31 March 1908, Page 4

NATIONAL DEFENCE.

: STRIKINCV,SPEECH ,jBY MR. DEAKIN. -/ -t:,| THE WEALTH SCHEME. ' f 6? Sydney,; tlio other • a striking speech ;8r( .Defpnco;" . ■ t Is { jMr. /Doakiu said, that 1 , in tho Coibihon- ■■ <jcajtj!ij l terr ifo'fyi; of. 3,000,000; spare /'hiilos,y was' /scattered a .population of only ; 5 j1,p00,b60; ,/ayerago of' but', 0110 ' iThat .means;'tljoy!rwerb''.'regilired. to .hold, a .' 'emiritry; '.iVlif3li ''practically,. they did .. not > ,occupy,,, which. in great part was absolutely j ■uii^eoylffl}" t of which they coutdL n rcla.tivoly. small . populatidii'Jrom ,tioldaSt<)iii«coajits and tho southern portion? ottjio'clnintrjv ; No similar difficulty ; \ 'was"presoiited today' to, other', people' in tho' ' ~Qoiild, hold this: vast continent' •uiider' 'I' might bo aslced;,wha.tj;iidye'/\vo.,to..f<iar? '/ , ;/ jA- i?m6?:;-.Y& T ; r wifrß?- 5 .:! ; s >7* i3^^fi3^ealyu,;hNo<jbii^; if. ihey; were ,!oiily : Cheers.) Tho great. i l > .and who. could Pacific /Would-'- not he the' ;'conii ; b ; ''6fHlie I 'i'ieif^oUtbreak. i of .* • hos ti J itibs ? In ;.I?os('thero ! .;fSfß-':ntf':fewcr.!than • sixteen yriayal .-stations'''within-striking dis'ian'co. pf Australia ;' Eut-for' tho ;British navy Jjjhp; bo/absolutely, $]joh- : / t6 \the'' first'rcoii)or.. : c; In' "viow of ' the /.gijcat-' and /increasing /burdens being, .placed , of/Great; Britain, par-;' ticularly"oi{vaceoun.i\'pKna'val. development,'. •Ati^'lji^i!&'^iaa u -^£!;b^^. : :to''eiijoy'''iJiyir : thaAVc-il^i:JT^tl';^<tue,i; ; to^pfptcct : .th6ixiselv'oS. (Cheers.) /■:.' The h paco/was ' killing/ '. Great; . Bfi / Otlftir -nations' and- the navies fpreigi'licio'fiiitHo^''wero '-orajpin'g .up.' If Australia'wb're> to; enjoy tho full- measure'■ of Sbjfrgovbrrintenir-'she-miist Undertake ■' the of .self-defence. ;{Gheers'i)'''.A";-fiiwst,4ipginriiiig would re-/ ' qriiro/to >bp -made/wlthy Coast■ arid / harbour 'defences. . .-. •-. ';'• "... '. - / :•....■ ■ ,:,/'/' ;; ' ■ .•p?TOcSI , > f Wlf<sfd ;-afo 'thoS'men ? /,, : yi V : ' hien', who,'/under, -.tjloitest,-proved;themselves/ as f-;bod as -any M ;Wo.,havoltllc: men and'tljq. niiii&J'/^Wc;. vpaht" tlio /ships.;/'.(Cheer's.); ;Stf^'a^'flti^d^uld^e■.made'that they could-continu'e'aclyancing,-and not to require' to - retrace,. their, j'stcgi*.. , It. was. therefore' . >)io •' guided ;bv tlie,vLatlia®/isfi)ithe ;Mpliralty.'i:/ What ' tlie .GrOyerHmontOJirppbs^'/t'O,.spend was;£43o,ooo, ;cqa^}^ddr^<^\Vk, , lt''iki(ii .'.alsS proposed l to , spenlH yffdi'i in'.tlib/ building 'of y vo^^V-%lmfc-^ttao^ B £^ > more' by' fpfedituro•••to^nayal.-'doffed, • 'oiijyi : thoro,:.'werq •itf' higliimiiidc'ji, thorigh; in' \wlib argued. itffjit;they tfot/ifefe ta';their: defencpless .pfjndition, and ' to appeal to the Conseienco ■ V. (Laughter;); W*pEo' o~piorojiKfip.nsjstentj0~piorojiKfip.nsjstentj .'jtor: -tnpy ? l>i;abtieal]y-.. aclyico/- TrUsfe . np.;;o!id'j ! ;bill) ,'be|i|?a'taslied-: With:' ailf' : ineffective'(jprotecV ' ;tibni'v'Dofence .wosiiadbquat'o: • a • .dc-.' ;fe|nco:, tobaht- • ;bXfloMituf lives', ; monpy; ;and\ iallvin •. .The only Vlefenco •w6rth'.', ; maliing /wSS;/ ( a- : ,.dbfonco, . when) .the' 'nation.' set strtogth: into itsblo\v. : ;(Cheers.)' r, If;:Austrafitins .'were; in favour, of h i.schcme'';of.'.'hatibnal :dbfenbe';. tliey would Jflve. ; to' tested on'.' the. ' ! ''i!bt ; on' dne'-sfctiori •' only.:.The.,icn.tids^bf v l!)e-Governme]it;'seheinb liad s'ctixisprii>ti6n'.". " Sbbh-a sbi'vico.: which the.; GovbrniPent '.Svisli«t J :,to . impose . was-, iis. uiifair as it wasvmislkSffaig'.;.:The proposals of:ithe' Government did not cbntbmplatp .any- '• jihes -ofj CVntineutal-con-' £ ; 'bbnfdtna'.''fii)W. i * work .and, annual, open-air-training with tho ■ cbnscriptiyp:: prindpte'^qro^/iwilfully,.'blind! Bfancliss pf il^/^i'viCc/'jiicb;Alio'field,artilf' •

1 Jeiy//an^.yispipntijlc,, r corps,; t would- .require Iphc^Ji'yri'd'"fclofedr "tftteritibuj/bht- :,ea'cli : man j 'wbiiid^h'aVo' the option' of, joining .whiit.-rogi- ; /merit / hp/:pleas«f. /. thoni -givb ,;evory .j • ;^djin^^^^^flaV«<^sho:.'.woulS''.l>o : '1 :the /: his , country'.: in '• jjimp ;j } j'noaifly?every;.country : of tlie world. , No wars - ■ -/'/rhpse-'who j -, to / ' enter , into.. Wars'. 1 ;' a«road/ : aut^f^rbbmpolthem': ifas -/'nover, ,| ■; dijeauied ' in j . Hating' tlifair i-; 0 '/' /:•-- / / ( ; |lv '; : |pE®^SAtS:!/; . /y/ : ; j 1 'ii /jThere. '^^nbtfiil^ll^'oaci^',-iri - the - Com V:] : ,-nipriwealth/-. had placed ! £60j000 this;.:ye(ir- for this .', branch,' r £7fi,ooo[ ;| ! wbul(i': 'lib .'- 'bxpendp®!sthe /followihg. 'ydar , £00,000, r ;By J tllon thoV/ci^B^Sjl^^have;/ increased: to, :100i000.i'/-Education;/w-asf. iirid - tlio/Govbrrinient, [itipheir'dpMde propoiils,' :] we're ' merely T/vitliiable' line to :it. , .the /ypuths'/ it ? \yould; 1 ; life., .'! .lii t^6itag;.;iiie9i; - would,l "in yeat-s, 1 . lidieri.'the/wh'olo' : £ ;be;''avaiia J ble /'for "serncp.' / (Cheers.)'/ .These ;ni'eri.. iwoiild /feci./,the^, /belonged .to ' p.. class. ; c /in ; :>vhiollithffib. iVpiifellb' absoKito/'equality.': £ and: -whiclu the.': officers. would ,'be chosen 1 /pr'/merit.i alone.-'-i/ih'o-/.Goyprninont: /would ; •cbnimonco v.'itli the I .'army -with uniforms ] .vritli rifle' 3 -'liia'db ' 'ill 'Ahstralia,/,equipped.; with; transports made, dri :Aust'raliah an'd - maniied- by; 'Australians, \ .ivho would :go-out .in/ ships ,to be,\ ultimately ;built , /in/ t Austr'Alia.yy i M'dldng-; > ,ajlowiinco'' for. •* f/iiiitl annual.:, expenses, v .tho estimated cost 01 --'.tlie: third; year 'was, c e £l,BOO,Oo^®|;v£CMiO(W:raboyo^tho.'.'e"stimate c 'tliei'O' w&uifeh^/in'iKddition. .to :tho/nibn' a .J ,flibt iff: isyy^'^l&sJi|A;idplleague had made, 'J, a; calculation ;'tKM//the:rfyliblb..cost : /of naval ' /and- militiry ; ,expoi)ditrif.b,..,%biijd;'bo' mot: if I oiich man;;'wcilt 'drink; in-overy toil;I10 took, arid wi;thout'/bhe cigar, in every 1 Jtlir'cb'.'/"/(Laughter.) ,'Ar community -which * •jCOUltt y carry a - burden, /m, cigars', and' drink 'could cip-efy ,carry of protecting

IMP9RTED 'OFFICERS, people, thero was/no. safety / for' ,? A l ustralia /unless; officers wb^b I .,rinTtfbr't&l,''; .to •Say . that -it ' Wb(l'ii!l^B^iinL..ihp.Lhighest.■'dogrpo/ 'uriiyiso _td close the 'doors/ upon: abijity from aiiywliero. 1 He admitted, that / if: nlen for leaders could not bo found here, thoy would havo ;to >-bo' r ; country. /- -But •lie '|)blic|ved:Mv.ith arid education.; "Australian dfficer6"\yPnld.como up welliil.com-.. .Hoh4bft^:' !, .o»f r tho meh ofiji'o. other -nation could; there; fall such responsibility 'for ' Australia AtistroilianS,' and 'if,'tHey were-.proud of; thoir, country, siirely thoy /wbuTdyilTriiiklffom'tlfoiliiisk, of, always -stand"irig b.pliirf'd ;s9'mbbody';elSo'than thb. country, of silfficieiit"; iiopulat'ibnj"' national : training, and riatipnal guard, and thoyi.w'ould bo porfcctiy prepared to Jaco ' ■ Australia's ..tt^aknoS'fi^js'' number of ; its could not bhy. Australia /as'a jOiqancial speculation"; Tlio their.'own productionsj Mijl»lage\ir £150,000,000.. .That w is'/C(iiib any'other. 11atibri/.in' the'.'world, arid it "ought to bo siiffiejeut; to/braco Australians to . the Work of self-protection. I'hj'y could not expect to wealthy people iri a! very...largo aroa.. of.yinpcoupied territory, ahcUyqt look ■.toyptliel's: to' ./undertake' their dofenSb..:Australia. cpuljl.iipyor hand over a . sdgnient of the coriti ricn t 'to any other .Power. It must be. and remain 0110 and indivisible. IMr. .©fjakinrroplaißjtt^r.in .conclusion/, that, I'tho -dp;fe|ce it .limited to tlireo ,yijarsj'-i'bßcanae<'4ffo-i.>Governmcnt:j recognised 'that, once tho. principle was planted/its de--.tlio, practical v good /lidnso of-tlie coyntj'y.^»~lt/Would-be tho'act'of tho people as;a;'wliplo', adapted, adjusted,' and in their liands -a iwearion strong for defcnce'and rioworfnl for rdsistanee.' ;• (CheersT) , . " J Tho Primo/Minister/was loudly cheered at tho conclusion of his address." 1