AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1017, 5 January 1911, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

LEGISLATION AND SETTLEMENT. Sydney, December 28. One of the little ironies of the fate of tho Australian politician (remarks the "Sydney Morning Horaltl," in a rcccnt editorial) is. that' ho is never ab'.o to realise the mischief he often works. Although Australia is a continent, it is little more than insular in maiiy of its preindices, and it rjuito fails to see how it looks in perspective when viewed from tho other end of tho World. There is no dov.jt that just hero lies the failure of our ellorts to'attract population. If an empty continent has to be peopled we mu>t have regard to two main consideration:-. T|io positive advantages we have, to offer must, be' real and obvious; and no adventitious or imaginary obstacles to settlement must be manufactured. So far wn linvo failed at both ends. Our positive advantages arc largely negligible quantities; not because they do not exist,* but because we do not. make them available. "When all is said the fundamental condition for rapid immigration is an abundance of unoccupied and readily procurable l:\ncl. Wo have the land, but no one can say it is readily procurable, and that fact lies at the bottom of a world of disillusionment that works havoc with our chances of attracting population. The truth is that we are a house divided against itself. Half of us are so parochial and insular in our ideas that wo only do lip-service . to immigration, and are secretly resolved to do all we can to keep Australia for the Australians. A most excellent sentiment, but unfortunately nothing is clearer than that, given any great movement of world politics, tho Australians. would be quite unable to keep Australia for themselves. That is tho heart of the problem, and it Aakes our fcrly in this respect doubly fatal. What is worse is that, alongside our advertisements of our attractions, we set a sort of. list of disabilities of our own manufacture, which is rjuite enough to induce the doubting immigrant quite literally to keep off the grass. COLONIAL NAVIES. A reporter of the "Herald" yesterday questioned Rear-Adfoiral Bridgos, who returned to Australia by the Zealandia, in J regard to naval matters in Canada. "I've been so long out of the business," he said, "that I don't pose as a naval authorib" now. I am not to be. confounded- with Admiral Sir Cyprian Bridge, though I believe I have taken some of his fame without being able to holp it._ I saw tho beginnings of tho Canadian Navy, however—the Rainbow and. the Niolie.,- They are thii'd-class cruisers', and it is understood that they are to be used as training ships. I saw tho Niobe n't. Homo before she sailed for Cana'da, and I saw tho Rainbow at Vancouver. The same discussions as are taking place hero about the Navv are going on in Canada.- Sir WilfridLaurier, the Premier, is in favour of ii Canadian Navy,, to be at tho disposal of the Admiralty in war time; but'there is a very strong feeling in favour of trusting to the Mother Country and siniply training men for the purpose of drafting them into tho Royal Nary. The chief argument against Sir Wilfrid Laurier's view is that Great Britain might becomo embroiled in a war in which Canada was liot directly concerned; yet, if her navy wero to be placed at the disposal of tho Admiralty sho would become an active party in the war." THE OPIUM CURSE. ■ Hitherto, in. its effort to suppress tho opium -traffic,■ fho Customs Department has concentrated its energies in an endeavour to prevent importations. Authority has now been obtained, however, to gj further, and under an order passed by the Commonwealth Executive Council, the Department has power to make the possession of opium lor smoking an indictablo offence. The minimum penalty is to be three months' imprisonment, and the maximum three years, with no alternative. The Minister for Customs (Mr. Tudor) says that he hopes this will do more than anything yet done to suppress tho illicit opium traffic. ■ MOTOR AMBULANCES. One of the probabilities of tho coming year is the replacement of tho present horse-drawn ambulance vehicles of Sydney bv motors. In London and elsewhere this lias been done, and it has been found that Uiev' ore more efficient - and less costly. The ambulanco is on a par with tho fire brigade in some respects—speed may mean

everything—a. man's life, perhaps. According to the departmental reports the ambulanees of tlie Health Department were exceedingly bu-v dining the year, as the metropolitan public are becoming more and more alive to the advantages of having their sick children sent to the Coast Hospital. The epidemic, of diphtheria canted extra pressure on both men and horses, ami any expedient for facilitating transport over "the eight or nine miles between the Coast Hospital and the town would have been of great benefit. It is not unlikely, therefore, that tho Department will move in the direction of obtaining motors.