FUTURE OF'THE DOMINIONS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3038, 27 March 1917, Page 6

FUTURE OF'THE DOMINIONS

' 'ROYAL COMMISSION'S FINAL REPORT - ' IMPERIAL DEVELOPMENT ■ ■ j:■■■■■..,, .. London, March,2s, o The. Dominions Conference has; issued «; ■'~ ate final , and unanimous report, covering five years' investigation.' The Commission visited every capital, every rState knd province in five Dominions. It hold 160 sittings and examined. 850 witnesses. The: report acknowledges ■ ' the Commission's indebtedness for the assistance of Mr, Ji'.'H, Knibb (Commonwealth Statistician) in its' Anstra.v, lian. tour, and of Mr. Malcolm Ross .while in New Zealand. . ::. -: Reviewing the': Dominions 'seriatim, v tho report inferentially favours the existing development of the potentialitics of Canada,'South-'Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Newfoundland , in the orcjeiv named. The Australian : , . interior was largely waterless and imV . ■•■■■ possible for . settlement. . Northern iis; . Queensland, North-western Australia,. ■ ; ■ and the Northern Territory had not " proved suitable for a large white popu- ; .. ~-.]ation. ~ Nevertheless, enormous 1 areas, . ■ . mainly on tho coastal ; belt, were as healthy as any country in tho world, » . _ with'a beautiful climate and sufficient > .rainfall; but were the most sparsely- ■ . populated of any civilised country in • the world. .V. ' The report, criticises undue aggren'a- .- : . tion of. population in the towns. The '■ wheat areas were.enormous, h'.it lacking . in Tailways, the average acreage .yield-, ••.'.•••••.'••'ving cent..Jielow Canada. v The . •. .maneralogical potentialities were enorv particularly in Queensland, -which'many believe to rank first in the ' States mineralogncally/;. . • New Zealand was 1 -Splendid for agri- ' - ' v culture.: It was another Britain of the. "Southern Seas. lijj'sociel legislation •.•h and even .'distribution' of wealth New ; ■ Zealand was probably more advanced; '!Hhan any part of .the Eropiro. ■

- > , Imperial Development Board. V i f 'The. prjncipal recommendation of the ..." ? Commission is the creation of a perman"enfc Imperial Development Boayi, under ' \'the direction of a permanent Imperial' •.<Conference, comprising twelve members '•idtimately acquainted with the Empire, "seven representing.Great Britain, India, v and the Crown Colonies, and one each ■ from the five Dominions, with' headiquartersjn London'.; The board should . J-niake through V ithe Empire. Its main would : he to complete, of the work • i ,'ihegun by the Commission In relation to the production-and distribution of '• > food and raw- materials' throughout the tEmpire, scientific research; employment ;of Empire capitaL for-the .development 'jbf Empire resources,; migration -within ■ i 'the Empire, steamships, cables, and • Railways: insofar as 'they are' <jontribu:'tory to Imperial '.development, legislation affecting trade, and the preparation of Imperial statistics;, . - ( The board should he purely advisory

;5n its initial stages,' and must not 'encroach on the political or administrative ,/ Wphinery of self-governing Dominions. ;(u v . .'')ltV principatduliy would be.to, initiate . . Wr report on schemes' remitted. b,v .the V-S :,Imperial- Conference for the participa- ; .'tion of Governments.';

.; Accelerated Mail Services. Inter-Imperial communication 1 demands vessels of greater draught and ilength, -.necessitating the deepening of • ■ Jjarbours at Suez, and Canadianlioutes, notably at Fremantle, Adelaide, iJMelbourne, Lyttelton, and Port Chal'!m6rs. The Australasian dry docks are •inadequate, except that at Sydney. . i .Tlie snipping services will .nefed review;'iingm 1920, when the Orient contract • Wpiresi with ; the view' .of securing, 'cighteen-knot services,- landing mails at (Adelaide in twenty-five days, fourteen ; Hi ours via Suez and .twenty-eight days ;••; via the Caps, and iu,twenty-five.to'New • Zealand via Halifax and .Vancouver. • jSub'sidised. services. ;. must submit a ?!• .!®chedule'of freights: to the; Government 'to' obviate differential rates, 'which nvould be-inimical to Imperial trade. * ' Tho report recommends the creation <of a' central emigrationboard under ,'British Governmental direction, with a consultative board ' comprising Domin:ions' representatives. ■ - ■/; The' reportdiscountenances the, emigration of soldiers without adequate capital and training. It urges increased female emigration to,"redress the balanco of-sexes. . , • ■■

" • Reduced Gable Rates. ■ : The Commission 'recommends Governinont acquisition of the Atlantic cable ! land lme from' Nova Scotia to Montreal ■connecting the' Pacific,'' and thereafter ; reducing the full rates to two shillings ,yicr word, deferred,rates to one shilling, ; sind week-end rate's' to and -•Press messages correspondingly; assum- : r.ing. the. abolition ,/of. the; .Commonwealth's unjustifiable terminal _ charge ' t'-offivepence. The"nationalisation' of . (private cables is becoming ari urgent 'problem bf statesmanship.. The'Coni:mission endorses Sir Joseph Ward's .j views thereon', made at the Imperial ''Conference of 1911. ' 1 Other recommendations'.include a ( quinquennial census, Empire and inter(■lmperial itinerant exhibitions, "inter- . • national exhibitions, unification of the .legislation for patents, trade- marks, i'and companies, modification of the ■Vlonblo income-tax. nniforrrt' Imperial 'decimal coinage, metric weights'- and \ measures.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.