The Dominion FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 1922. DANGERS AHEAD

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 159, 31 March 1922, Page 4

The Dominion FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 1922. DANGERS AHEAD

This is the heading given to the presidential' address delivered last week before the Congress of the Australian Associated Chambers of Commerce. The dangers in question were the prohibitive costs of production, which are excluding Australian products from the markets of the world. An Economic Conference convened by the Primo Minister was held at Sydney a week or two ago, with the object of seeking a means of reviving industry and stimulating production. It camo to nothing. Representatives of the employers apd employees met; they beat the air for several days it vain ■ discussion; and the negotiations were finally wrecked by the demand of the Labour representatives for the socialisation of industry

It was following on the conference that the president of the Associated Chambers of Commerce, Mr. D. J. Gordon, M.L.C., issued his warning on the dangers ahead. He was somewhat pessimistic so far as the immediate future was concerned, and with reason. The mining industry, he said, was threatened by high costs of production and' falling copper had forced the mines to close down. Gold recovery was unprofitable, while silver and lead mining companies were almost subscribing to the "socialisation” ideal, and producing for use and not for profit. The excessive price of coal was seriously handicapping industry, while the high cost of carriage by land and sea was crippling industry and commerce., Railway freights were at the highest peak on record, and railway * efficiency probably at the lowest point. And so on in many other directions the tendency was I towards stagnation. Progress and development had been checked through the inability to produce at a price which would enable Australian products to meet worldwide competition. Mr. Gordon, while recognising that there are other factors, lays chief blame for the position reached on the preaching of the gospel of sectional distrust and hatred —the refusal to recognise the community of interest between Capital and Labour. No doubt he is in the main correct, but such being the case, the outlook for the Commonwealth in the immediate future is a gloomy one. Apart from the failure of the Economic Conference before referred to, the attitude of organised Labour just now would seem to bo more uncompromising than ever. The fact that, as the result of insistence on the policy of maintaining wages at an artificial level, there are tens of (thousands of unemplojed in Australia does not seem to concern the leaders of the movement. On the contrary, there is talk of a huge strike in June next. The story is that this strike is being so thoroughly organised that it will paralyse transport, and place the Labour leaders in the position of dictators. In spite of denials, the strike plan seems to be widely credited as a dangerous possibility, though, the demoralising collapse, of the revolutionary outbreak on the Rand may have cooled the ardour of some of the militants.

Whatever the future may hold for Australia, there can be no doubt that it is at the moment faced with grave problems, and possibly some real dangers. Perhaps the remedy for the chief of the evils confronting the Commonwealth will be found through some such means as were suggested by Mr. Gordon in the closing passages of his address. What we want in Australia, he said, is a “peace offensive” not only in theory but in practice—in other words those who are for the Empire, the Commonwealth, good government, social security, moral uplift, as well as material progress have got to pet together, stick together, and fight together against all the forces of disruption and disloyalty within our gates. There need be no fear of what Australia’s attitude would be towards a common enemy from without. One problem ahead of us is how to deal with the foes who are already inside the gates, daily sowing seeds of dissension.