BIG FOUR REPORT

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 9, 11 January 1929, Page 8

BIG FOUR REPORT

AUSTRALIAN CONDITIONS ■■'■ V:-' __ \ ■■-■■ WHAT LONDON THINKS ' Australian Press Association. - ■■• ■ (Received 11th January, 2.30 p.m.) LONDON, 10th January. Financial circles generally, approve of the tone of the Duckham Report concerning Australian finance and development. It is regarded as fair and businesslike, but important men are disinclined to comment on the brief cabled summary, preferring to wait till they." have seen the full report. One or two point out that much of the cabled summary semes obvious. . They express gratification that the mission, after; personal experience in Australia, endorse rho opinions frequently expressed hero regarding borrowing and expenditure, and tho costs of production. The report reveals little that is not known here.' •

■Mr, Ben Tillett, the- Labour leader, said that he was loth to comment, as Labour was riot invited to co-operate. The report was obviously materialistic in tone. If Labour had been invited to participate in the inquiry it would have looked at the matter from more angles than the-mere materialistic. The "Morning" Post' 5 says editorially: "Whether or no Australia accepts the advice offered, we are confident that some of tho best brains of the Commonwealth are in cordial agreement with the Commission, which mostly deprecates ill-considered development, into which politicians rush, not only in Australia, but elsewhero, without inquiring whether it will pay in. money, but whether it will pay in votes. Hence the large stable of 'white elephants ' which would have rudned a country with less natural wealth than Australia. England cannot afford'to blame Australia for her economic policy of high protection since she forced the policy upon her by abolishing the old. and wise preferential system we are now labouring to restore. Australia, with no single industrial centre, has a very widely scattered population, and is ill-suited to that sort of development, but if England wan&jjjer to modify her policy she must offw^somethuig substantial in return. As^ar as -xifcl-. ways are concerned, it woulfrbe foolish to build more until uniformity is reached. One gauge and less politics are the chief needs of Australia."-