AUSTRALIA TO-DAY

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 85, 13 April 1929, Page 9

AUSTRALIA TO-DAY

ECONOMIC MISSION

SPEECHES AT'DINNER

Australian Press Assoclitlon.

LONDON, 11th April.

At a dinner given at Australia- House by Major.: General. Sir : Granville Eyrie to the members of the British' Economic Mission which recently returned from Australia, the: guests ' included Mr. Amory (Dominions Secretary), Viscount Novaiythe.Earl of Plymouth,!the Agents-Generall^ Messrs. .Hombiirg.. and Richards, from .the South -Australian Parliament, and Judge; Scholes from Sydney. Sir Arthur; Ducknian, was absent, being confined to bed,, suffering from a cold. ■:;■'- ' ■• ' '

Sir .Granville'.Eyrie, proposing the toast of members of the mission, simply, emphasised V their conclusion that though some ■ loans were spent Mon projects without the fullest investigation, Australia's, national ' income and sources of' revenue were amply sufficient to pay for the government, provide'for service, dud repayment of the Public Debt. He t hoped that, this statement would.; stop the carping criticism of Australian finance which was itoo .common in the British Pressl"

Sirl Hugh Hirst; in response 'to the toast, said he could not'forget his inipre'ssion" on discovering- that Australia was not one country, as he hadthought, but Bix States, with a, most proud Sovereign-status: :'':', .':■'.-,■■' ••■ ' '■'„■ ":

Sir Ernest Clark stressed the constant inertia encountered in Great Britain in connection with Dominion problems., As an instance, he pointed out how financiers • picked' out a passage referring to'some Australian.borrowing in recent years as bolstering .tip' the preconceived notion that Australia had over-borrowed. Dealing with Au's-; tr-alia's wonderful resources, Sir' Ernest warnihgly 7 declared / that if;, by. any chance artificial wool was discovered, it would deal Australia a blow which it would: take her years to recover from.

Other speeches, • reported in yesterday's ... "Post," were delivered. by ■'■ Mr. Dougal Malcolm, Mr.' Amery,' and Mr. J. 11. Thomas, Secretary for the Colonies in the MacDonald'Labour Cabinet.