FREEDOM OF THE SEAS

Evening Star, Issue 19698, 27 October 1927, Page 9

FREEDOM OF THE SEAS

NECESSARY FOR THE EMPIRE SPEECH BY MR AMERY. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright MELBOURNE, October 27. (Received October 27, at 11.50 a.m.) Replying to the toast of liis health at the civic reception, Mr Amery said that to him the past week had been one of immense interest and varied experience. It had shown him tho wonderful possibilities, also sonic of tho difficulties, o fa groat country, tho recollection of which would help him greatly in the consideration of many Imperial problems which he had come to study. Referring to tho development of the Empire, Mr Amery said: “Ours is an Empire which lives by tho freedom of the seas. It is only under tho shelter of a Navy strong enough to maintain us that we can develop our iree institutions and preserve tho standards which wc have set up, instead of being forced to organise ourselves in a narrow militarist spirit. Erom the point of view ol danger the problem will not bo solved by arms and our foreign policy. The solution will come because w'c are a strong economic Power with an efloctivc distribution of our population. At present, from a point of view of defence, our population is singularly well distributed. It is mostly concentrated upon ono little island, if the present distribution is faulty from the point of view of defence, it is also faulty from that of the development of our economic resources. From tho social point ol view also we arc ill-balanced. Britain cannot solve its unemployment problems by creating another here. Distribution can come about only hythe skilful transfer of tbo population, the creation of new industries ami, above ail, by bringing out those who arc going to succeed and not fail. Underlying all this problem of economic development by reciprocal processes, we must stimulate and strengthen our development. Let us aim at the conservation of our economic energy, as well as the combination of our economic forces. Tho policy of Britain is very different from what it was twenty years ago. The war was to us a revelation. It had a great effect upon our economic problem. It threw a new light upon the 'Empire partnership, giving it significance and a reality which wc never before felt.” Mr Amery later left for Tasmania.