The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, MARCH 8, 1915.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3872, 8 March 1915, Page 4

The Gisborne Times . PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, MARCH 8, 1915.

The very outspoken remarks by the Governor oi' South Australia, on the White Australia

“Foolish as well as indiscreet.’’

policy it. is clear caused a great deal of offence in Federal Government circles, although on account of his expressions of regret for having publicly alluded to a political subject the matter may now be allowed to drop. It will be recalled that on the particular occasion Sir Henry Galway for that is the name of the present representative of the Throne in that State was a guest at ITraidla Show and m reply to the toast- of his health made what lie intended to be purely an Imperialistic speech. Seemingly the text of Ills remarks is in dispute or at any rate His Excellency has since said that bis meaning was not made quite plain in the report of his speech but the South Australian press agree as to the main position of the statements to which such strong objection has been taken. "I am inclined to think,” as the general report of his address goes, l< that the hardest nut the Federal Government has to crack is the development of the Northern Territory. How that territory is going to he developed by white labor alone I for one am unable to conceive. By all means have a White Australia if under that principle you can fully develop the country, but it would be a thousand pities to allow what is undoubtedly a splendid country to remain undeveloped purely on account of such a policy. Looking at the splendid services being rendered to the Empire by our Indian troops and our Japanese Allies, 1 am one of those who think that the feelings oi Australians on the color question will undergo a considerable change when the war is over. I have probably trodden perilously near what is forbidden ground to State Governors, namely, polities. I cannot allow that the future development of the Northern Territory comes strictly under that head. These were certainly very courageous remarks; but they would, for the most part, fall on unsympathetic • ears' for the reason that rightly or wrongly, the people of the Commonwealth, or at any rate the great bulk of them, would appear to he strongly wedded to the White Australia policy. When one comes to analyse Sir Henry Gahvav s comments one can only say that as to his statement that- the settlement of the Northern Territory by white settlers has so faf proved a failure ho was, up to that stage, merely keeping within the borders of actual fact. It is, however, plain from his subsequent

remarks that lie does not, as vet, understand the Australian mind, or he would not then have proceeded! to the mistaken conclusion that even the war could soften public feeling in the Commonwealth on the subject. Apparently he is not aware that, when the

anti-Chinese outcry arose in South At- j rioa some years back, the same feeling was extensively shared in these Colonies. Thus it comes about that it is all nonsense for anybody to suggest that, because the Indians and the Japanese have assisted in the present war, the Federal authorities will withdraw all opposition to the Northern Territory bfeing thrown open to occupation by people of either or both these races. Bearing in mind her own ideal, the Commonwealth, we should say, would at once reply, if any such proposal should 'be made by the; .Mother Country, that she, too, had assisted in the war and would not lie prepared to accept any such unhandsome reward for her services. The day may come, l and wo believe it will come, when dark subjects of the King will, an much greater numbers, be allowed to work on very stringent conditions in the Northern Territory lands. But no such suggestion is likely to prove acceptable to the majority of the people of the Commonwealth unless it originate with her own people. ■ We may be further mistaken also, but it seems to us that the day of which we speak is still very far distant, and efforts may yet bo renewed lime and again to settle the Northern Territory on “White Australia” lines. The outlook, however, seems, as we, too, have suggested, quite hopeless. In the meantime the Mother Country is bound to respect the wishes of Australia in sueii an important matter and, whilst the White Australia ideal continues to be so widely held, she will devise other means of dealing with any surplus of her dark-skinned subjects. What is, indeed, now widely hold is that, when German East Africa comes under the British Crown, it will be populated very largely with "people from India. As far as the Japs are concerned, nobody serins to lie quite clear to what share of the “war spoils” they will receive! It is. however, quite certain, we should say, that Sir Henry Galway’s idea that they, as well as Indians, mav be encouraged to settle m the Northern Territory will prove incorrect.