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Hokitika Guardian, 5 June 1930, Page 4

. Although Australia was undoubtedly having an anxious time facing the cij.sis that has arisen in her affairs, Mr J, Strong, a leading Sydney business man who arrived in Auckland last week, is quite confident that the final result will mean a sounder greater Australia than ever. He represents British motor manufacturers in the Commonwealth, and as his business takes him all over a great extent of the country he is well aware of what ls «°'Hg on during the process of readjustment oi ideas to the now state ol things caused by the depletion of Australia’s purse, “The present economic crisis,” ho said to a reporter, Mill ho regarded in later years as a blessing, The wonderful resources of the country are jjound to reassert themselves before very long, and then the Commonwealth will enter on a new and more soundly-based era of prosperity, |ho surest indication of Austialju » determination to win through with the least possible delay is the recognition by all classes of the community that economy is ;ip absolute necessity, and that the present disadvantageous posjljou is only to he rectified by closer co-opera I ion. between) employers and employees. That is the ; note 'lor the future. The reported settlement ol the disastrous dEpute in the Northern colliery district of New B>outh A\ ales, which has been going on since March, 1929, is a good example ol the way the position is being faced. All manner oi conferences failed to bring ahoqt n settlement, but at last all bunds have realised that the hard tacts have to ho faced in the cud, R is true that a certain amount of bitterness is inevitable, hut knowing ths Australian as I dp, I gni surj things

will settle down to normal again and

(.Mai; fill nanus will get logoi Her once more.” Mr Strong, in speaking of tlie immense possibilities ol Australia, said even Australians themselves were only just beginning to realise their easiness. For instance, there were the great plains in the west, that the trans-Continental railway traversed. That was the country that appeared .in the old maps as “desert area.” It was only after the railway bad been laid through the tract that men realised that given water it was splendid country tor cattle. Water could he found practically anywhere, and in the years to come the country would he a great source ol wealth. Jt was somewhat the same in Western Australia, where the land was considered hopeless, but today the State was one of the great wheat ,districts of the Umpire. MiStrong agreed that the Australian had oeen a pretty casual sort of fellow during the long years of prosperity and over-borrowing, but lie was .level-head-ed and had plenty of brains, and would come out of the present crisis stronger than ever. He had had his lesson, and in future things would be on a much sounder basis than in the past. “Austrlia.” concluded Air Strong, “is destined to emerge triumphantly, and in my opinion she will then progress to an extent that is undreamed of to-day.”