EMPIRE PROBLEMS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9619, 27 March 1917, Page 6

EMPIRE PROBLEMS

THE DOMINIONS’ COMMISSION FINAL REPORT ISSUED. Ily Telegraph—Preet Association—-Copj:r!gt»* Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, March 23. The Dominions’ Couipiission has issued its hiiel and unanimous report, covering five years’ investigation. Iho Commission visited every capital, ciery State and province in five Dominions. It held 1(50 sittings and examined 850 witnesses. Tho report acknowledges tho Commission’s indebtedness for tho assistance of Mr J. H. Knibbs (Commonwealth Statistician) in its Australian tour, and of Mr Malcolm Ross while in Now Zealand. Reviewing the Dominions seriatim, the report infcreutially favours the existing development of the potentialities of Canada, South Alnca, Jin, Now Zealand, and Newfoundland in tho order named. Tho Australian interior was largely waterless and impossible for settlement. 01^ rn Queensland, North-Western and tho Northern Territory haJ not proved suitable for a large white population. Nevertheless, enormous uieas, mainly on tho coastal belt, were as healthy as ahy country in the with a beautiful climate and suftcunt rainfall but wore the most sparselypopulated of any civilised country in tho •world. / , _ Tho report criticises undue aggrocation of population in tho towns. The wheat areas were enormous, but lacking in railways, the average acreage yielding 50 per cent, below Canada. The mineralogical potentialities were enormous, particularly in Queensland, which many believe to rank first in the States minoralogically. Now Zealand was splendid for agriculture. It was another Britain ot tho Southern Seas. In social, legislation and oven distribution of wealth New Zealand was probably more advanced than any part of the Empire. IMPERIAL DEVELOPMENT

BOARD. The principal recommendation of the Commission is the creation of a permanent Imperial Development •Board, under the direction of a permanent Imperial Conference, comprising twelve members intimately acquainted with the Empire seven representing Great Britain, India, ana the Crown Colonies, and one each from the five Dominions, with headquarters in London. The board should make frequent peregrinations through the Empire. Its main functions would bo to complete or continue the work begun by the Commission in relation to tho production and distribution of food and raw materials throughout the Empire, scientific research, employment of Empire capital for the doYelopment of IDnaplrß xesourceSj mitigation, within, the Empire of steamships, cables, and railways insofar as they are contributory to Imperial development, legislation affecting trade, and the preparation of Imperial statistics. The hoard should bo purely advisory in its initial 'stages, and must not encroach on the political or administrative machinery of self-governing Dominions. Its principal duty would be to initiate or report on. schemes remitted by the Imperial Conference for the participation of Governments. INTER-IMPERIAL COMMUNICATION. Inter-Imperial communication demands vessels of greater draught and length, necessitating the of harbours at Suez, Cape, and Canadian routes, notably at Fremantle, Adelaide, Melbourne, Lyttelton, and Port Chalmers. The Australasian dry docks are inadequate except that at Sydney. The shipping services will need reviewing in 1920, when the Orient contract expires, with tho view of securing eigh-teen-knot services, landing mails at Adelaide in twenty-five days fourteen hours via Suez and twenty-eight days via the Cape, and in twenty-five to New Zealand via Halifax and Vancouver. Subsidised services must submit a schedule of freights to tho Governments to obviate differential rates, which would be inimical to Imperial trade.

CENTRAL EMIGRATION BOARD. Tho report recommends the creation of » contra! emigration hoard under British Governmental direction, with a consultative board comprising Dominions’ representatives. The report discountenances tho ©migregate of soldiers without adequate capital and training. It urges increased female emigration to redress tho balance of sexes.

NATIONALISATION OF CABLES. The Commission recommends Government acquisition of the Atlantic cable land line from Nova Scotia to Montreal connecting the Pacific, and thereafter reducing the full .pates to two shillings per word’, deferred rates to one shilling, and week-end rates to sixpence, and press messages correspondingly, assuming tho abolition of the Commonwealth’s unjustifiable terminal charge of fivopence. The nationalisation of private cables is becoming an urgent problem of statesmanship. Tho Commission endorses Sir Joseph Ward’s views thereon made at tho Imperial Conference of 1911. OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS •

Other recommendations include a quinquennial _ census. Empire and iu-tcr-Imperial itinerant exhibitions, international exhibitions, unification of the legislation for patents, trademarks, and companies, modification of tho double income tax, uniform Imperial decimal coinage, metric weights and measures.