PEOPLING AUSTRALIA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18455, 17 January 1922, Page 6

PEOPLING AUSTRALIA

GREAT RESOURCES IDLE. ROOM FOR MILLIONS OF IMMIGRANTS. The governor of the Commonweulth Bank (Sir Denison Miller) addressed a large meeting of journalists and business men at the Sydney Press 01 ub a few weeks ago. He said.: We have one of the finest countries in the world, with illimitable resources and millions of acres of Crown lands suitable in' every way foe settlement and development. The climate is mostly bright mmshir.e, in which < you can grow produce almost every day in the year. Rainfall is recorded in enough of the country to grow crops, sheep, and oattle sufficient to supply many millions of people. The soil is as productive as one could wi3b, and practically every metal that is used today can be recovered. There is enough coal in the northern distribte of New South Wales to last at the present rate of output for 10,500 years, while there are unbounded supplies of copper, silver, and lead waiting to be mined. But what are we doing with this great heritage? We want more people, more of the breed that is in Australia to-day— British. Australia could .'carry 100,000,000 people. It ia said that if America had this country, she would soon show us what to do with it. I believe she would, but why should we wait for others to show us what to do? It is up to the- citizens of Australia R> take a hiiaid now and show what we can do with this wonderful country. Within the last six months I have been over the greater part of Australia—Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania.. I found great activity in the country every where. Shearing was in full swing, crops were being harvested, Oicl.tnds were being tended, and everywhere the cry was for more labour to assist. Immigration on a large scale must be vigorously pushed forward, and Sir .Toseph Qarruthers's scheme of getting a million farmers for a million farms is a beginning, and appeals strongly. It means, I take it, 1,000,000 more producers of wealth from the soil, and with their wives and families an addition to our population in country districts of probably 3,000,000 or 4,000,000 The people liave to be prepared for—and got ready for occupation, water conservation provided, and railways and bridges made to lauds. They could be employed to do most of this themselves, so that the organisation to carry out the sclitme must be carefully planned. The I'rime' Minister (Mr Hughes), who recognises the necessity tor peopling the country, ha-s submitted plans on these lines to the i'leinkrs, and it is to be hoped that there will be speedy acceptance and co-operation. The cry in some quarters is. that we .have our own unemployed to provide for. We will always have a certain number whatever happens, but they should not interfere with immigration schemes, to get people to go on to the land. Regarding the funds required, 1 am of the opinion that it should suit/Great Britain to share- in some way in the cost, as it would be relieving her of a large number of people. The additional population would all help to share the bur<ien of taxation. From a careful study of the position, I think tho people of Australia have probably income from investments and savings that they do not require for living and other: expenses of, say, £15,000,000 a year, which is available for reinvestment. Although large sums are required to assist industrial undertakings, and to provide tho development of estates and businesses, a fair proportion of money could surely be forthcoming for either of the two schemes outlined. What are we going to do now that the world is so satisfactorily settling down to peace? Are we going to dawdle along and shirk our responsibilities, listen to a few pessimists, critics, and extremists, who are always ready to cavil at anything that is proposed for the welfare of the people and tho country; or are we going to do our duty and show the world that we are capaMe and worthy to hold lor the British Empire this wonderful country for all time? It would be something worth doing to have completed within the next five years the unification of our main railway gauges, and to have the immigration scheme in full swing. 'With a constant stream of healthy British men and women going on the land, Australia would never look back.