DEFENCE OF AUSTRALIA.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14074, 18 August 1916, Page 6

DEFENCE OF AUSTRALIA.

GENERAL PRINCIPAL ADOPTED.

Elaborating recently an announcement he had made that it was proposed to constitute a Defence Council for Australia, the Acting-Prime Minister (Senator Poarce) explained that the details had already been planned out, and the general principle and the outline of the scheme as a whole had been adopted by the Cabinet. But the final adoption ot the scheme m its entirety would not be decided' upon until the arrival of Mr Hughes, who would be president of the proposed council. , It w,as just possible that some of the activities with which Mr Hughes , was himself- specially concerned might come within the scope of the council. . ; Referring to the various committees whose activities will be embraced by the Defence Council, Senator Pearpe said that many of these committees were now at work. For instance, the Munitions Committee had already conducted important investigations m regard to tne' question of the manufacture of acetone. The details of this had been worked, out by a sub-commit-tee, consisting of Mr de Bavay, Mr N. K. Brodribb, acting-manager of the Commonwealth Cordite Factory, and Mir Lewis, chief inspector of. explosives for yictoria. Mr de Ravay had worked out the system to be adopted, and the plans were now m course of preparation under .his supervision. Works were, to be established m Queensland. Other Sttb-conunibtees had also been at work, including one dealing with the question of high .explosives, and one or two that had been dealing with technical subjects. When the Council of Defence was established, ■ epxlained Senator' Pearoe, it was intended that these various sub-oomTiiittees should be absorbed by the council, instead of being, as at present, under the Minister of Defence. Although at present they were, subject to the control of tbo -Defence (Department, it could readily be seep they touched on other matters altogether outside, the province of defence administration., m fact,, m some cases they affected other departments of the Government, and this applied toi tihe >,directorate of munitions, which often dealt with qu'^Vjns , affecting the Customs Departmfc^y It was therefore probable that once the Defence ' Council was established, this directorate would pass out of the control of the Defence Department. Senator Poarca added that when these committees were, formed under the permanent secretariat, any department which might be concerned would have representation upon the council.