AUSTRALIA’S NEEDS

Southland Times, Issue 20220, 4 July 1927, Page 7

AUSTRALIA’S NEEDS

PROBLEMS OF EMPIRE. EVOLUTION TO SELF-GOVERNING STATUS. NECESSITY FOR “WHITE AUSTRALIA” POLICY. New York, July 1. Sir Harrison Moore in a second lecture at Chicago on the subject of the British Empire and its problems dealt with matters of foreign policy, trade, immigration and the White Australia policy and defence from the Australian standpoint. Britain’s interests were world-wide and in the earlier stages of colonial development controlled from Britain but, under growing colonial self-government, complete British responsibility and control were abandoned and preferential agreements—first among groups of colonies, then between colonies and foreign countries—became recognised as domestic matters.

Meantime another imperial trade movement took shape as a voluntary co-oper-ative policy of Empire-wide preference advocated by Mr Joseph Chamberlain and Sir Alfred Deakin. Economic co-operation within the Empire was as characteristic of Australian policy now as a generation ago.

Coincident with this was the new importance of immigration which was now completely a matter of domestic control for each country of the Empire though attainment of this position produced difficulties owing to the susceptibilities of some foreign nations.

The White Australia policy formed a phase of economic policy aiming at the maintenance of the standard of living. This was low in Asiatic countries which were nearest to Australia geographically and India, China and Japan were believed to be seeking an outlet for their teeming populations.

After much discussion it had been recognised that the dominions must share responsibility and direction of naval defence with Britain. The value of schemes for co-operation therein was shown in war time by the Australian navy.—A. and N.Z.