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BIG PROBLEMS.

important questions for AUSTRALIA. nmUGSATIOIs, WATEK-CON32SV-VATION, A2iX> RAILWAY GAUGE. (TKOM OUT! OWTt COKEESPOICDEN'T.) j SYDNEY, May 2G ; ! A i-on/erence of State Premiers •with •lie Federal Prime Minister is held periodic-".!!?. It is generally a -waste 't words and tiir.c. Many things are )T .r c v>-ed to in an academic way, much rWno* is aired, the Premiers •'scrap'' with each other and with Mr lTu^bei —particularly with Mr Hughes —and that is the end of it. But the reference of Premiers which has been proceeding in Melbourne during the ; vast week seems to have a different at-I'-rqnhere and the members seem more in'earnest. At any rate, some big derisions have been taken, and u Cabinets, in dealing with them -Vbsequcntlv, show the same spirit oi progress and sweet reasonableness, t-ney may prove to be of historical lmport:'nce" ddiigration. The importance ot immigration to i h;s country has been described too frequently to require repetition here, rive million people hold a country that. jni°ht. accommodate fifty million, ana who c e undeveloped resources are illim;*abfe A larger population will make Australia self-supporting, safer in tho raaitT of defence, will not offer.the „ame temptation to the overcrowded nations of Asia, and will greatly reduce 'he per capita burden of taxation. In ibe past, each State has dealt with the matter of immigration independently vrcujzh its own Agent-General in Lon,jpn u system that meant a loss in effiiVencv and a duplication (at loast) of cxpeas' The obvious way was for the Commonwealth to deal with immigration as an all-Australian matter; but, in the past, the States have jibbed when it was proposed to hand over any of their cherished powers to the CommonMr Hughes submitted the following definite proposals to the Premiers' Con- £ oimnonwoa ]th to have full control of immigration overseas. li. The Agents-General of the several States to form a consultative committee in London. 3. The Commonwealth 1 to be responsible for. and have control of all ovorsoas organisations and transport arrangements for bringing immigrants to Australia. 4. Tho primiuy object of the schemo to bo the settle- ■ meat of immigrants on the lands of ' Australia. 5. Preference to bo given !to • British ex-service men. The Com- ' monwealth to seek the co-operation and assistance. of the British Government ' in obtaining the right typo of iinmi- • tyarit, and "passage for same. 6. The Commonwealth to assume the financial

i responsibility for' organisation of immigrants and transport ta Australia. ! 7, 'fhe States to be responsible for im- | migrants' on arrival in Australia, and j for their settlement on suitable lands sind employment on public works. 8. The States to enter into an agreement with the Commonwealth,, setting out in definite terms what they bind Themselves to do in regard to providing (a) land,: and (b) other forms of assistance, sucli .as depots, sustenance, general, care! of immigrants, employment on public works, for (1) ex-service men, (2) : other classes of. iinmigrants. It is well known that the less reasonable elements of the Labour Party do not vieiv immigration with a friendly eye. and ;ihe Prime Minister's scheme ■was inetl with frank hostility by tho representatives: of the : extremist Queensland Government-, ; and,, iri a more friendly way, but critically, by the moderate Labour Ministers of New South Wales. The arguments put forward in support of it, however, could not ■be'* denied, and eventually the Conference' unanimously approved of the-scheme; and agreed to submit it to ! tho State Cabinets for approval. THE RAILWAY GAUGE. . Expert judges - declare that the broken railway, gauge is,now Australia's most serious-. economic handicap. It would bo under toy conditions, but tho peculiar; conditions which rule in . Australia—where, if there is a famine, or drought, in : one .region, there is generally. a season of plenty in another— make it essential that stock, fobdsfyiffs, and material, .should bo. moved quickly from one part of ,the Continent to another. And then,, of course, there/is the' defence problem.. If an enemy of \ Australia once had control of the sea, Australia, owing to Her present railway system; would be extremely vulnerable . to attack. Tho matter has been before, the various Governments again and but the enormous expenditure involved in changing tho gauges has /always seared off the Governments. If it cad been undertaken before the war, ifc would hare cost just about half what, it would cost to-day, and at last everyone concerned has decided that the work oannot bo longer delayed. Tho followthe schemo which Mr Hughes has submitted to tho Premiers' Conference:—

Work to he put in hand immediately, to connect tho State o3pitals, from Brisbane to Perth, -with a 4ft gauge. 2. The mainland States to contribute towards the cost on a per capita basis. The Commonwealth to contribute a quota. 3. The work to be placed under tho' control of a Commission composed of one Commissioner appointed by tho Commonwealth and two by tho States. 4. The Commonwealth to make financial arrangements for raising tho money by issuing non-negotiable bonds for a fixed period. 5. The States to pay interest, on their respective quotas, and to redeem the bonds when they mature. In tho course of a lengthy discussion, Mr Hughes said that the military people said that, under present conditions, it wouldxrequire three months to movo 50,000 troops, with all equipment, from Melbourne to Brisbane. The Commonwealth would contribute at least ones'.xth of the cost, and tho cost of unification of the main lines only would bo about £16,000,000. 1 The proposals were favourably received By tho Premiers, and a committee was set up to go into the financial asncct of the scheme. The whole of tho New South Wales system, and tho Commonwealth lino irom Port Augusta to Kalgoorlio is on the 4ft Sim gauge. Tho Queensland and \Vest Australian lines would have to be widened from 3ft Gin, and the Victorian and South Australian gauges reduced from oft 3in.

unanimity of action can be secured —and at last there seems every prospect of it—the work wiil be underat once. Mr Hughes proposes to use immigrant labour to a large extent on this and the Murray "Waters scheme. WATER CONSERVATION. The Murray "Waters scheme is one of the biggest things of the kind in the w i The three States—New South wales, Victoria, and South Australia with the Commonwealth, are cooperating in the work of locking the great Murray river, so that wide areas on either side, over ? v distance of hundreds of miles, may be irrigated regularly daring the twelve months from huge dams. This is wonderfully fertile eonntry, capable of growing anvthing—. particularly fruit—but liable to droughts. Tho locking of the Murray under- a comprehensive scheme is expected to make, this wido region the garden of Australia. I . Hughes brought tho matter be-! tore the Premiers' Conference because 1 k fas niost desirable that the work, which has now been in hand for some years, Jbo hurried to completion. Tho expenditure, incurred and contemplated, will not be less than £6,000,t,0J, and the Commonwealth was prepared to "bear one-fourth, of this. The scheme

cnVfittod to the Conference provided ;-bc greatly expedited": that the Comniissioii controlling 3t have .power to resume nil affected, ■.villiin fivp rears of completion, at the present value, plus 10 per cent it is believed thr.t in this way the scheme will he made to pay for itself); immigrant labour to bo employed on tnis <Vre.it work, but Australian' soldiers to have preference if that is desired Tho Premiers concerned accepted the trenprnlly, some minor pomts being referred to a committee for consideration.

aviation CONTROL. The Premiers also agreed to surrender to the Commonwealth the necessary tjovror to enable the Commonwealth to control aviation nenerally withm the Commonwealth. This is a most. important deciFion, as liitherto aviation control has been wholly in the .lands or the States, nnd as each hr-u ailtereut ideas about it, the effect was to place a hnn.-lic-ip upon the development oi the now factor in transportation!. _ The fact that these various decisions have to be,submitted cabinets is not sr> disr-nuracing as it seems, as most of the Premiers lad a 111,1joritv of their Ministers in during the Conference., and were in constant consultation with them.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19200605.2.22

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16853, 5 June 1920, Page 7

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,366

BIG PROBLEMS. Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16853, 5 June 1920, Page 7

BIG PROBLEMS. Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16853, 5 June 1920, Page 7

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