EMPTY AUSTRALIA

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 411, 21 January 1909, Page 7

EMPTY AUSTRALIA

NORTHCOTE'S VIEW.

NORTHERN TERRITORY AND THE EAST. FUTURE OF EMPIRE; ■■' ■ :.rCENTRIPETAL FORCES STRONGEST (".I TJSLEOItAriI—PItESS ASSOCIATION—COrYRIGKT.I (Rec. January 20, 10.25.p.m.) • London, January 20. Lord Northcote, ex-Governor-Goneral of the Australian Commonwealth, was entertained to a dinner at Whitehall Rooms. Those present numbered 230,' including the Duke of .Norfolk, the Earl of Rosebery, the Earl of Halsbury, the Duke of- Marlborough, tho Marquis of Salisbury, Lord Mountstephen, Lord Strathcona, Lord Milner, Mr. Alfred Lyttelton (who was Secretary for the Colonies •in tho Balfour Government); Lords Tennyson, Laraington, Brassey, and Jorsoy ' (former Australian State Governors); Lord-j George, Hamilton, Lord Ampthill (a leading exponent of the rights of Indians in the oolonies), the, Earl of Longford, Lord MacDonnell (formerly Sir Antony MaoDonrioll); Mr. Hall-Jones, High Commissioner for New Zealand; and the various Agents-General. The Earl' of Crewe (Secretary for the Colonies) presided. Mr. Hall-Jones proposed "The King and the Queen and the Royal Family," dwelling on the loyalty of New, Zealand and the Dominion's deep affection for the Motherland. .Lord" Crewe proposed • the health of Lord Northcote, who, he said, had '-, not I returned as a worn-out gladiator laying down' his ; arms for. good, "pn the contrary," he added, "Lord Northcote has his weapons well cleaned and .bright, and who knows,/how ; soon he. may be called on to. use them again, in the service of the Empire?" : ; Lord Northcote possessed many claims to esteem and regard. Apart from his hereditary claims to statesmanship, ho had had the rare; and valuable experience of having held high office 'iii two great divisions of the Empire. LORD CREWE'S ADDRESS. . Lord Crewe said he did not believe the colonies were destined to 'split away from the Motherland, ■ or the Motherland to split away 'from; tho colonies. The'centrifugal forces were slight and few compared with the centripetal.forces, .He remarked jhat as generation followed generation the actual tie of blood must lessen to some extent; but, on the' other hand, what • a number of forces Were making for ,union. He instanced the very real link supplied' by the Crown aaJ the ever-improving means of transit- and communication, and, .by .the prospect of being able to:, draw. the,.defensive forces .of the whole Empire-into a unity which could nM be carried.on with identity of methods, Luf by a distinct understanding as to, what the defence' of: the Empire, meant, and by identity of purpose arid action'.. "(Cheers.) The Imperial Conference had done much in the past, and would'do more in the future, to secure greater-unity, and,..if possible, oloser communication..' ■ '.

InteMmparlal- Relations Position of India. An incomparably jmbro .difficult problem was to decide tho- future relations 5 respectively between tho Motherland, tho Dominions, India, and tho rest of tho colonies. Its solution would require tho help of the very best hoads in the Empire, and among those there was none'whose opinion would be more valuable than Lord Northcote's, If hearty welcome and generous friendship made tho task of the Governor-General of tho Commonwealth in somo respects easy, yet the occupant of that office'was confronted with difficulties requiring exceptional qualities of tact, patienco, courago, and impartiality not often united in one man.' It had been Lord -Northcoto's privilege to lend a guiding hand to tho Commonwealth as it rose from boyhood to tho strong manhood it had now reached, and ho , had showed himself to be possessed of tho very qualities just mentioned. "White Australia" and the state Claims. Lord Northcote had witnessed some of tho difficulties conneotod with tho relative functions of the Commonwealth and the States—difficulties which must 'wither he ignored nor over-rated, but which naturally belonged to the delimitation of Federal and State functions after tho foundation of tho Commonwealth. If anybody was inolined to take a really sorious view of those difficulties, he might bo reassured by a perusal of tho history of tho' similar problems confronting tho American Union from 1782 to 1888, Lord Crowo, in conclusion, mentioned that the necessity of increasing tho white population was a pressing Australian problom, but he believed that immigrants of the right sort would be welcomed .warmly. The toast was drunk with acclamation, cheers being given for Lord and Lady Northcote. LORD NORTHCOTE'S RESPONSE. Lord Northcote, who received an ovation on rising to respond, said he was proud to have had the opportunity of serving the Empire in India and Australia. Many of those | present would corroborate him when he said that the people of Australia! would endeavour at all timcß to show tho King's representative cordial kindness and a warmth of feeling which would mako him feel that ho had but exchanged one home for another. Australians of all parties wore 'absolutely agreed in loyalty to tho Throno and to the Empire. Tho King's great personal popularity in Australia, was of very real and material benefit to the Crown's representative tbcie. ' Lord Northcote fully endorsed Lord Crewe's reference to tho infinitely greater difficulties attending the American sottlomont after tho termination of the War of Independence Australia's difficulties were toothing troubles, mero trilles, compared with tho.Amorican troubles. Australia, had a less difficult task bofore her than Canada had successfully accomplished in blonding two great nationalities. Federal System Not Endangered. Some peoplo in Australia, had thought that tho advent of fedoration was a moans to the millennium. On tho other hand, a considerable minority, who had opposed fedoration, not unnaturally mado thomselvos hoard when tho Commonwealth was first confronted with some temporary difficulty. Doubtless-the Federa.l Constitution contained some ambiguities respecting the relative rights of the States and :the Commonwealth. If, however, the millennium had not yet arrived, very groat and material benefits had already accrued to Australia from fodora» tion. The great mass of the quiet country voters appreciated very deeply the removal of the barriers, to free inter-State 1 commerce, and Would not readily assent to the reestnblisbmont of any such drawbaoks. The peoplo every year were getting morn used to ' the'now: state of. affairs,; Itimustbo. romoriv

bered that the highly-respected High Court of Australia was authoritatively entrusted with the task of defining" the respective rights and privileges of tho States and tho Commonwealth. Ho therefore looked forward without a shadow or shade of apprehension to the continuity of tho fedoral system. Colour Problem From Colonial standpoint. Australia's greatest difficulty waa tho necessity of increasing tho population. No doubt tho occasional mistakes of over-zealous officials with regard to immigration had created some prejudice, but anything in the nature of a fixed desire to exclude from the Commonwealth men who were able to sustain themselves by y thoir labour had never existed. Tlie Australians had unemployable'of their own, and wero not prepared to import more of them from the Old Country. Rogarding coloured immigration, Britishers would do well to consider that from the Australian as well as from, tho British standpoint. It was a physical impossibility for Britain to be swamped with coloured labourers, but Australia was differently placed regarding Asiatic immigrants. It was therefore quite conceivable, from the Australian standpoint, that unless the Australians rigidly secured themselves against the possibility of being swamped by Asiatic labour, they might be confronted with a problem oven more serious than that of the great negro question in the United States.-' . . ■ ■, To People the Northern Territory. ■-, Much depended on Australia's ability to populate the huge Northern Territory with whites. Ho hesitated to pronounce a. definite opinion on that question, but he believed it would bo possible for steady, sober, careful, white men to colonise for a time that great tropical land. It was, however, a very • serWs matter how far the olimate of the Northern Territory was suitable. to wo-' men and children, and whether we could hope that in the course, of generations a healthy and virile race could continue to live and breed in such a olimate. At present there were only. 2000 whites in half a mil-' lion; square miles of territory. It was impossible to hope or to wish that that Btate of affairs should indefinitely continue. Evi-dently-the settlement, of the' Northern Territory was one of the very greatest questions confronting Australia. . White Immigration the Best Protection From the' orient. ; ■ "We must remembor," added Lord Northcote, "that if, instead of the present cordial friendship, we were on bad terms with China, or Japan, it would be possible for an Asiatic force to seize Port Darwin (Northern Territory)' and. to march,' southward at' its 'leisure ; and it would-be' impossible ' for five millions .of Europeans;' no matter how hardy, to' defend or to'develop'a continent 1 threefold the size of Europe..' Neither numerically nor financially would thoybo able, to do it. 'Thoy, must': rely.' for a considerable time on the; aid Of' the Motherland in' time.. of "need. The.Empire's resources a.re not. illimitablo, and as'frith? a world-wide Empire Britain may ,bo oalled on to make great, sacrifices, in' ail parts of the globe, tho-amount of aid Australia .can ,expect -from the.'Motherland ,is ncoessarily '■'■ limited;\ and' Australia ' must largely depend on herself for: her defence. While she is unable at tho ; prosent to contribute very materially in men'or. money to. that .defence, sho- can. render great service to the Empire and to herself by co-operating vigorously in "a liberal polioy of immigration, fyhich'^tf^^^ bors of 'persons:;who,are now diverted to foreign .countries.," ?.', '.. .

[Lord Crewe's !hint as to the possibility of Lord'Northcbtb being colled "oil to serve the fimpire'.is interesting,-, in view of thofaot that the. name of Lord Northoote has been men tioned lncotiriebtion with the vaoant High Commiesionofship of : . the -.Commonwealth. Aa to the " olaims," Lord Northoote .is the son of Sir Stafford Northoote, the noted Cousei votive politician ,of last- century, -arid Leader of the House of Commons.' The "two divisions." of the Brapiro are Australia and India, whore Lord Northcotb'was Governor of Bombay •from .1839' to -1003.: Lord 'Northoote is : married to an adapted daughter of-Lord. Mountstepheri, and has' no hbir. He has been Finanoial Sebrbtary ' to'the' 1 War-Office', and-"from 1877-.t0..1880 was;private secretary to his late father, then Chancellor of tho.Exohequor.l