AUSTRALIA'S PART

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2381, 10 February 1915, Page 3

AUSTRALIA'S PART

SPEECH BY SENATOR PEARCE MORE MEN WANTED The announcement that the N second contingent of Australian soldiers had safely reached Egyjjt was made by the Commonwealth Minister of Defence (Senator Pearce) when .replying to the toast of "Parliament" at tno Australian Natives' Association's annual banquet in Melbourne on Monday of last -week. Loud cheers greeted the statement, and the Minister was unable to resume his speech for some minutes.. "It does not sound nruch merely to say that our men have reached Egypt," Baid the Minister, "but there is a good deal in it all the same. When you come jto think what it means to transport such a fighting forcc across the seas without the loss of a ship, or without accident to a ship, it speaks a great deal for the organisation which has been able to carry out such a big undertaking successfully. (Cheers.) As to what Australia proposes to do in this war, I will toll you frankly we won't limit what Australia will offer in the way of men. (Cheers.) It is not a question as to whether we are going to send 60,000 men or 100,000 men, but as manj men as we can offer to equip and tram, and send tc the front. • (Cheers.) That is the only limit. (Loud cheers.) To those who are asking, 'Do we need more recruits ?' I say yes, and as many as we can get. Yes, come along. Ours is the responsibility to equip, train, and send you overseas. Your duty is to come along. You step forward and do your part. Leave it to us to do the rest. And, if we do not say what we are doing and say how majiy men we are sending, do not complain. Remember, we have the best of reasons for not saying. (Cheers.) We never know what is going to come out of this , war. The history of the Balkan war showed that after it had been practically ended the old sparks and dying embers blazed up afresh, and the same thing might happen at the end of this war._ We must Be prepared for all eventualities.

Strategical Railways, "I do not advocate that the Commonwealth should take over the railways from the State; but I must say that our railways here have not been built with a view to their usefulness for. defence. They have been built to develop the country, but when we come to see the great part that railways can play in war, few should realise the importance of it. Germany, with her strategical railways, is in a very strong position, and has an advantage over Russia because the latter country has not such strategical railw ivs. We must look into" this matter from the defence point of view, and by wise co-operation between Commonwealth and States make our railways effective for defence as well as for .tho development of the country." . What the Havy has Done. In a shoit reference to the doings of t'he Australian Na7y, the Minister said that many people bad expressed regret that H.M.A.S. Australia, had not attached to her belt fchs scalps of the German battleships '[!neisenau and Scharnhorst, which avchtually went down before the guns of .Admiral Sturdee's squadron. In the Minister's opinion, a great deal of the credit of the termination of tho careers of the two German ships mentioned was duo to the Australia, for that vessel had forced them' to leave the Australian coast, and make for the Falkland Islands. Had it not been for the fact that Australia possessed snch a ship as the Australia .the German vessels would have stayed about our coasts, and would have given the people of the Commonwealth a taste of what other German ships had since given the people of Hartlepool and Scarborough. In the past Jt had always been recognised that undefended towns safe from bombardment, but the culture and stratogy of the German sailor and the German soldier had shown that undefended- towns would no be spared. Looking at all the undefended ports and; towns on the coasts of Australia and New Zealand, he realised wjiat a nice picnic we would have had had the German ships been strong enough to remain in our waters. Before the war broke out the German ships were not far from the Australian coast, but the qualities of the Australian flagship were such that the Germans considered it a good policy to make for another part of the world. (Cheers.) In 1912, before the Australia came to Australia, the German forces in the Pacific were stronger than the British Fleet. The Powerful was here, certainly, but she would not have been powerful enough by a good deal to have dealt effectively with them. At the timo of the Agadir incident one of these German ships left Kiao-Chau and made a; dash in the direction of the Australian coast. That showed that it was necessary that we should have a good ship here to look after us. Steam As Well As Fight. The Australian Navy, assisted by their brave allies, the Japanese, had done good work in driving the Germans towards the Falkland Islands. The sinking of the Emden was a fine piece of work for the Sydney, but the latter vessel had also put up another good performance. It was not intended at first that the Sydney should join' the convoy that was taking tho troops to Egypt, but at the last'minute she was ordered to take np the work. The Sydney was then a great distance away, and it meant that unless she could make a record voyage for the distance and speed she would not be able to take up oonvoy duty. The Sydney, however, made the voyage—(cheers)—joined that convoy, and in the end sank; ijhe Emden. (Loud cheers.) Her performances had proved that the Australian vessels could steam as well as fight, and that they were the reliable class of vessel for the defence of Australia and Australian commerce. (Cheers.)