MR AMERY ON TOUR

Hokitika Guardian, 27 October 1927, Page 3

MR AMERY ON TOUR

(Australian & N.Z. Cable Association. AfELBOURNE, Oct. 27. Replying to the toast of his health at a civic reception, Hon A. S. Amery said to him the past week had been of immense interest, and varied experience. It had shown him the wonderful possibilities, also some of the difficulties (,f a great country, the recollection of which would help him greatly in consideration of many Imperial problems, which he had come to study. Referrirng to the development of the Empire, ATr Amerv said: “Ours is an Empire which lives by the freedom of the seas. It is only under the shelter of a navy strong enough to maintain us, that we can develop our tree institutions and pieservo the standards which we have set up, instead of being forced to organise ourselves on a narrow militarist spirit. From the point of view of danger, the problem will not he solved by arms, and the foreign policy solution will come, because, we are a strong economic power, with an effective distribution of our population. At present from the point of view of defence. our population is singularly ill distributed. It is mostly concentrated upon one little island. If the present distribution is faulty from (,’,c -point 0.l t'icvjof defence it is a,lsofaulty from that of development of our economic resources. From the social point of view also we are lflha I a need. Britain cannot solve its unemployment problem hv creating another here. Distribution ran come about only liy the skilful transfer of population, the creation of new industries and above all by bringing out those who are going to succeed and not fail. Underlying all this the problem of economic development by reciprocal processes we must stimulate ami strengthen our development. Lot us aim at the conservation of our economic energy as well as combination of our economic forces. Ihe policy of Britain is very different from what it was twenty years ago. The war to us was a revelation. I laid a. great effect upon our economic problem. It threw new light upon tho Empire partnership, giving it a significance and reality which we never before felt.” Air Amery later left for Tasmania.