AUSTRALIA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 33, 29 January 1908, Page 3

AUSTRALIA.

SATHLVAL ASPIKAITONS.

SI'EEUi BY THE- FEDERAL

PREMIER.

Melbourne, January 28. the iederal Premier, lion. A. Deakin, W a speech delivered to the Australian aatives Association, referred to the want of co-operation-&eiween the States and the Federation. U e took as instance we State's debits and the immigration policy. Ue complained that the Federal Uovernment had not been furnished with that practical fulness of information that would enable it to bring to those shores streams of immigrants month by month. The industrial legislation was also divided up among seven legislatures. He also rostancedlgriculture, where a central bureau was want ed to co-ordinate the different problems of quarantine on which there was not yet that complete action that should follow the Federal legislation. Dealing with naval defence, he Raid i Australia was not content to have the work done by contract. The country was not content merely to contribute to the maintenance of Admiralty ships under Admiralty control, whether the contribution took the form of men or Of money or of both, but aspired to see an Australian flotilla, built as far as possible in Australia by Australian money, and manned by Australian men Only in this way could thev discharge their duty to themselves and to the Empire.

Australia, be added, was not content that its flotilla should pass over automatically from its control to that of the Admiralty immediately on the declaration of war.

Australia, moreover, was not content with it* land forces. They were too snail to protect the settled area and utterly inadequate to protect the unsettled areas. Under the new defence scheme the Government would praeti eally absorb the whole of the best of the existing military organisation bv simply expanding it. Australia would not be content with anything less thin the universal training of all able-bodied males without distinction as to <las< or calling. He denied that there was any spirit of aggressive militarism in the scheme.