The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-07-03
AUSTRALIA AND THE EMPIRE
THERE ARE EVIDENCES OF 4
 REACTION
Against ImperiaIistIc Sehemes-The Australians Mean to Dominate the

Pacific.
 Animated though he still is with Lord
 Rosebery's new sentiment of empire"
 and all that it carries with it, the jingo
 fever of the past three years has van | ished, and the Australian is looking fixedly at his responsibilities with a much steadier eye than was the case
 in, say, January, 1901. He dreads, there
 fore, lest at the Colonial Premiers' Conference in London he be pledged to do certain things which neither his pocket nor his conscience will permit
 him to carry out when his representa-
 tive reveals the pledge CT returning to | Australia.
 Without in any way expressing a
 want of loyalty to the Empire; Aus l tralia has made up her mind that she neither can nor will spend another un- necessary penny on military or naval undertakings. Only last week the Fed eral Parliament reduced the defense | vote by $650,000 and in words that ad- I mitted of not the faintest misunder- standing told the Government that the nation could not afford to maintain a defense expenditure approximating $4,- | 5O0,000 As for the suggestion that Aus tralia should contribute per capita contribution of men or money, on the same proportion as the United King dom, speakers were hardly able to find words to express their dread and alarm at the proposal. It would mean tax ation to the extent of $25,000,000 year, and nation which is now busy re- trenching it's expenditure on every hand and is forcing State Premiers to reduce the size of the local Parliaments is no humor to face such a prospect as this.
 The most that the Commonwealth can do is to offer the imperial authori- ties somewhat improved agreement under which The Australian squadron is subsidized. But even if this is brought about more up-to-date vessels will be required to cruise in Australian waters than the present feet Signifi- cant of the widespread acceptance of this attitude is the reception given to the most valuable and able minute on the defense of Australia by the new commandant, Major General Hutton, just submitted by the Government to Parliament. In this document the Gen eral proposes that Australia shall main a peace" army of close SO,O00 men-the existing forces total 29,571. not counting rife clubs or cadets-and a war" army of no less than 44,218 men.
 Put into plain English, the Command ant wants the nation to provide him with another 10000 men, who can be at immediate call when the military es- tablishment has to be put on a war footing. And both Parliament and na- tion have courteously but firmly refus- ed Earlier in the Federation very feasible scheme for the gradual crea- tion of a Australian navy was produced by Captain Creswell, resourceful and ambitious naval officer It was consid- cred by the Government and quietly sehlved as too costly and premature. Australia to-day devotes only about $50 a year per head of population (3,76S, ,066) to defense expenditure; but she is not iclined to do more until she becomes more prosperous and populous dIlu lldS llItEu HUH uCI p1Nh c SuDDbebLh- tia portion of her debt of over $1,000,- 100000 This is not the product of definite reaction against imperialism though there are faint signs of that but of process of national stocktaking which has been going on for the last seven or eight months.
 Imperial statesmen must not expect much from the Prime Minister, Mir Barton, in connection with the demand for preferential duties in favor of Brit ish manufactured goods. Australian manufacturers are not encouraged by Canadian experience, and even the big free trade importing houses shudder at the prospect of the national tariff once more put into the melting pot in order that or 10 per cent. preference might be given to the home firms. Manufac- turers have oly wrested from the Fed eral Parliament by mighty effort scanty protection will oppose tooth and nail the opening of the door to the cheap products of Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow. Belfast and London East. A 5 or 10 per cent. preference to British manufacturers would mean ruin to sev- eral Australian industries,
 There will be very little hesitation displayed when subjects relating to British control over the Pacific come under review Australia is determined that the New Hebrides must not go the way of Samoa. The country Is pro- foundly surprised at the slow progress of negotiations with France concerning the institution of joint non-naval land court in the islands-so sadly needed to secure peace In the relations between atives and whites MT. Seddon is anxious to bring about his Island Federation" under which Fiji and other islands shall be definitely linked to his prosperous colony. Mir. Barton will seek to know the mind of MT. Cham berlain with respect to the thorny prob lem of the future of British New Guinea. Are the natives of a common wealth territory to be excluded from the commonwealth itself? May the commonwealth, with violating the treaty between Japa nand Great Brit ain, exclude the Japanese from all its dependencies? These and hundred other aspects of expansionist Australia will come forward for discussion. Australasians mean to dominate the Pacific. The lords of trade and com- merce-so powerful still in Australia's ] external relations-are definitely com- mittcd to expansion, and whether the "others' in the Pacific are willing or unwilling, they are determined to bring 4Lo.o. ,,,Jar tho commonwealth Hap-