Evening star., 1942-05-10
AustruIiu's Place
in the Sun
BIZ Frederic J. Hdskir,

OF all the countries that have sprung
into the limelight as a result of the war,
none can show such progress in the past
$50 years as can Australia The land
is primordial, perhaps the most ancient
of all the continents. Both -Dampier and
Cook found the aborigineS living the
most primitive lives. knowing nothing
of farming, possessing no domestic ami
mails, no pottery or seacraft. They diff
fered from all other inhabitants OF the
South Seas. Moreover, they wanted
nothing the Europeans had to offer.
With such a state of affairs 1t was
necessary. when the British took pos
session, to begin to build civilization
from the ground. The IL vessels which,
under the captaincy of Arthur Phillip,
arrived at Sydney Cove January 26.
1788 constituted a veritable Noah's Ark,
for these ships had to carry almost
everything needed to begin a civilized
community.
Since then century and half have
elapsed and the scene has changed in
credibly About 1000 whites accom-
panied Phillip and the II ships, and
today the whites outnumber the natives
in the ratio of 125 to /. Other develop
ments are in proportion, and transfor-
nation everywhere has been one of the
greatest in the world.
Although Australia is a British pos
session it is so independent and demo-
cratic that visitors often think it insular
That is not the case, for Australia never
In fS
abreast with what is going on in the
world and has appropriated most of the
best things of civilization. And, too, it
has contributed to world affairs in many
helpful ways
Nor should it be overlooked that the
| Australian middle class has had an op-
| portunity TO express its combined wisdom
| at the polls for only a comparatively
short time. Representative government,
when first granted to the colony in 1843,
was restricted in scope. Furthermore,
only those who were able to meet
fairly high property qualification could
vote. Australians have had an unre-
stricted franchise for less than rs years,
but In that time they have become
masters of their environment and evolved
local and national governments that are
economically sound yet enterprising in
spirit.
At a memorable meeting at Sydney
Cove in February, 1913, the settlers we're
called together to hear Gov. Phillip an
nounce that they had come to take
| possession of this fifth part of the globe"
and express the conviction that Brit
ain would not only rule it, but in time
be the benefcent patroneSs of the entire
Southern Hemisphere. That was vision
far beyond anything entertained by the
British ministry. and was beyond the
limit of Phillips instructions and knowl-
edge. No definite evidence was available
that New South Wales was a fifth divi-
sion of the globe, nor was there any
evidence that Cook had discovered the
eastern coast of the same land the
Dutch had previously reported in the
west.
The actual existence of an island con-
tinent was not determined until Flinders
completed his voyage of circumnaviga-
ton in 1903, which was 80 years after
Cooks survey and Is years after Phillip
set foot on Australian soil. Further, the
western boundary of his Jurisdiction was
| fixed at the 135th degree of eastern
longitude. Hence, when Phillip made
his claim he was simply conscious that
he was making history in a new part Of
the world.
| Australia lives on her great pastoral
and farming industries, but while foster
ing these, the ambition of the most in
fluential statesmen during the past half
century has been to make Australia less
dependent on overseas factories. The
rural industries. which consist largely
Of wool production, wheat, maize, bar
ley and oats, rye and rice, are considered
primary to the country's needs. Manu-
featuring is termed secondary, and the
interests of the two often come into
conflict. The ideal of a balanced econ
omy is not easy to obtain when measures
to foster secondary industries frequently
lead to retaliation by the countries
which are customers for Australian pri-
mary products.
For the first rs years of its existence,
Australia had little need to worry about
|
| From the earliest days there were small
homecraft industries to supply the SIM
plest needs of the colonists. But atten-
tion from the very beginning was devoted
to obtaining from the soil enough produce
to feed the colony. Wool wheat and
meat were the objects of the first set
| tiers industrial activities.
| 1t was a fortunate day for Australia
when John Macarthur, a retired military
officer, in 1896 imported merino sheep
| from the Cape of Good Hope. Eight
years earlier 29 sheep had been landed
| from the ship that brought the first
settlers. In ten years McArthur's flock
had increased to 1000. England saw
that If sheep-breeding continued at
such rapid rate, she would be independ-
ent of Spain for wool and Of Napoleon
Bonaparte, then harassing the source
Of supply. Macarthur was given a large
grant of land, and King George III sent
few merinos from his Buckingham
Palace flock.
A., xLF 0E