Evening star., 1942-03-29

assigned to the National Parliament
reserved for the states. OF these there
are only SIX plus the arid and almost
unpopulated northern territory which
has the war-torn port of Darwin as
its only significant town.
The Australian Senate, with So mem.
bers, lacks the prestige of that body in
our Government and has mainly obstruc-
tive powers. OF its present membership
II belong to the Labor party, at pres
ent in Office by virtue of having a ma
jority of two in House of "a members.
Because of the present emergency,
however. the leadership of Prime Min
lister John Curtin is somewhat more Sc
cure than the figures indicate Never
theleSs his government, which took con-
troll last October, must continue to COM
mand majority of the House in order
to remain in power. In this and other
respects the Australian political system
is patterned on that of England rather
than on our own.
Has New Deal"
In domestic policy the Australian La
means of production, distribution and
exchange, including naturalization Of
banking. In substance it differs little
in its detectives from the New Deal.
increasingly, close cooperation between
the administrations of President Roose-
velt and Prime Minister Curtin would
therefore be easy, even apart from the
war so far as the political field Is con-
cerned.
1t is in the economic sphere that
serious difficulties will arise. Here the
problems affecting cooperation are so
pronounced as to demand the most in
telligent consideration by both countries,
If any permanently closer relationship
between Australia and the United States
is anticipated
Australian production, both agricul-
tural and manufactured, is already
strongly competitive with that of the
United States. AS industry develops,
very rapidly now under the stimulus of
war pressures this competitive situation
will inevitably become more pronounced.
At the Imperial Conference of 1887 in
London, an Australian official supplied
me with statistics showing that in the
preceding 18 years Australia had bought
from the United States goods worth
s1,50o,0O0O0O more than they had sold
to us in that period.
The rapid development of Australian
| industry means that in the future the
dominion will buy fewer automobiles, less
! machinery and chemicals from us. 1t
! does not mean that We shall buy more
wool, wheat, mutton hides and manu-
factured products from Australia. In
deco, success in expanding our imports
| from Latin America and Canada will
make it the more difficult to absorb any
large proportion of AuStralias agricul-
tural surplus.
Industry Expanded.
Under the Ottawa agreements, which
geared the economy of Australia closely
to that of Great Britain, simple COM
mercial pattern was sketched out for
this Dominion The British took over
so per cent of Australia's exports and
provided over 40 per cent of its imports.
But Australia is now becoming an in
dustrial nation and after the war will
prefer to sell rather than buy the ma
chinery and finished goods which Brit
ain has long furnished.
The Japanese, once Satiated with con-
quest, have a plan for Australia which
they will doubtless press increasingly as
opportunity affords. They want to fur
nish the Dominion with the oil and
rubber which it lacks, in return opening
to Australian exports portion of the
huge markets which Toxic aims to con-
troll permanently.
That program is contingent on Japan
holding the larger part of the territory
she has seized, and is therefore morally
unacceptable. Unfortunately, however, it
nonetheless has some economic logic
from the Australian viewpoint.
For that reason it seems the more i'm
perative that the United States should
interest itself not merely in the military
defense of Australia, but also in the
long-range solution of those economic
problems which will be intensely serious
for the Dominion as soon as the
war is over.
II the best generalship which we can
provide is necessary to save Australia on
the field Of battle our best craftsmanship
will be equally essential to preserve that
country from shattering economic crisis.
with consequent political revulsion, as
soon as the war Is over.
A%erHFFg F> y-JS II