AUSTRALIA'S DOUBTFUL FUTURE

READERS of the REVIEW may remember boundaries."

an article entitled "A White Australia lately appeared, all pointing to the grave and the Australian Fleet," which appeared danger which threatens Australia in respect in the issue of August, 1911, commenting to the sparsity of the population of her great on a declaration by the editor of the Sydney Northern Territory. The Morning Post Bulletin to the effect that Australia had (London), for instance, says: figuratively "put its foot down" on the matter of colored immigration; that "Australia is to be a white Australia.

month for coal. There is no manufacturing Speaking broadly, the Low Archipelago, other than the annual production of 100,000 comprising numerous groups of islands, islets, tons of salt, yet the trade of the port amount- and reefs, covers a vast area of the southern ed in 1910 to $30,000,000. Only a short dis- Pacific Ocean, its greatest diameter being tance away is the French port of Djibouti, about 1500 miles from northwest to souththe stopping-point for a number of sub- east. Mururoa lies toward the southeast sidized liners; but poorly equipped and edge of the group, but surrounded by other according to our author, "characterized islands at greater or less distances, and apby the inefficiency which belongs with every-parently not to be reached except by very thing French beyond the seas.'

M. Numile considers the second far more in a sort of crater among the hills lies the bay worthy of consideration by reason of its area, of Ahoureï, connected with the sea by a deep depth of water, freedom from high winds and and narrow fiord; the depth of water in the ease of defense. Unlike Mururoa, Tahiti has bay is ample, it is protected by the hills from a considerable area of fertile soil, and numer- heavy winds, and it is capable of easy deous streams from the mountains would supply fense. The soil of the island is fertile, its abundance of good water. The climate, as in climate is healthful, sea-food is abundant, all these islands, seems to be healthful, and and deposits of lignite have been discovered the vegetation is so luxuriant that the Tahi- capable of supplying fuel for local use. For tans are famous for their indolence,-Nature the various reasons suggested, M. Numile providing practically everything they require considers the harbor of Ahoureï the best for a with a lavish hand. It is a curious index of the South Pacific coaling-port and urges the imrelations existing between the French colonies mediate inauguration of the work of its and the mother country that practically all development. the trade of Tahiti is with Great Britain.

The position of Tahiti is: 17°30' south lat.; 149°30' west long. It possesses the same disadvantage as Mururoa in that it is surrounded by other islands, reefs, etc., and these render the navigation of the neighboring waters by no means easy.

Much further to the south: 27°35′ south lat.; 144°17′ west long.: lies the little island of Rapa, on the great circle connecting Sydney and Panama. Of volcanic origin, it rises from the depths of the sea far from other land; hence the approach to it is much easier and attended with less danger than is that to Mururora or Tahiti. Although its area is small-only about half that of the city of Paris, it is dominated by high hills, one of which reaches to a height of nearly 2,000 feet.

could be secured from New Caledonia, whose mines have never been developed to their full capacity, and even from the deposits of Hongoy and Kebos, in Indo-China. This would be a way in competition with those of India, Japan and New to provide for the output of the mines developed Zealand. The mineral wealth of the IndoChinese coast is considerable and the product of the mines can be loaded on ship-board at the mine itself. Ships and men are not lacking.

The supplies of coal for the port to be chosen

M. Numile points out that none of the islands controlled by the British in the South Pacific has, at the same time, the two fundamental requirements: a good harbor and a good strategic position. Ducie and Pitcairn possess the latter, but not the former qualification. Hence the interest taken by John Bull in the tiny island of Mururoa.

AUSTRALIA'S DOUBTFUL FUTURE

READERS of the REVIEW may remember boundaries."

A number of articles have

an article entitled "A White Australia lately appeared, all pointing to the grave and the Australian Fleet," which appeared danger which threatens Australia in respect in the issue of August, 1911, commenting to the sparsity of the population of her great on a declaration by the editor of the Sydney Northern Territory. The Morning Post Bulletin to the effect that Australia had (London), for instance, says: figuratively "put its foot down" on the matter of colored immigration; that "Australia

is to be a white Australia."

The Australian fleet (when there really is such a fleet) will be found (when the day comes for defining the situation) to exist, first, for the purpose of keeping Australia a white man's country against all comers, and second (only second) for the defense of the British [mostly colored Empire.

It now seems to be quite within the range of possibility that the Australian Commonwealth may be compelled to fall back upon a policy of "immigration without restriction, save that the colored immigrants would be

by an Asiatic invasion; the disaster of seeing her territory occupied by a European power, willing and able to give it effective occupation-neither of these prospects can be viewed with an easy mind. Yet the Australian people, by their apathy in regard to immigration, seem to invite one or the

The calamity of Australia being overwhelmed

other.

If they will not populate their land and develop its wonderful riches, somebody else surely will. With every year the open spaces of the earth dwincreases. Australia must be filled, by the British dle, and the pressure of fecund populations inrace or by some other. With the present-day government of that country the issue rests. of a land which is not "effectively occupied. The Northern Territory is in the position to-day Australia could be accused of a dog-in-the-manger

say "No"-to the request of a foreign power for leave to occupy it for colonization. Yet to-day only the might of the British arm stands in the way of that request being made.

Australia must occupy the territory to make her tenure of it secure. At least a million people are needed to give it even a sparse sprinkling of in

habitants.

It is, indeed, remarkable, in view of all the facts, that the Australian people should still dally with the problem of peopling their country, still cherish illusions, still refuse to face realities. It is the more remarkable because on another great national

issue, that of defense, they have shown a wise promptitude in recognizing facts and in adopting sensible precautions. But all their courage and wisdom in that regard probably will go to waste if they will not recognize that their garrison for a continent is too thin, and that the time to strengthen it is now.

The settlement of the Northern Territory is, however, only one part of the difficult problem of the peopling of Australia. To quote further from the Morning Post:

All over the continent there is a lack of population, and for many years the rate of increase has been most unsatisfactory. A study of the Australian census figures over thirty years shows that if the rate of increase, by births and by immigration, secured during the ten years 1881-1891, had been maintained during the following twenty years the 1911 population would have stood at 6,272,000, instead of the present figure of 4,455,000.

At present the Australians do not intend to admit colored labor. They propose to people their northern tropics with white settlers. But where are these settlers to come from? "The southern Australian states are desperately in need of millions of more settlers. Few white men will care to make their home in the north when they can acquire holdings in the milder south." Recognizing the wellknown fact that "Australians tend to concentrate in towns to a degree unknown in any other country in the world," Mr. Gascoyne holds that

the Northern Territory can never be won to civilization by a town-loving people. It will have to be developed by a race content to live in villages, like the people of India and Java.... If the tory, can white settlers from over seas be expected Australians will not populate the Northern Territo do so? Emigrants from Great Britain and Germany and Sweden, or even from Italy, will never be persuaded to live near the Equator, trying to grow rice and tobacco and cotton, or perhaps wheat, in competition with colored men across the Eastern seas who can live handsomely on twopence (four cents) a day. Even if it were possible for white men to engage continuously in tropical agriculture, the proposition would be economically unsound. But it is not possible. I do not believe that any white race will ever people Northern Australia, and rear hardy vigorous sons able to fight for their lives, as they would certainly have to do at some time or other. The lands of the monsoons are eternally set apart for the colored and have seen the white races in several tropical I have lived many years in the tropics, countries; and, deeply though I sympathize with the policy of a White Australia, it is my unalterable conviction that the north can never be developed and held by whites.

races.

In the National Review Mr. George Gascoyne goes so far as to say that, "in the question of its tropical areas there looms before the Commonwealth the most terrible problem any of the Dominions will ever have to face." He points to the fact that the Northern Territory, four-fifths of which lie within the tropics, has an area of 523,620 square miles-two and a half times the size of The only thing that could save the north France with a total population (in 1908) for the Commonwealth would be "the rearof but 16,573, including whites (1081), resi- ing, beyond the twentieth degree, of a race of dent Chinese, Japanese and other foreigners millions of virile white men and women, able (1892), and aborigines (13,600). Thus, "one to stem the yellow flood." Meanwhile of the richest areas in the world, emphatically earmarked for the white race, is, after seventyfive years of direct possession, occupied by appreciably less than a thousand white adults." Mr. Gascoyne advances several arguments with reference to the peopling of the Northern Territory, which he summarizes as follows:

I contend (1) that the Northern Territory can never be colonized by indentured labor, because the Asiatic races will no longer consent to sign indentures which prescribe compulsory repatriation; (2) that the alternative of free immigration of Asiatics would soon submerge all restrictions, with disastrous consequences to the rest of Australia; (3) that in any case Northern Australia would have to be colonized by yellow men, and not

Asia is awake and militant, and is discovering once more the secret of the sea. The swarming millions will not be content to wait for a century or two, while a handful of white men try to find out whether they can live and work and breed in one of the richest regions of the world. . . . Northern Australia is to the yellow races a Naboth's vineyard, and it lies empty and open and inviting. The nearest precedent is the case of Tripoli, which Italy has just annexed in pursuance of her economic necessities, with the sanction of every power in Europe. Is it likely that the yellow races will admit that there shall be one law for Europe and another for Asia? Only until they get sufficient ships and guns.

And once a million or two Chinese are established near the northern seaboard of

KING OF JOURNALISTS AND BEST OF MEN-A FRENCH TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM T. STEAD

OF

are

happiest years of Stead's life. Alone he succeeded in rousing a country against vices of all sorts, in in aiding the triumph of virtue, ever his idol. saving the existence of thousands of women, and The months passed in prison were perhaps the most symbolic of his life: they were in any case the most decisive for his future activity. ... Hencethere collected his forces, his inspirations, and his forward he glorified the beauty of isolation. He thoughts for struggles more and more intense.

F the many tributes to the memory of the late William T. Stead which have appeared on the other side of the Atlantic, one of the most remarkable, from many points of view, is that by M. Jean Finot, editor-inchief of La Revue (Paris), formerly the French Review of Reviews, occupying no less than twenty-two pages of his magazine. Immediately beneath the title, "Le Roi des Journalistes, le Meilleur des Hommes,' In considering Stead as a sort of king of printed two quotations from Carlyle ("That journalists, says M. Finot, never was title good man Stead") and Cardinal Manning more justified nor better merited. ("When I read Stead, it seems to me that Cromwell has come back from the dead"), respectively. The gifted French editor, who was on terms of the closest intimacy with Mr. Stead, speaking of his friend's character, says: Our epoch is prodigal of talents. At no time in history, perhaps, could one count in the various domains so many original intellects. But what we lack especially is strong and vigorous characters with ardent convictions, capable of going so far as to sacrifice to their ideals their fortune, their life, and their success. In the midst of our fluctuating ideas of man and the universe, religion and morals, progress and destiny, a sort of antagonism, a discrepancy, manifests itself everywhere between our tendencies and our lives, our beliefs and our acts. The Titanic catastrophe has demonstrated this: we know how to die worthily, but we do not know how to live humanly... And we ought to greet as heroes those who in their daily lives present the uncommon spectacle of men living by and for a great ideal. It is from this point of view that I propose to examine certain episodes in the life of Stead.

...

From every country there came to Stead applications for his aid in defending the cause of truth and justice. Sovereigns themselves did not disdain to call him to their side in order to interest him in their great and generous conceptions. Thus the ruler of the Russias invited him to St. Petersburg before issuing his appeal for the first Hague conference. It is well known with what devotion Stead worked at The Hague. He was among the most devoted and convinced on the subject of arbitration; but it is not generally known that Stead spent a little fortune in his enthusiasm for the cause. The Russian Government desired to recoup him the expenses for his long propaganda, but Stead declined any reimbursement of his large expenditures. His greatness of soul impressed itself on every one. The most representative men and women of England, such as Gladstone, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Manning, and Queen Alexandra testified their affection and esteem for him. His vast study, unique of its kind, was filled with hundreds of photographs of the celebrities of the times. And, a remarkable thing, kings who ordinarily restricted their dedications to a simple signature of their names, showered upon Stead evidences of their sympathy and friendship. Beside the holders of temporal power were also

Referring to the affair of Stead's imprison- the princes of science, literature, and the arts; ment, his French coworker writes:

His campaigns were memorable. One often hears of those which led to a jail sentence for Stead; but people are wont to forget those on the English navy, followed by many others, relative to various abuses of which the England of that day was the victim. When he began his Homeric war on the white slave traffic and the secret vices of noblemen, noble lords, and wealthy and powerful men, Europe and the whole world followed with intense interest those acts of superhuman courage on the part of a journalist. What evoked sympathy for the writer was his evident good faith, his prophetic style, his illimitable devotion to justice, and his unbounded fearlessness. These were