Xll. PKKSIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 



would have prevented — ^knowledge too, which wns possessed 

 by officers in the Lands Department from which the 

 selections were taken. But, owing to the fact that it 



has hitherto been regarded as the absolute right of every 

 man to " do what he likes with his own," selectors have 

 been and still are permitted to undertake the task of estab- 

 lishing homes on lands ^\ here it is perfectly obvious that the 

 applicants, owing to lack of capital, or experience, or both, 

 must certainh' fail. In doubtful cases by all means let 

 the applicant try, but when he asks for land where he 

 obviously cannot succeed, do not give it to liim — ^persuade 

 him to take some where lie has at least a fighting chance. 

 It is perfectly obvious that the settler who can start on 

 land which is ready for planting, or which will in some way 

 yield him a return for his labour in a short time, is almost 

 bound to succeed. Settlers who tackle pioneering are 

 generally hard- workers, and if success is to be obtained by 

 constant application, they will succeed. It is also perfectly 

 obvious that in many cases, the first clearing work could 

 be done much more economically by the Government with 

 its command of large capital, for large machinery, than 

 it could be done by the selector with his one-man efforts. 

 Most of us have seen, or know of, thousands of square 

 miles of o\ir Western Country, already fairly well served 

 by railway, Avhich if cleared of prickly pear or scrub, or both, 

 ploughed where necessary, and made ready for the farmer 

 to begin work, would be instantly snapped up by farmers. 

 But the first cost of this preliminary work makes it practic- 

 ally impossible for the average farmer to attempt the task 

 with any chance of success. I am quite certain that before 

 many years are over, we will find the State Governments 

 of Australia doing this pioneering work as a matter of 

 course, even as they now undertake for the individual' 

 the administration of justice, of defence, the post and 

 telegraph, roadmaking. and all those other services which 

 civiUsed communities have found to be better undertaken 

 by the community than by the individual. The State 

 which leads the ^vay by preparing the land and the railway 

 to market, so that success in settling on new land will be 

 practically assured instead of being exceedingly problem- 

 atical, will not lack increase of population. Immigrants 

 would flock in h\ thousands to obtain such a chance, while 



