Ixxxii. 



I he Hevtew of tteviews. 



June, 1912. 



comnumitv ought to make itself felt in the fight 

 against public wrongs. The liquor traffic, the gambl- 

 ing evil, the social e\ii, commercial dishonesty, 

 ought all to receive greater blows from the right- 

 thinking section of the community. The hideous 

 doctrine of class separation, which is being 

 preached so assiduously by the Labour Party, ought 

 to give place to the brotherliness which Jesus Christ 

 taught. One has a right to look for results like 

 these, inasmuch as the community is dependent upon 

 one section of the community entirely for changes 

 in legislation that will benefit the people morally, 

 and lift civic life to a level where the good of the 

 people has' more concern given to it than the 

 material benefit of a few. Sneer as .some folk may, 

 it is the religious element in the community that is 

 responsible for improvement, and that prevents 

 rascality from getting the upper hand. One cannot 

 reasonably expect those who live by social or inilus- 

 trial wrongs to seek to put them away. But one 

 has a right to expect that warm, religious life 

 shall .seek to cleanse the land. Historians do not 

 hesitate to give the work of John Wesley a large 

 place in the national life of Britain, and without 

 being accused of narrowness of vision, one may 

 reasonably expect great things nationallv from the 

 huge rtnival in religion that is taking place in 

 Au.strahisia to-dav. 



rjiuring the month a number of 

 Northern l^'ederal members went junketing to 



Territory. ,|-,|_. \oithern Territory, presumablv 



to make themselves acquainted 

 with tlie jjroblems and possibilities of that vast 

 countr\. It is much too early to say what the 

 GoNernment will be able to do, for that will largely 

 dejjeiid on the resource of Dr. Gilruth, to whose 

 recommendations, it will be presumed, the Govern- 

 ment will be prepared to give effect. Whatever 

 else may or may not be done, the chief thing to be 

 done, the thing to be )Hirsued night and day, and 

 kei)t in view with ceaseless \'igilance, is to find the 

 means to induce settlement there. The Government 

 ought to abandon its fine-spun theories of leasehold 

 if it finds that settlers are not being' attracted, and 

 even if it means handing over land without cost, 

 this should he done if it is the onlv wav to get 

 population. The marvel grows upon one that this 

 great country should have been left untenanted 

 with teeming millions .so near it. All that we can 

 see ahead of us is that in the nation competition 

 that is going on, this state of affairs is not likely 

 to f)e in the future. 'I'here are no signs yet of an 

 active camjiaign being carried on to secure .settlers. 

 If the advertising methods adopted bv the States 

 to secure immigrants have been so fruitful of re- 

 sult, there is no rea.son why the Federal Govern- 

 ment should not he able to secure thousands of 

 land seekers. 



Mr. Winston Churchill, according 



The Empire's to the cables, has suggested that the 



Defence. times will soon demand that Britain 



concentrates her naval power in 

 home waters to (lefend the heart of the Empire, and 

 that the oversea dominions luideftake the policing 

 of the .seas contiguous to tivm in other parts of the 

 world. He should have no difficulty in getting that 

 policy subscribed to by the Dominions. It is no 

 more than they should do, and they are well able 

 to guard the frontiers while the mother country 

 looks after the vital part of the Empire. The will- 

 ing consent of New Zealand to allow her gift Dread- 

 nought, " New Zealand," to remain at Home, is an 

 indication of the spirit which is in the children of 

 the Empire to rallv to the nation's aid. One cannot 

 but see that the mother country is every year being 

 more and more thrown on the defensive. The 

 dominions in this part of the world will respond if 

 the in\itation is given to aid in the way indicated. 

 But. while we .shall do all we are asked to do, the 

 neces.sitv for it is cause for sadness. Why will the 

 peoples of the world not live in peace? Whv the 

 endless scramble for place and power? ' The Peace 

 Society in INIelbourne this month held one of the 

 most successful meetings yet held by them. Repre- 

 sentatives of many nations spoke, just as choice 

 peace lovers of eyery country might be expected to 

 do. One longs for the day when the nations will 

 give up thinking of war, and disarm. 



The McKeen train, of which we 

 Motor give an illustration, is the first 



Trains. petrol-driven motor train to be used 



in Australasi.-;. It, with another of 

 the same type, has been introduced as an experi- 

 ment. In Victoria, and indeed on the lines of all 

 the States, the main lines between the capital cities 

 are fairly supplied by expresses; but the 

 other main and crass lint« are poorly equij)- 

 ped. Goods and passengers are mostly served 

 b\' the same trains, invoh'ing slow travellin;; 

 and long delays. The motor trains will 

 carry nothing but passengers, and should 

 justify the experiment. If thev do, the Govern- 

 ment ought to see that passenger and goods services 

 should be entirely separated. Australia is getting 

 too busy to waste time dawdling behuid heavy 

 goods trains when it travels. 



Mr. l-'ra/er, PostmasTer-Gener.il, 

 Preference says that he is going to give pre- 

 to Strikers. ference to the union men in Queens- 

 land who lost their positions during 

 the .sitrike. If the employers prefer non-union men, 

 he says, in effect, non-union men who l)elie\e in 

 men hnnng preference by right of com(X'tence, he 

 will gi\e preference ,to men who .struck l->e- 

 cause they were determined that they wouldn't 

 work if they coirtdn't wear badges, or who 

 refuscil to work alongside men who believed 



