68 Australian Life 



men with the fire of life in them, and a power of 

 hand and brain to translate what is barren and 

 unlovely into something that shall be of use to 

 man, and beautiful as his desire." 



There, in a word, is the problem that remains 

 to be solved by the great Australian statesman. 

 It is a continent of three million square miles, and 

 contains less than four million people, and yet the 

 history of recent years shows how few immigrants 

 are arriving to fill the empty places. For more 

 than ten years, immigration has been at a stand- 

 still, while the surplus millions of the Old World 

 have been pouring into America and Africa. 

 Recognising this, the politicians are, at least, 

 abandoning their cry of "Australia for the Aus- 

 tralians," and are casting about for means where- 

 by they may provide Australians for Australia. 



