II. J. HAYDON CARDEW. 



likely to meet most readily with your approval, would be 

 engineering in its practical application to some of the 

 problems of Australian life, and its consequent development. 

 Therefore I propose to designate my address "Engineering 

 development in relation to some Australian problems" 



That there are Australian problems of enormous difficulty 

 to be dealt with, all thinking men and observers of the 

 signs of the times will concede, and I make bold to assert 

 that in the solution of them, the engineer will be called 

 upon to take a prominent part. 



First and foremost, we have to solve the riddle of how 

 to develop and make habitable this vast continent of 

 Australia, so that it may be held against all comers, for 

 the benefit of the Anglo-Saxon race. At present we are 

 but a small handful of white people holding one of the most 

 advanced outposts of the British Empire in close proximity 

 to the vast empires of China and Japan, who, until a few 

 years ago, were regarded by the European nations as 

 barbarians, and were bullied by them accordingly, but who 

 to-day have so successfully copied their tormentors, that if 

 they cannot be called civilised after our code, are so 

 advanced as to know the value of ships and guns, and well 

 drilled soldiers, and are busy acquiring them. As long as 

 European affairs are tranquil, and our relations with Japan 

 are such as to suit her book all may be well, but China 

 will always be a menace to Australia, undeveloped and 

 unpeopled; at present she is drilling, disciplining and 

 equipping soldiers with the aid of European instructors, she 

 is being taught how to build railways by British speculators, 

 and to build ships, equip dockyards, build arsenals, and 

 construct big guns by the Japanese, and in ten years 

 expects to have an expert army numbered by millions and 

 a navy equally strong. For what purpose it may be asked ? 

 No definite answer can be given, but China is crowded to 



