ANNUAL ADDRESS. XXXI. 



of Inquiry recently appointed, are somewhat striking 

 evidences of the inefficiency of our method of doing things. 

 I refer to the Cataract Dam Commission, the Lands Inquiry, 

 and the recent Butter Commission. It would not be proper 

 to-night to discuss anyone of these three, more especially 

 as two of the matters are sub judice, but the fact of such 

 inquiries being necessary cannot but demonstrate that in 

 the three important directions of public works, land settle- 

 ment, and commerce our system, regarded from the point 

 of view of benefit to the State, lacks efficiency. 



THE MENACE TO ENGLAND. 



I think it may be agreed that England has lately dis- 

 tinctly recognised the menace to her position, and is now 

 bestirring herself with considerable vigour to meet the 

 enemy. She has proposed two distinct lines of effort. The 

 first is the improvement of her system of scientific and 

 industrial training, which everyone will admit to be a sound 

 and safe path. The second, is the proposal of a consider- 

 able section for retaliatory tariffs, which some may fear 

 is a weapon of the boomerang order, but in any case is 

 certainly not proper for discussion this evening. The 

 evidences of an attempt to improve the educational system 

 in England are many. For instance, the fact quoted by 

 His Excellency, the State Governor, in a public speech the 

 other evening, that the expenditure on technical education 

 by the London County Council had increased during the 

 last 10 years from only £4,500 a year to over £300,000 per 

 annum is most striking ; and I should also have liked to 

 refer amongst others, to the splendid equipment and 

 organisation of the Manchester School of Technology, and 

 of the Birmingham University, both of which institutions 

 are on the best modern lines, and in different directions. 



THE POSITION OF AUSTRALIA. 



Meanwhile, what have we been doing here during recent 

 years ? One can only say we have been virtually standing 



