AUSTRALIA SELF-CONTAINED. 
and developed that they may become the leaders of industry, for without 
them any country is poor indeed. 
Initiative, imagination, energy, and organizing ability have always 
been scarce, and are much scarcer to-day in this country owing to so 
large a proportion of the younger men of the best type having been lost 
to us through the war. One of the greatest necessities of the present is 
to appropriate the next crop that is coming along and develop it to the 
utmost. Supposing one were asked to recommend a dozen men for big 
jobs of a developmental kind, could we do so? 
Australians are themselves, or are descended from, people who have 
shown much initiative by coming so far from the Home Land, and our 
soldiers have made it abundantly clear what initiative really means. 
Hence Australia possesses probably as large a percentage of initiative 
as any other country. 
It is the country’s duty to stimulate this quality and afford it oppor- 
tunities for development. i 
Organization—Firstly, organization by Commonwealth and State, 
in connexion with legitimate fostering of industries from the points 
of view of technique and markets; and, secondly, organization of 
industries from aspect of internal details. 
Ttegarding the first, it should be thorough, and with the whole power 
vf the people behind it should be consistent with the great objects to be 
achieved. 
In dealing with the problems of inauguration and organizing new 
industries, it is essential that those responsible should have the subject 
examined from all angles, and prepare a report and estimate covering 
the whole economics of the proposition. This will, of course, include 
the cost of production, the price and quantity of the raw materials 
available, the question of the supply and efficiency of labour, and the 
organization required to insure the maintenance of reasonable content- 
ment and consequent efficiency,.the matter of freights, and the whole 
broad subject of available markets. When all this has been thoroughly 
sifted and thrashed out, further details of finance have to be carefully 
examined, and ample provision made for necessary capital, both for 
the construction and operating, including what is very often overlooked 
or underestimated, viz., capital required to conduct the business. This 
latter item is often much larger than anticipated, but, of course, is 
subject to interest, not to depreciation charges. 
Engagement of a large staff requires considerable experience, and 
special consideration must be given to the temperament of each member 
of the staff, also to remember that, however good a man may be at his 
special work, he is no use to the whole job unless he will become a 
member of the team. 
Another task is to programme all proposals and lay out, as far as 
possible, a table of precedence in construction and operating, so that all 
the staff shall clearly understand in what order the work is to be under- 
taken. 2 
All necessary attention should be paid to research work, and a special 
department allocated thereto, which must conduct investigations in 
consultation with the chief operating men in so far as the research is 
related to the operating. 
(To be continued.) 
151 
