Speaking at the eighteenth annual Western Australia dinner in London, Lord Beatty, in proposing the toast of "Western Australia," said that the first and most important lesson of the war was that the naval cooperation of the Dominions must form an integral part of Imperial naval defence. The Dominions could exercise control of sea communications in their maritime areas and at the same time give protection to their coastal trade. Everything possible should be done to bring home to the people the importance of the Navy and the part it had to play in the future development of the Commonwealth. It was not beyond the powers of wise statesmanship to devise a scheme of naval defence equitable and just in accordance with our relative populations and commitments.
Sir J. D. Connolly, Agent-General for Western Australis, said Yo-day Australia, with its vast territory of over 3,000,000 square miles and with only five niillions of people. is undoubtedly most vulnerable part of the El pire. If they filled up the Australian continent with a British population, they would have in that population the surest, cheapest. and best defence force. He would say to Englishmen:—"Think impenally on emigration."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.