November of that year, when it was resolved : — ‘““ That the adoption of a uniform gauge is, in the opinion of this conference, essential to the development and safety of the Commonwealth. *“ That the Commission’s recom- mendation of a 4 feet 8%} inch gauge is accepted. ‘ The Commonwealth shall pre- pare and circularize to the States a draft agreement to give eifect to the recommendation of the Commission. ““ That steps shall be at once saken by the Premiers of all the States to consult their Govern- ments with regard to the said agreement, and the financial obligations of the parties there- under, and that the conclusions arrived at shall be communicated to and considered at a further con- ference in January, 1922.” 14. Since that conference, one sec- sion of the work recommended by the Royal Commission, namely, the linking of Sydney and Brisbane via Grafton, Kyogle and South Brisbane, has been proceeded with; it is estimated to cost £4,000,000. The Commonwealth has also entered into an agreement with she State of South Australia in regard ‘0 a standard gauge railway from Adelaide to Port Augusta via Red Hill. The Western Australian Parlia- ment resolved in 1927, ¢* That the time 1as arrived when the Federal policy of extending the standard gauge 1ail- vay be consummated in Western Australia.” 15. This last is a reference to the provision of a standard gauge railway netween Kalgoorlie and Perth and Fremantle, which would be a third sec- tion of the work recommended by the Royal Commission, but the carrying >ut of these three sections still leaves untouched the conversion of the Victorian and South Australian hroad zauge lines. . 16. We are convinced that such uni- ication, at least that of the main arterial systems, must inevitably be andertaken some day, that from year to vear the capital cost of effecting 1499 t is likely to increase, and that ihere- ‘ore an investigation should now be nade to decide whether it is not ex- sedient to do it at once, in spite of he fact that it may involve the orrowing of further capital. 17. It was estimated originally that the work of unification of the gauges vould take eight years; we doubt vhether this would be so if the work vere expeditiously proceeded with, and hat is, of course, essential unless the 1ethod adopted is such that the :apital laid out from time to time does 10t remain idle for a prolonged period. Any such work must provide employ- nent for a large number of men, srimarily absorbing persons out of vork in Australia, and tending to sttract immigrants suitable for this sarticular class of work, who might itimately become, as is often the case vith railway men, settlers on the and. For this reason we think that t should be seriously considered vhether the £34,000,000 Agreement hould not be so amended as to make b possible for some portion of the -apital available under it to be used or the purposes indicated, and, urther, whether an extension of that igreement, both as to time and as to .mount, might not be the best method bat could be adopted by the British rovernment for bringing to this puntry from her surplus population mmigrants who would become per- manent and suitable settlers. Shivmina. 18. Owing to Australia’s geo- rraphical position, to the existence of ier many excellent harbours, and to ‘he concentratiqn of ker population ound her sea coast, transport by sea s the natural and most important nethod of conveying goods between nany places on the continent, and is, »f course, the only method of convey- ng her produce to her distant natural narkets, and of bringing to her shores those goods which it is more seonomical for her to import than to produce. 19. The extent of Australian sea transport is shown bv the two follow- 1)