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 recommendation
 of a 4 feet 8%} inch
gauge is accepted.
‘ The Commonwealth shall prepare
 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 Governments
 with regard to the said
agreement, and the financial
obligations of the parties thereunder,
 and that the conclusions
arrived at shall be communicated
to and considered at a further conference
 in January, 1922.”
14. Since that conference, one secsion
 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 Parliament
 resolved in 1927, ¢* That the time
1as arrived when the Federal policy
of extending the standard gauge 1ailvay
 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 section
 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 uniication,
 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 exsedient
 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 employnent
 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 permanent
 and suitable settlers.
Shivmina.

18. Owing to Australia’s  georraphical
 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 conveyng
 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)