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THE EMPIRE'S STAND.
PATRIOTIC SPiEECHES.
The Million Club resumed its lunch-hour
gatheings yesterday at the Y.M.C.A.
rooms by way of celebrating Empire Day.
The Mayor of Perth (Mr. J. Nicholson) was
in the chair, and the guests included his
Excellency the Governor (Sir IHarry Bar
ron), the Minister for lmands (Mr. W. D.
Johnson), Archbishop Riley, Colonel Brni
che, and 'the Revs. Brian Wihberley and
S. H. Cox.
The chairman at the outset, said the
members of the club regretted to hear of
the Premier's illness. and also of the ber
eavement sustained by 3!rs. Scaddanl. He
announced that arrangements were being
made for a series of addresses, before mein
hers of the club, during June and July.
His Excellency. in a patriotic address.
pointed to the beneficent influence of the
British Empire. He said the first examPli
that cuame to his mind was the case of
Egypt and the Soudal, where Itritish rule
had made a great difference to the' wealth
of the people. In India the people had
become happy and contented under Bri
tish guidance, while in South Africa. where
only a few years ago the British were at
war with the Boers, there had lately been
the. remarkable spectacle of Dutch people
themselves breaking down a revolt against
British rule. It only took a few years to
make the Dutch realise the benefits of be
longing to the British Empire. Aust.ra
lians owed all they had to the British Em
pire. Now the Empire was up against a
bullying militarism--a system that made
bullies of its oflEcers and men. lIe felt
convinced that many of the horrible things
that had happened during the war were
due to the fact that the iGerman military
inachine made bullies of its men. What a
contrast did the discipline of the British
Army offer as compared with the disci
pline of the German Army ! The feeling
animating the "contemptible little army"
in Belgium was a thorough confidence in
being able to beat the Germans, even with
odds of five or six to one against them.
lFrom what he hald heard, when stationed
at Malta, he never had any doubts about
Italy's intervention. If the German people
had had any say on the subject of peace
or war.. the war would, possibly, never
have taken place. In any case, the people
would have decided that the war was prac
tically over in December. when Germany
had failed after her great opportunity to
attain her objective. As Tor Australia's
part, rich men and working men alike were
giving up a year or two of their lives for
lthe sake of the Lmpire. The Australian
losses at the Dardanelles had not been more
serious than was expected, considering the
nature of the campaign. The late General
Bridges was a fine soldier, and lie was
pleased to see that the King had recog
nised the General's merit by Enighting
him. The Australian men were behavini
magnificently, and his only fear was that
they were too much inclined to rq straight
ahead. A -reat number of tYTiir losses
were probably caused by their determina
tion to go straight ahead. Hie was struck
by the undue proportion of the wounded
to the killed. Possibly many of the wounds
were accidentally caused in the march over
the rough conuntry. He wished to tlutln
the people of the State for the liberal sup
port they had given to the various
war funds. Apart from pelisions,
over £200 a week was being Ihs
tributed from the Distress Fund,
and married men were able to go to the
front with a light heart, knowing that their
widows and children, in the case of their
death, would be provided for. (Applause.)
The Archbishop said that though the in
terest in the war was not so apparent as
during the first excitement, it was in reality
even more real. Men who went, to the
front now were going with the calm know
ledge of what was before them, and with
a grim determinatioh to do their best for
the Empire.
The Minister for Lands, in mdving / a
vote of thanks to the speakers, said thlat
Germany's wrath over Italy's refusal to fol
low her on the offensive was in strange
contrast to her behaviour over Belgium's
"scrap of paper." The conclusion had to
be arrived at that Germany was in the
wrong, and it was the duty of the British
Empire to put her right. As a member of
the Labour Party he had been pained by
certain references to the attitude of labour
organisations towards the war. In reply
to these, he wished to refer to a maltifesto
issued by the Labour Party in Great Bri
tain, and signed by all the leading men in
the trade union and political labour
movement in the country, justifying the
Empire's stand and appealing to all labour
organisations to lend their support. A lot
of good would be done if the Press would
publish statements made by leaders of the
Labour Party, so that all might understand
that there was a real unanimity of opinion
that Germany's military domination must
be ended.
The voto of thanks was seconded by the
Rev. D. I. Freedman, and carried by ac
clamation.
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