WORLD TRADE CONFERENCE

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22512, 21 September 1938, Page 18

WORLD TRADE CONFERENCE

♦ "WAY TOWARDS PEACE ADDRESS BY DR. RALPH HARLOW A world trade conference in whici the commercial needs of the nation could be considered with the ultimat object of arriving at a "safe, sane am triumphant way" towards world peace was advocated by Dr. Ralph S- Har low, of Smith College, Northampton Massachusetts, in an address to th< Christchurch Rotary Club yesterday on "America's Attitude in the Presen International Situation." Dr. Harlow, who is travelling through New Zealand under the direction of the Carnegie Endowment foi Peace, said that never before in theii history had the American people beer closer to the people of the British Empire than they felt to-day. The view that Germany was the sole cause oi the Great War was one, he regretted to say, which was widespread in the United States One reason for this was that the people had not been- told all the facts. While the old traditions, which had been brought from various countries in Europe, and the old points of view still persisted it would be exceedingly difficult for America to have one view towards foreign affairs. However, since the immigration door had been closed, the new generation •which was growing up was thinking more uniformly. As an example of the nationality problem. Dr. Harlow said that New York had more Germans than any city outside Bremen and Hamburg, three times as many Jews as Jerusalem, and more Italians than any city excepting Rome. Negro Problem Another thing was the negro problem, and as a result of his observations in New Zealand and in Fran e during the war on the relations between the New Zealander and the Maori, he thought that America could learn a great deal from New Zealand in this respect. The negro problem was a tremendous and overwhelming one and was perplexing the American people. There were now more than 12,000,000 negroes in America, their ancestors having received their freedom after the Civil War. The attempt to assimilate them into American life was most difficult because most of them lived in territory where the white man had been master and they had been slaves. The negro was not being treated with justice and was not being given a fair deal in the courts. The 125,000,000 people of America were divided among themselves, he continued. Unfortunately, they were guided more by their hearts and emotions than by their minds. Many Americans believed that they should. solve their own problems to the exclusion of problems in other parts of the world. Although every President since •Woodrow Wilson and every plebiscite had been overwhelmingly in favour of America joining the world court, this had not been done. He mentioned many instances of the secret diplomacy which had been carried out during and after the war, and said that these things influenced America when she looked at the world. The lesson of the Great War had made them wonder whether another deluge of blood would make the world safe for democracy. Views in America The points of view prevalent in America to-day were outlined by Dr. Harlow, who said that one group, Which he termed the selfish isolationists, held that America should keep out of European affairs, and let Europe go its own way. Another group, the idealists, believed that America had done all it could to save the rest of the world. The collective security group, which based its views on the policy of 1915 to 1917, believed that the powers should stick together and tell the Central European nations what to do and what not to do. Dr. Harlow was accorded a vote of thanks on the motion of Dr. W. S. Seed.