COMMERCE CONGRESS

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 612, 15 September 1909, Page 7

COMMERCE CONGRESS

OPENED IN SYDNEY. ADDRESS BY LORD DUDLEY. "PUTTINC OUR HOUSE IN ORDER." (By Tolcer»pt>.-Pr««» A.uoclallon.-OoDjrrlelit.l (Reo. September 14, 10.15 p.m. ■.' '■ Sydney, September 14. ~ In the Town Hall to-day tho Lord Mayor of Sydney, Aldorman Allen Taylor, in . .the presence of a jeprosontatiro gathering of the business interests of tho city, officially received the delegates to tho Chambers of Commerce Congress, representing tho Empire. Later tho delegates reassembled in the Centenary Hall, where tho Bittinge of tho Congress will bo held, and adopted an address of loyalty to the King. ;. A committee was appointed to consolidate the various resolutions. Tho question of voting power was also considered, Several of the British delegates argued that as they [represented several Chambers, they should I have a vote for each Chambor, After a discussion it was decided that a delegate could I only vote on behalf of one- Chamber:' /•■/ v<

On tho arrival pftord Dudley, Governor;General, the address to the King was presented to him, and Jie undertook to cable it. to His Majesty. , ■■■■■. : . .■'..- '...'... '■■■ ■■;'

' Need of Trade Outlets. t \ - '"■/ Lord Dudley,-then, as Hon. President, do-, dared tho Conference open. He said that the members, came iiere in no small, selfish spirit, nor with any. desire to advance the interests of oao portion of tho Empire at the expense of another; lufc with a solo aim to seouring that the position attained by their forefathers should be retained. Looking at the position of affaire in tho world to-day, one fonnd that tho realstruggle between the various uations was almost entirely concerned with the necessity of. acquiring , increased outlets,for trade.' To secure the open door abroad was,'tho policy of every modern foreigner j and ns year by year the internal resourpes of evory nation became developed and. its producing' powers increased, the pressure of competition ; became keener. -.;'.'.'" -. •-.-: Britain Not Decadent./ Somo people, added Lord Dudley, were.disposed to take .&'. very gloomy view of the facts and to. assert that the apex of. iJritish prosperity had been reaolicd, and that •'_ the decadence -.- of..- the..race;'had begun. ; Hβ thought there was no good reason ,for. ; any. 6uclr unpleasant forebodings. They had lost* ground not from decline of capacity, but -J)6cause, they had,' owingto/their,, phenomenal success in the paetj.not realised that other nations possessed capabilities riot less great than their own. Their eyes wero now. opened, arid to-day.'all over tho-Empire they were busily engaged in putting their house 1 m order. ■'/:■:■■'. ■ '.■•.',■■,' ' -.. /■/.- ,■■:■■

,'■•■ : : -"''. -. : '-,.■' i , . presidential Address. ,-'

i -Sir Albert Spicer, jn his presidential address, reviewed at, length'the attainments of previous cpngvesses.. . Now to , . Australia had como. froni'.many, lands', representatives, of Imperial eominerco to .confir on; subjeots .of common interest... ' Imperial Fedoratio'n,whioh had been a subject at the first - Congress _in 1886, stjlllay in .tho distant future, but since the year , mentioned they had witnessed the evolution if the "Australian ■ Oomi-' ,monwcalth, and''ere«tho'. year , - closed"they : would see the realisation of. the South African; Union : ,' rising out: of. the . ashes ~ o£'; a lamontablo conflict—a conflict made; memorable by evidence; of practical loyalty. ,on-'tho; part or tlio British Domihibns. The' various' colonial conforencies'which had been held,had done much to encourage the ; spirit underlying tho aspiration.for-Imperial federation.■•'■■ ,■ ; : imperial ;Wlreles3ProspootSi] '•" Before tho. iiext cpnforence met' it wa3 within tho' bounds' of. possibility that they might- have wireless telegraphy-all over .the glooe. Thero. were few i subjects of so much importance in', binding together! the Empire as cheap telegraphic :communicatioh\-;,Tne press had; sorved : them well,' but could not do them justice" in keeping:them, fully in*' formed on )vhat/was going on. in..all-parts. bf t the Empire at the oxistiiig rates of transmission. ~-Important speeches by Imperial statesmen could not. be , intelligently conveyed in nfew linesi The subject ivas one thati had not received the attention, it deserved, Ho hoped"thoy might-be able to strengthen .'tho' jiands of tho recent Press Conference in.this matter. They would look forward/'with interest to learn from their. ■Australian hosts- something'of their experience with arbitration, with regard to'labour differences, Tho, programme: of, the present' Conference■-. contained many unsolved'"prob-V lems..' -..,' '• ■..*,',..-./:.; - ■-' ■ ■/. -' ' : '•'• ■ Relations of tho Family;:■ ;/ ' The British. 'Empire was like a great family, whoso many' sous and daughters had .gone' from, the old home into new , lands'.... ■ The. relations between, the young arid the old had improved in spite of distance.': Tho period of discipline had developed into-that of companionship: and consultation; If danger appeared to confront the old homo by attacks oil : outlying laiids, tho various - branches of the family rallied to their mutual help.-Free-dom in the management of their now homes .was the keen watchword'of the old people at Home. Thus, in spite of an occasional argument'as to varioue developments, the family'! continued to grow in unity, and good relationSj ever-realising-that tno crimson thread of kinship runs, through' all. The parents freely and contiriuously lent of their.accumulation to their children who were'away, and the commercial relations arising therefrom had beon large and satisfactory. .Tlio Work, Before Thorn.. -. / Continuing, the, president said it must now be their endeavour to promote the best commercial relations between- tho various' parts of the. EmpirQ; to try'.to remove, hindrances whore .hindrances:.exist;' to promote easier arid regular coramuhications between all parts, of tho British Empire; to-assimilate commercial laws- and their administration';to raise the' standard. !of /commercial :.aud' technical education; to doviso wise measures enabling somoof tho teeming masses of the Old Country atithe right ago to emigrate to. tho lauds of tho newer.countries;'.where-.they might find opportunities for using their lives to greater advantage, and, at tho same time, tako a share in the development of tho now States; and to extend the commerco of the Empire on lines.: most likelytobo beneficial for all parts, / / : . , .

PWsponding to the toast of his health at a, civifc reception nt Perth, Sir Albert Spicer (who, is Liberal'meniher of the House of Commons for' Central Hackney, and Chairman, of' the present said that he did not bclioro the Old Cquntr)' wij eVer sounder than to-day. Referring"_ to the approaching congress ho said it'waa importnnt at the present time with, new devoloomiin*si' taking placo that they should meet together to discuss soma of,the questions.that confronted them in their respective countrios/ Here they had a largo country and a smal population.- But in England they had to deal with a largo popnlatjon and a small country. And'it was, therefore, no surprise if tho commoroiul needs of tho ono.were not always tho needs of the other. Many people would be surprised to Irnotf how much past congresses hud done in the way of facilitating commerce. Chambers of Commerce wore the watchdogs of commerce. They existed for the. purpose of removing hindrances to, and'promoting fncili-" tics for, commerce, doing everything they could to draw tho different parts of fhe. Empire closer together. Ho believed the approaching congrosa would be as successful as its predecessors.] . . .': . '.■ •;■■■ ,'y- ;., ,V'.: :