IMPERIAL INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2420, 27 March 1915, Page 17

IMPERIAL INDUSTRY

HOW TO PROMOTE EXPANSION •AFTER THE WAR Mr. Octavius Charles Beale, Past President of the Australian Manufacturers' Association, read , a paper 'on "Imperial Industrial Development After the War" before the Royal Society of Arts, London, on February 3.' Dr. Georgo R1 Parkin, organising secretary of the Rhodes Scholarship Trust, presided, and among others present were: •-'ir John M'O.all (Agent-General, for Tasmania), Sir Boverton Redwood, Sir Edward Durand, and' the Hon. J. G. Jenkins' (ex-Premier -of South Australia).

Mr. Beale said that after the war wo had to reconquer lost or undeveloped domains in the area of manufacturing industry itself. How were we to do it? British industry would expand, no doubt; but it was incumbent upon us to study, keenly the channels of expansion before the war closed. ; Two Empire Object Lessons. In this connection the lecturer cited two instances of dealing with tlie metal industry. The first instance related to Broken Hill, Australia, the chief source in tho world for zinc, and prolific in lead and silver. It was a melancholy' fact that the whole of tho concentrate's from the biggest mining field of tho world in zinc, lead, and silver had been sent to Germany for treatment. Further, the ore contents, the metals themselves, were controlled by Germans. Iu other words, they got the handling of Mio profits. Nor did the trouble end there, because the contracts for the sale of the ores, or concentrates, continued after the end of the war. Could a position be more wholly ridiculous? (Hear, hear.) The other case related to .the Malay States, which produced as much tin as all- tho rest of the world put together. Certain German-TAmeri-can metal-jobbers purchased lands iu suitable positions to deal with, the 'tinproduct of the Malay States, with the purpose of exploiting the industry. But the Government of the Malay States quietly entered the field, imposed differential duties upon the metal contents of the ores, to the effect of retaining tho industry locally, and, further, of retaining control for the public benefit. (Cheers.) ' Smelting works, the largest in the world, were erected by a British company at Singapore and Penang. Seeing that the game was up, the poor. German-American bankers were constrained to arrange for the sale of their lands, which were eventually taken over by tlio Government of the Malay States. Altogether, this was a very fine example of able British administration. (Cheers.) The-"Open Door." Under the industrial policy of Bismarck in 1879, which set out to found and foster German, industries in all departments,' a stupendous success had been achieved. Germany bad outdistanced Great Britain in iron and steel exports. John Bull, ,who professed to love the bracing breezes of competition which blew through his' open door, had found them of late icy as Antarctic blizzards. (Laugliter.) , The remedy was simple. Shut it. (Cheers.) All other nations—even our own oversea Dominions—kept their doors open, shut, or ajar, just as it suited.their owii com-' fort and convenience. (Hehr,. hear.) Dealing with German competition within the Empire itself the lecturer pointed out that German companies domiciled in Germany, in association with companies registered in England under .German or other names, used our Law Courts to fight purely English concerns so as to restrain them from certain manufacturing methods. That was the

outcome of laissez-faire. (Hear, hear.), AVith our eyes open we granted a monopoly to foreign foes, who, freed from nil local taxation, earned profits for the foreigner in antagonism to the British producer. All this gravely affected , artisans; it affected the work and pro- ; fits of industrials; it damaged tlie na- • tional and Imperial interests. (Hear, ' Lear.) Manufacturers' Associations Proposed, We needed in this country a representative body to look after our manufacturing and industrial interests. Even when Chambers of Commerce included manufacturers in- their! membersliip, their representation could .not bo so ; clear and authoritative as if they wers directly and solely Chambers of Manufacture, representing tho. national interests 'of producers. (Hear, hear.) Manufacturers' Associations of Canada and Australia were excluded from Congresses of Chambers of Commerce, and . that was right and proper, because tlie interests represented by associations, primarily of importing traders were those of a comparatively, small number in any British community. But tho ■. citizens represented in their industrial life by Manufacturers' Associations were numerically many hundred-fold greater, ; and ill respect ol national defence and ■; stability incomparably more important. ■ (Cheers.) His proposal was, therefore, . that there fihoulu be formed in Great " Britain, as in Canada and Australia, Manufacturers'■ Associations-' solely to represent producing interests, apart from those of. 'distributors'of foreignmade goods. (Hear, liear.) As' things jj, stood in Great Britain, industrial in- ■■ terests were affected—and possibly oil •» occasion overborne—by the purely commercial. Surely, then,' it .was . desirablo that those'who.employed;English ]' artisans should join ■ in distinctive asso- ji ciations to consult about their common national interests, and to niake 'recommendation 6 to the authorities'tending to the wealth, strength, and progress of the nation. (Cheers.) '

A discussion followed, in the courso of which several of the speakers strongly urged that the British Government should summon an Imperial Conference to discuss, with closed doors, the mean's whereby all parts of the Empire sliould co-operate to develop Imperial: trade after the war.