GREAT EXPERIMENT

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 33, 8 February 1935, Page 4

GREAT EXPERIMENT

BRITISH EMPIRE

TRADE WITH DOMINIONS

A view of the British Empire as the greatest experiment in history was put before members of the Royal Empire Society (Auckland) by Sir Charles Orr during an informal meeting on a recent afternoon, states the "Auckland Star." .'■■'.'"".. "Hitlerism, Fascism, Socialism are not new," said Sir Charles. "Autocracies, democracies, bureaucracies have all been tried before, but in the British Empire we have a number of independent States bonded together for their common welfare, on a basis quite different from that on which the Roman Empire was built. The British Empire is not only of interest to us who are members of it, but to the whole world, as an experiment in the future Of civilisation. There have been some interstate jealousies, and the Ottawa Conference caused some feeling, but those were, I think, only growing pains "As regards this quota business, the Rt. Hon. Stanley M. Bruce, Commonwealth Resident Minister in London, said at the Royal Empire ■ Society's summer school that he could understand Great Britain's wish not to be solely an industrial country, and to foster her agriculture, but he pointed out that there must be a limit, when beef raised at Aberdeen cost £24 a head,. whereas it. could be imported from Australia at £4 a head." . DOMINION PREFERENCE. Sir Charles Orr said that he could quite understand. the Dominions asking for preference over foreign'competitors, but he had seen posters in the London buses and underground railway carriages which said, "Buy British or Danish Goods." This, he believed, was the outcome of'a trade agreement between Great Britain and Denmark, by which Britain took Danish butter and Denmark British coal. Sir.Charles said that he had heard a question ' raised whether, because there was more British money' invested in the Argentine than in New Zealand,' this' Dominion could expect preference. He said he believed there was a section of the British people who did oppose preference to the Dominions for that reason, but the were quite justified in asking, "Is not blood thicker than water?" and in calling those people "Shylocks" who would sacrifice the bonds of Empire for the "almighty dollar." ~'..' *'If Great. Britain has embarrassed the Dominions by. encouraging her primary industries, then it must be admitted that at least two of the Dominions have struck at Britain's export trade by promoting their secondary industries under trie protection of high tariffs," remarked Sir Ctiarles. "Thirty years ago England had an absurd idea that she would get all her primary produce from the Dominion's, and . they would take all the manufactured goods they needed from her, but Canada and Australia said 'No, we are going to make as much manufactured goods as •wevcan,' and are doing :so. New. Zealand is asking; England to carry on the .old idea, that Canada and Australia turned, down." _.-.■'