FACTS TO BE FACED

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 27, 31 July 1936, Page 10

FACTS TO BE FACED

WORLD PROBLEMS

READJUSTMENT PERIOD

DOMINIONS' PART

[ Some interesting observations con'ccrning problems which face the world m today were made by Sir Herbert Gcpp, oi a prominent Australian business man wa and adviser to the Commonwealth X j Government, on his arrival today by vh< the Wanganella from Sydney. Sir Herbert, who is accompanied by Lady co Gepp, is on a holiday visit to the Do- su minion. ' , Sir Herbert said that one of the sl < great problems of the world was the ed fact that mechanisation and the appli- re cation of scientific discoveries to the T1 increase of output per man unit had j^ outrun the sociological side. Today the c j; world was in a period of readjustment, in in which the standards of living 3en- cv erally had to be raised if it was desired to maintain the volume of em- a ployment. Some nations might desire o f to do this, but owing to international 01 competition and the struggle to maintain financial integrity, considerable difficulties would arise if some nations did not adopt the methods of raising , the standards of living while other na- , lions did. One of the most import- \ ant aspects of the position was the ~' , realisation that employment was not . only a matter of bread and butter, but jT a matter of cultural development in. . which employment was just as logical ? c [as in producing the basic material n , necessary for the human being. This si problem was greatly complicated by a: , the intensive development throughout 'j the world of economic nationalism, " which was so seriously affecting inter- P ' nation il trade. In many cases coun- c ; tries were producing articles which ' could be produced elsewhere more efficiently and more economically. d " Another problem which had to be P : faced was the fact that in the move *' ' towards collectivism the primary in- a | dustries were much more difficult to * ' adjust to give the primary producers ° 5 the advantage of collectivism without i: destroying individual initiative and the n - intense feeling, particularly in the c 2 Anglo-Celtic races, of individual inde- t " pendence. It was a problem which ? 1 could only be adjusted slowly and * 1 with difficulty through such organisa * tions as the League of Nations, and * ■ the League of Nations suffered toda i '" from the fact that some of the most c s important nations were not members. l i- NO LONGER ISOLATED. 1 c -, So far as Australia and New Zealand ( :- were concerned all we could do was \ i- to remember that we were more a < part of the world than ever before, 1 because the annihilation of distance < by the increase in the rapidity of ( °j travel and of communication had re- < moved our isolation just as certainly ; 1 as it had removed the isolation of j Great Britain. We could only study • S world conditions intensively, and con- ■ , tribute, both in thought and in action, . Jg towards the solution of world pro- 1 1; blems, and hitch our wagon to the star 1 of international comity. "If we fail," j ij said Sir Herbert, "then it is just too . bad. We must do what we can, par- j ls ticularly in supporting the Mother • 0 Country in an endeavour to create a : r^ better understanding, not only with , .j other English-speaking nations, such as • . Q the United States, but by doing every- , ' thing possible to remove misunders . standings between the various nations, c . notably those surrounding the Pacific, c . remembering that 90 per cent, of i n troubles in the world are the result 3r of misunderstandings." j e Questioned about migration, Sir n _ Herbert said his opinion was that miw gration generally was a matter of cre)n ating the necessaiy conditions. Migraie tion was more of a suction pump job v . than a pressure pump job. AN INTERESTING CAREER. n" Sir Herbert, who has visited the lSt Dominion before, has had an intern" esting career. For ten years he was w. on the staff of Nobel's Explosive Com- °* pany, which is now a part of Imperial as Chemicals Industries. In 1904 he went s rs to Broken Hill and was engaged from that year until 1926 in mining and ■"; metallurgical work at Broken Hill, in j° Europe, North America, and later in . Tasmania, being associated with the development of the foundation process for separating sulphide minerals from ,^ worthless gangue. From 1916 to 1926 3 jl he was general manager of the Elec- ~ m trolytic Zinc Company of Australasia. ns During his term as general manager the company erected a plant using the hydro-electric power of Tasmania to the extent of 30,000 h.p. day and night he to produce approximately 40,000 tons ng annually of electrolytic zinc from /ir. Broken Hill and Tasmanian zinc ores, jli- This plant has now been increased rk- until it is producing about 60,000 tons he a year. In 1926 he was appointed art chairman of the Development and Mi'bi- gration Commission of the Commonses wealth to advise the Government and of administer the £34,000,000 scheme pro:ad vided by the Commonwealth and the of I British Governments for the encourers agement and development of migration of in Australia. Migration to Australia om ceased in 1930. During later years he iro- was consultant on development to the ;s." Government. Now he is engaged om primarily in private work, being manthe aging director of a large Australian :en paper-manufacturing concern.

Sir Herbert and Lady Gepp, who will be accompanied by Dr. E. Marsden, will spend three days on a motor tour to Auckland, where they will connect with the Aorangi for the return trip. While in Wellington Sir Herbert hopes to have the opportunity of meeting the Prime Minister and members of Cabinet.