The Hokitika Guardian FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1922. EMPIRE RESOURCES.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 September 1922, Page 2

The Hokitika Guardian FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1922. EMPIRE RESOURCES.

Tuf. London Chamber of Commerce lately discussed the Empire Settlement Act approving the objects sought to be attained in the joint inteiests of tho Dominions and Great Britain The feeling was expressed that the continued development of the resources of the Empire by every possible n mis is absolutely essential to its pro-oerity and safety in view of the difficult conditions created since the war, and a motion moved, urged upon, his Majesty’s Government the need for convening at an early date an Imperial Conference at which the self-governing Dominions, the Biitish Government, and the commer. rial and industrial cpmmuwtiaa shall bo

adequately represented, nitl. the object of concerting further n.ensures to meet the vital necessities of the present situation. The Chairman, Mr Maohin M.P... who was the mover of the motion pointed out that tne British Empire was the greatest undeveloped asset in the whole world, and .is r. bus) ness nation, Britain should see that >t did not remain in its present condition. They had to look to develop ment to tho oversea trade, and, while it was necessary for commercial men to Ire represented at the proposal conference it was to he hoped that they would keep free from party politics. The .‘ommerci.nl community, ho said, had i great re- ' sponsihility in. the matter and must see that no selfish interest he allowed to come into the question flic Empire must he developed in every industry, and not in any particular >llO. Sir Albert .1. Hobson, in seconding, remarked that the development of urn Empire would help to solve our employment question. The best solution of our economic difficulties was the greater and better development of tile Empire. Special interest was create by the address from the Government representative at tho meeting, the Hi Hon. T l. C S. Amery (Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty), who had been invited to address the meeting, said that Bri tish export trade was faced with crippled and stagnant markets oversea; consequently, the country was suffering from grievous unemployment and under employment. The larger Lhe stream of population .that left these si ores foi some other part of the Empire, which remained closely hound to ir- by economic ties, not only the large) the immediate volume of trade, hut the larger the population this country could support. On the eve of the war there were 15.000.000 of white people in our Dominions, and they bought from us £03.000.000 worth of goods, while the United States, with n noowlation of C105.0rt0.000. purchased £20,000.000 worth. Germany and Russia with their millions of people, bought only £58,000000 worth. Tn other words, the man who went to another part r the British Empire was worth twenty times as much as the man who went to the United States or any other foreign country. What mattered to us was the trade which brought raw material and foodstuffs and took in exchange manufactured articles. From that point of view the Dominion trade was of more importance to ns than the whole trade of Europe, it being of greater economic value. Of the £03.000,000 worth of goods sold to our Dominions in 1013, £81.000,000 worth represented manufactured goods, while of the quantity sold to Russia and Germany only £30.000.000 worth were of the same kind; tho true comparison was between 30 and 81. In view of the fact that the war had stopped migration to our Dominions, it had been estimated that for a future period of years our residue of unemployed would not lie less than a million. It was necessary, therefore to set the wheels of migration in movement again. 'Die Empire Settlement Act was a simple Act, and one which Mr Amery assured the meeting would not entail the setting up of c • : tensive administrative machinery. The Rritish Government were contributing a sum of C 3.000.000 a year for fifteen j vears. i