HOW GERMANY IS GOING AHEAD.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 August 1923, Page 4

HOW GERMANY IS GOING AHEAD.

Putting aside sentiment and prejudice so far as France and Germany lire concerned, and taking Great Britain's trade and commerce only into account, let us consider any position and what is best for us now and in the future, writes Sir Robert Houston in the “Daily Mail." Since 1870 Germany lias become a great industrial and commercial nation, and. before the war, she was our greatest trade, commercial and shipping competitor, making great inroads into our foreign and colonial trades, and in sonic instances actually capturing our foreign markets from us. Furthermore. •he established monopolies of many commodities that we required. In 101 D our exports to Germany amounted to forty million pounds, while German imports into Great Britain amounted to eighty million pounds a balance of forty million pounds against us, depriving our manufacturers and working people of employment to that extent. Before Germany’s intrusion into industry. Great Britain was practically the workshop, the warehouse, and the carrier of the world. That enviable position ha 4 been lost to us by reason o! German competition.

Since the armistice Germany, witti the lightest taxation of any great country in the world, has made t omarknbk elb'ils and progress. She had. by the Tr-atv of Versailles, not only to sitrri ndor she whole oi her navy, but bet mercantile marine also was cat down Its -! P'.nOO tens.

To-day she has one and a half mil--1: on-, tons of mercantile shipping, i-con.-uaully puia liasfng more, and her working overtime in building tonnage that is remitr! ably cheap by reason of the depreciated mark. Bast year she built 70“.1'-!K> tens.

Te oiler branch of industry Germnuv has made remarkable strides, and she has no unemployed.

Him- nnv sensible Briton, more especially the trade unionist and workin: limn, can have any sympathy with Germany and de-ire to see her reinstated in her former position, passes my comprehension, for our trade and commerce rue groaning tinder th" b: av'est taxation in the world, am! the British working man will not work the la.urs ami accept ihe wages which will . i,able us to comp- 1 1 e successfully with (lertuatty; ami. t ailing our successful i sue i:t i 1 ioo. it is only a question of years possibly twenty at the outside—i- ■lure < 'ermnny v.ill capture our export

trade ironi it-. Frane-p over, with permanent pesses- ■ in of ihe Ruhr and the II bine - or. in fa; i„ ill Germany’s industrial re-s-.uri e* would, for various reasons, nnver be Fie sedans competitor and rjre’ !,, us that Germany would be. i i therefore behoves u-, Irani an m,ri-;| : ;|, j . .1 s• uiereia! point of v iew ...put. vi-ev.. if you like- to support . ■.,.■ against < hi-maiiy. I; i ttllrui'-iii Icily on our pm t to j j. . ran Germany io regain a pm.ition j I bat will enable her to carry out t.-r j de-i.pis to the detriment ol Great Bri-j tain.