BRITAIN’S VITALITY

Hokitika Guardian, 10 September 1926, Page 4

BRITAIN’S VITALITY

NATION’S PROBLEMS. SYDNEY, Aug. 28. Rev. Dr J. D. .Tones, the eminent Emdisli Congregational preacher, gave a lunch-hour address on “Some English Problems,” at the Millions Club yesterday- afternoon. The main theme of his address was that England had still plenty of vitality, and would triumph over her present difficulties. He said England was not of yesterday. but of to-day. After the war over 1 009 090 soldiers had to be introduced into industrial life, and the difficulty of finding thorn jobs was still "being felt. England is of necessity an industrial nation. Her limited size ami industrial population must make her depend on her exports. It was very dangerous in the interest of good relations between the mother country and the dominions to introduce Tinaneial mattore. He said this in reference to Mr Bruce’s speech advocating increased preference duties by Great Britain. The result of any increase would make the co-t of living dearer in England, and would make exporting more difficult at

competitive prices. Britain was the only nation in Europe which had settled her foreign debts without going eap-hi-hand to a creditor nation for concessions. Before the war Germany aspired to leadership cf the world bv the mailed fist-, now America was aspiring to ft by her wealth. Money and the sword, could never give a nation the supremacy of the world. The qualities of mind and .spirit alone could give that supremacy, and Britain was the only nation that possessed those qualities. He stated that if America had honoured President "Wilson’s signature and entered the League of Nations she might have attained world supremacy. Peace could never really he made unless a nation was prepared to take the risks, oven these risks-which entail war. Britain had taken those risks. Britain will lead ihe world in humanitarian acts. She was the first nation to abolish slavery and was still conscientiously carrying out that policy, as had been evidenced by the forcible release of slaves in Burma recently. In Palestine. as in other parts of the world, the Englishman's qualities of justice and fair phiy had harne fruit in the abolition of ororrs-ic.i and cheating. England wmili! never submit to revolution, because the British working man was sober and sensible, and not given io hysteria. He was very pleased to know that \ustvalia still called England lathe sentimental tie of “home.” Til conclusion lie said service for the morel ■ reatness of the Empire was more important than service to any particular branch cf the Empire.