WORLD OUTLOOK

Hokitika Guardian, 23 August 1933, Page 8

WORLD OUTLOOK

A RETURN TO SELFISHNESS

SIR JAMES PARR’S SPEECH

AUCKLAND/August 19.

“The failure of the‘World Economic Conference tlirows the British peoples back upon themselves to a policy of mutual succour and help and mutually profitable trade>” said Sir James Parr, Leader' 0 f the Legislative Council, in an address' on the present world outlook, given before the Auckland Chamber of Commerce.

“This” was the principle laid down at Ottawa,” said Sir James, “but the Dominions have not given to Britain, even as yet, all that they promised, while Britain is not free from blame for making treaties with Denmark and the Argentine. These treaties run counter to Ottawa’s spirit. They give these foreign countries an assured ■market for the great bulk 0 f their pro. ilurv ”

The Dominions were still Britain’s great market, but Denmark was not. Denmark bought about £8,000,000 or £9,000,000 worth of ■ goods from Britain, while Britain gave Denmark a cheque every year for anything between £40,000,000 and £00,000,000, ,chj’efly ! for butter and bacon. Why should the I Danish farmer be kept going 1 by mil- | lions of English money when the British and Dominion farmer was bankrupt for the want of a market? NEW ZEALAND DSSADVANTAGE 1 ■ • ■ " ■'■ '''■ h . ■■ ■ i'lis' } ,J.}| It was agreed at Ottawa t that ( all. the Dominions would be granted the same preference of 15 per cent; irrespective of their individual, merits. Although Australia’s tariff in many important lines was 400 per cent higher than ' New Zealand’s, she obtained the same preferential privilege front Britain as 'New Zealand. “The next time, two years hence, we must ask to be treated on our own “merits,” said Sir. James, “and individual agreements between .Britain and the Dominions should be made. No other course is fair to New Zealand.” • • Vi;,:-, ■lt is. essential for the Empire *._ to stand together more than ever, owing to the -failure of the . World Economic Conference ‘ to bring' about international ' co-operation ,in economic affairs. To-day -America had nb thought' of pre-occupation other than to give a fair chance to her internal policy, of' recovery. .naipely, .the borrowing of tens of millions for a huge public works programme, intended ,to stimulate Sind prinie .up, private -indust-

ry. Capitalists, industrialists bankers and workers all approved- of this

pi frantic, scheme, and the Government would '' thinK of "nothing * else. ;Mr Roosevelt had taken full responsibility, for killing tile World Conference, which had just fueled out; believing that his own country must first ' work out ;r, its own salvation;’ ’ -• •• MR ROOSEVELTS POLICY <!■ Some critics would say that no nation could pull itself up by it own boot straps’ but Roosevelt thought .otherwise.' He said:—“l have been granted powers, which can only be fully exercised if no stabilisation, even temporary, of the - dollar takes place. Therefore, I will not agree at present to 4.05 dollars or any other definite figure which ties my hands. I realise that this virtually means the annihilation of the World Economic Conference, because no concerted steps, either toward regulations of commodity production or to free exchange ■ restrictions,',or to tackle tariffs, quotas or embargoes, can obviously be taken without the prospect .of stable exchanges.' But I am firmly of opinion that I can produce a- return of prosperity to the United; - States, by internal administrative, qction, even in a world reduced to chaos. At any rate, I' intend to try.” •■■*'? A * y-»*t ■ The -world had been thrown hack deliberately into economic nationalism, where each nation would fight.,, for its own hand, and economic anarchy would result. The defection of the United States had not only killed the conference, but also had killed the confidence of the peoples in international action, and had undermined confidence in Governments everywhere. “And so the nations will go back home from London and resume with unabated vigour the old game of putting on higher tariffs and embargoes ; and quotas against one another, and restricting the natural , flow of trade throughout the world,” continued the -spG&lvtsr. ‘ln other words, -economic j nationalism is stronger than evei. 1 ; confess I had little faith in the success : of the Lon lon conference as regards the cutting-down of tariff walls everyIwhere. I watched the Geneva Conference of 1927 where ttie great nations of the world gathered for the purpose of considering a policy of reducing tariffs .all over the globe, but it was soon evident then that no nation was prepared to make any sacrifice of its own icountry’s trade for the. benefit of the 1 whole. National selfishness reigned, j . 1' r TARIFF PROBLEM UNSOLVED

! . “It was this, failure of 1927 which 'showed the British people for the first ii.imc that free trade on one side with higli tariffs on the other side was no good to Britain. And pow, in 1933, another conference has been held and we iseem further off from tariff readjustment than ever.” .

International Conferences were a •f ailure. After ,10 years of preliminary work, the Disarmament Conference had resulted in only one country disarmBritain. She had been dis-

arming to the danger point on sea, land and.4n the air, while America, 'France, the Little Enteritej and.now Germany, were .arming again almost to the’'teeth.„ The. empire was definitely unsafe at Sea. .Britain always suffered; tliat was the result of. international 'conferences-*..; “What is one to do?” asked the' speaker. “The whole basis of internationalism, if it is to he of use to mankind, lies in common sacrifice for the common good. I see no'symptoms today of other nations making any sacrifice which will hurt their trade, prospects of war strength. Let the British Empire go on giving away here and givinc away there, and we shad soon lie so° weak that, like the democracies of old, we shall fall an easy prey to the selfish and depredatory nations. “THE OMEN OF .JAPAN"’

“Lastly, there is another omen which makes one ill. at ease. It is the omen of Japan. Tired of the League of Nations, she is acting on her own account, not only as a military nation, for Japan—and this is alarming—has suddenly become a great manufacturing nation. Her goods are coming upon tlie market everywhere, and 'they can be made at a quarter of the cost of British and Dominion goods. Already the British possessions in India and Asia are being flooded with Japanese cottons and silks', sold to our peoples at prices which absolutely defy competition by our own mills and workers.

“Japan, which was our natural ally and friend until the other day, seems almost to have' become ou r natural eiiemy, with its eruption of cheap goods into our markets. There are great difficulties in the wajr of making an arrangement‘with dapah which will save the Empire manufactures from' ruin, but the. difficulty of the position must not stop the Empdre from finding a way out.”