“CARRY ON!”

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1843, 22 June 1918, Page 3

“CARRY ON!”

THE EMPIRE’S DUTY

SPEECH BY MR. MASSEY,

London, June 10

The Empire Producers’ Organisation entertained Mr Massey at luncheon in the Connaught Rooms. Replying to the toast of his health, Mr Massey said the end of the Avar was not yet in sight, hut we were going on to tluj end. It was onr duty to set. our teeth and “carry on.” What our troops had done had proved that we had not deteriorated. The Americans were coming in with a zeal and fervour that agured well for the future. When the Kaiser, had an opportunity of meeting tho Americans he would have cause to reconsider his comment that the Americans’ effort was all bluff. The Germans will not see Paris or the Channel ports in the present generation. All the native races of the Empire had given evidence of their unbounded loyalty. THE LESSON OF AMERICA.

We are going' to win through the war, and must afterwards tackle equally important problems. It was our responsibility to build up the Empire, not on the German model, nor on the models of past Empires which rose, flourished, and decayed; but a new Empire, which would be a blessing to all humanity. We must see that the enemy never regains socially, commercially, or politically the position he held before the .war. We might as well take a lesson from America, which, after the horrors of civil war, developed and used her own resources to the utmost, until she became a front-rank nation. Unfortunately, there ■were people in our own Empire who would trade with the devil if they could make a bit more profit. Mr Massey said he hoped the time was not far distant when Imperial preference would come to its own. America’s policy was better than ours. It had freetrade between the States, with defence against the outsider. Although the latter system could not come yet within the Empire, he believed it would ultimately be the best policy. Meanwhile Imperial preference could go further Ilian the Customs dudes. If could be applied to shipping, giving British vessels preference over foreign. THE GERMAN COLONIES.

He had, ho said, seen three propositions in the press regarding the disposal of the German colonies r Firstly, that the colonies should he returned; secondly, that they he placed under international control; thirdly, that (hey he placed in (he hands of a friendly Power,

The experience of the second proposal in (lie Pacific resulted in failure, He entirely condemned the third proposal. It would lie a weak and wrong thing to do. The British Government was finite able to protect the natives of these islands. If the Imperial War Cabinet does its duty the German eolonies would not go haek to petty control, but remain in Britain’s hands,. War was not, won by boasting, but by unity, loyalty, and determination on the parj of the Allies of every country with the British Empire.