EMPIRE CONSOLIDATION.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 295, 4 July 1929, Page 4

EMPIRE CONSOLIDATION.

TOO much publicity cannot be given to-ihe -*ecent suggestion made by Sir George Elliot, chairman of directors of the Bank of New Zealand, that the Government should approach the Imperial authorities with a view to calling an Empire conference to consider more logical and more scientific customs tariff arrangements between the outlying Dominions, the Crown colonies and the Mother Country. Since assuming cilice at Home the Labour Government has definitely stated that one of its main endeavours will be to consolidate the Empire. This explicit statement, coming from a party often charged with blind Internationalism, is all to the good, and thus the time would seem to be ripe for the move suggested by Sir George Elliot. Many people are prone to the belief that this is somewhat of an abstract question quite oiltside their ken. Actually it is a very practical one which affects each person even in Matamata. It is from the Old Country that we derive our wealth, our trade with other countries being insignificant, while that with America results in an adverse balance against us. Anything which increases the Mother Country’s prosperity, immediately reacts to our own material advantage, pud quite apart from the ouestion of kith or kin, the consolidation of the Empire is a sound business and economic pronosition which has too long been left to .haphazard and unorganised effort.

The great prosneritv of the German Empire and the States in modern times was largelv due to similar consolidation, and it 's apparent that our own Empire has everything to gain and- little to lose by such a course of action. Recent cables indicate that the Canadian Government is thinking along similar lines and though free trade within the Empire is a dream, much could he, gained by an intelligent adjustment nf customs tariffs giving to each Empire unit a certain protection against foreign competition and nil possible advantages of interEmoire trade. It is to be hnned that the party in power in New Zealand, which up to the present has given little indica-

tion of its external policy, will be fully alive to' the advantages likely to be derived by immediate action. The Prime Minister has earned a reputation in the past of being an ar- ( dent Imperialist. It would appear that there are opportunities now of- j fering him to earn further laurels in j this direction.