The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1920. THE FUTURE WORLD'S TRADE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3533, 22 July 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1920. THE FUTURE WORLD'S TRADE.

With which is incorporated "The Tailiape Post and Waimarino News."

A Minister of the Crown recently boasted that the Government had successfully overcome all troubles as they arose. Probably he was justified in making such a statement, and it is not our purpose to go into the question of whether failure to tYresee such troubles did not furnish the opportunity 'to overcome them as they were allowed to arise. In New Zealand, politicians are whirling in too circumscribed an orbit, forgetting that New Zealand is not the world, and that it does not shape the destiny of the world, and particularly of the British Empire and the Anglo-Saxon race. While New Zealand businessmen, commercial men and operators in finance are striving to double and treble their capital annually, and workers are endeavouring to double and treble [their* *!pre-war earnings, the earnings of the Empire are very seriously challenged. If Now Zealand does not earn a surplus for division among its people there can be 'no struggle" between capital and labour as to which shall have t!he greatest share of it. In fact, while individualism is moving heaven and earth to make unprecedented profits, the community, the Empire is forgetting, or is indifferent, too much absorbed to notice that a mighty competitor is a c work with an inflexible to become the chief world power, to secure that, position of world domination that Germ any lost by the impatiency of her greed. Fortunately, Germany is no longer a rival to Britain in world trade, but what ha s it cost to undo that clearly thought-out and scientifically organised system by which Germany so nearly succeeded? W|hile profiteering and struggling for high wages .are New Zealanders not holding aloof from coordinating efforts with those of the Motherland and with, othor Dominions in making certain tEat no other power can become such ja menace" to the world as that so recently overcome "by the expenditure of almost incalculable human life , and of treasure? Truly may it be said, what shall it proß New Zealanders if they all gain riches to'find that an alien power is dominating the British Empire; that Japan or America,- that tinternationa} Bolsheviks, eontrcd the world and the destinies of all those who dwell therein —body and "soul. A prosperous pro-

gressive people must of necessity bo "a producing people, and what is the real test of any Country's efficiency as a producer? By militarist folly Germany —absolutely the first and most effective industrial producer among all flie nations of the earth—lias sunk into comparative producing and trading oblivion. But are there no t other .trading and producing menaces equally threatening to that of Germany rapidly looming up to an alarming degree? It was British sea power alone which stood between Germany and the supreme position in international commerce: and is not America profiting by the international Wesson Germany taught? Prior to the war Americans were compelled to retire from the contest for world domination because of high wages and high ccsl> otherwise of keeping up an increasingly large mercantile marine. But with the destruction of shipping by submarines and a general levelling up of world world wages the Americans saw their opportunity had come, and they set determinedly, to work to insure that their corrnrTercc was to lie conducted in American shipping in the future. As we have said. New Zealanders -arc forgetting the community trading and pro'duehi'g aspect, while wallowing in individual effort'to double and treble their individual riches. What are New Zealandcrs doing with the money they arc accumulating by a legal system of robbery. It is admittedly a system of robbery, for has not the State set up boards and committees to punish the culprits while praying to heaven that they will never be caught? What' is America; what' is Britain; what i.s Japan doing with the. huge profits each lias accumulated'? Those nations have not omitted to realise the first essentials of national prosperity, and all three are centring the national effort or/ building up a powerful mercantile marine. Experience has taught thai without a mercantile marine they can only remain mere hucksterers in world trade, a prev -waiting to be devoured by some

treding (riant of fb- future. Why is it thnt other 'c,on> mull jfi es Vivo Surplus profits to* spend upon building up a mercantile marine to withstand 1 whatever competition may arise for the markets of The woidd, while New Zealanders are hard-pressed to find the money their Government requires for merely administrative purposes? A.l'l other parf s of the Emp're are eo-or-

dinating their efforts with those of the Motheiiand to recover supremacy of trade lost to Germany, and now threatened by the United States and Japan, while New Zealand is so povertystricken that a ishUlijng (cannot be spared towards providing the nucleus of that shipping which is absolutely essential to the conduct of the trade upon which the community is entirely dependent. The nature of the American menace to British trade is reflected in trading figures for 1918. American trade with Asia alone —Japan, China, and Australasia- —ran into nearly £200,000,000, and what is fcroubtyng ithe Americans is that the largest proportion of this trade was not per medium of American shipping, but they are working determinedly to remedy that fault. What is going to be the relation J of Britain, America and Japan in these Asiatic markets, as well as in the markets of Europe, Africa and America? New Zealand has no voice in determining such' a question; it can barely furnish the money td meet its own extravagance; it must remain plastic to be moulded, to the will of either British shipping combines, Americans or Japanese, whichever imay arise superior in the vital contest for supremacy that is now raging. Such is the situation as exhibited by-the New Zealand Government and Parliament, and 'ire that uElt'rapessimistic speech put into the mouth of the Governor. New Zealanders must bo the architects of their own fortunes, and therer-is undeniable evidence that the acquisition of the utmost rests upon the acquisition of markets and profitable markets are dependent upon New Zealand-owned shipping that is not divorcible from the New Zealand people. Private owned shipping has been proved to be disastrously wanting in the day of greatest need; will New Zealanders again put their trust in shipping controlled by private enterprise? Is it not time that Parliament stepped out of the contemptible huckstering it has drifted into, and concernedly bring its activities to bear more closely upon tihe international situation? While New Zealanders are grovelling in graft individually community interests are drifting into danger of having their whole trading systems dictated by foreign shipping combines.