OUR NATAL SUPREMACY.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4339, 21 November 1908, Page 2

OUR NATAL SUPREMACY.

Now that there is the post-election opportunity of dealing with matters of Imperial import we are glad to take note of Mr Asquith’s splendid speech, delivered at the Guildhall banquet on the occasion of the King’s Birthday, After the agitation which has disturbed all loyal Britishers as to whether or no the present government were prepared to allow the strenuous enterprise of rival powers to overtake, or ultimately outstrip up, it is encouraging to be assured that “ Every Power is aware of Britain’s determination to maintain an undisputable superiority upon the sea, in order to fulfil her elementary duty of upholding her commerce and industry, beyond the reach and beyond the risk of successful attack.” Just how far this decision will affect the fiscal policy of the Government it would be difficult to forecast, for the exchequer will have to be augmented in some wise to meet the demands made upon it in connection with the pension scheme. Whether the government will see the advisibility of administering a fillip to British agriculture by imposing a duty on foreign wheat, and so giving a check to the terrible efflux of her rural population to the great cities, a thing which is perpetually augmenting the sum of her pauperism, remains to be seen. It could of course be done. Even a duty which would increase the cost of the loaf to the consumer by almost nothing, a duty of 3d per bushel would add millions to the revenue. Whether Great Britain will at last wake up to accept the significance of the prosperity of her rival industrial powers, powers which have had the sense to adopt the principle of protection, and which are growing fat thereon, remains to be seen. It must be borne in mind that not the nation which imposes the duty pays the extra cost of the commodity so dutied, but the nation whose export is so dutied. Paradoxical as this may appear it is nevertheless economically declared to be the fact. Hence, by imposing a duty on German or Danish, or American imports, Great Britain would not be increasing the cost of those imports to herself, but on the contrary she would be taking a portion of the profits now gleaned by the nations which supply her with them and putting it into her own coffers. We would not seek to overlook the fact that Britain has her interests to converse with foreign powers, powers which have grown rich upon principles which she has long abjured, to their advantage and her own grievous hurt. These powers may show resentment at Britain’s readoptio. of the long neglected principle of protection. But while Great Britain has her own oversea nations to consider (for her own children are rapidly taking on the dimensions of national being and resource) and while she has the opportunity of buttressing her attitude of protection toward those without, by an attitude of free trade within the Empire, she cannot afford to stand in awe of the foreigner, and she can afford to show special regard to her own. Her position at the present time is the extreme one of being the one

free trade nation aga nst the world. She has not until com* paratively recently begun to feel to anything like the full extent the results of her policy, this because of her natural resourcss, her coal and iron ; and also because she was for so long the great carrier nation.. But now that Germany is making a successful bid for the carrying business of the world Britain is feeling the falling off in this source of revenue. The German savings bank deposits have been advancing for the last thirty years until at the present there are £600,000,000, in the German Savings Bank. The position of the German working man is incomparably more com*' fortable than that of his British brother, while the notable comment i upon the state of German revenue is the tremendous pace at which she is increasing her navy. It is high time that Great Britain saw the neod for defending herself against the bleeding process whereby she has been enriching others at her own expense, until there has not been

wanting the fear least she should render herself financially unable to keep pace with the requirements of her navy.