The Daily News. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1917. DEVELOPING EMPIRE RESOURCES.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 February 1917, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1917. DEVELOPING EMPIRE RESOURCES.

liilherto the development of the resources of the iimpire has been a process to which no systematic treatment has been given. Each unit has a-ited iii'toidicg to its own ideas and available finance, so that the result as a whole his fallen woefully short of a desirable Hi;!. The renaou of this failure mny he aligned to the absence of an impelling motive. The Dominions have expßwieu. and prospered in spite, of organised eff(i. in development being conspicuously absent. There have, of course, been i.".iiny well-directed efforts towards dcvdeping resources, but they have been spasmodic and devoid of sustained policy. The fact is that in the past tl ere has been no impelling force, stiiil it was not until the war had brought ;:iio the limelight the shortage of foodstuffs that the leal importance of concentrated organisation has been realised. »V« now know, as we have never known U-cre, on how lender a thread tin foed p-oblem rests. Never has it been slrainc,i to such a point as at present, an! Ihre is a deep i'eeling that never ayain should s"uch an alarming crisis be allowed to arise. It is with the object of sytlematising on intelligent and jn-si ::- tica! lines the development of the i'J'.ipirc's resources that a special organisation has been formed in Britain. The Iwo main objects are the prevention of : vii'stCj and the utmost possible projr.c----i ticn. Naturally food supplies lake the ' fi'st place, but there are innnmenible ' other resources urgently needing development without delay. Each of the j Dominions has rich supplies of com- | r.iodilies that have been dormant fir the | want of development, and now that thin- is a determined movement to make I'ie Empire self-contained and free from dependence on foreign supplies, '.'. hicornea self-evident that not only p-odua-t:on but research work must be car- ( lied out with vigor The matter is no [ longer one of individual enterprise, bid ' has become a national duty. Tako for instance, the question of metal output. In Australia this has been the suhj<cl ' i,f German control, but an Imperial system would easily provide a remedy. t'i New Zealand there is an inc\h.iiitt- ' Ude supply of metal awaiting conversion ir.'.o manufactured goods. This nUo , should he a matter for the Government 1 to thoroughly take in hand, not neecs- ' s:uil\ to the detriment of private cnterI f.i-jsc, but to direct, stimulate, and faster I operations, "Wing all reasonable assi>t-

ance, and, if necessary, nationalising the industry. The same remarks arc applicable to the development of all our mineral resources, as well, as our waterpower. At present only the fringe of the Dominion's resources has been touched, despite the fact that New Zealand stands greatly in need of industrial activities that will in' some measure correspond with our agricultural and pastoral output. The Empire Resources and Development Committee ,Ims a vast 'i folLoLwork tocovjr. Of itee'ljt,it cjd-

not do more, than the preliminary work of investigation, planning, and organising If the resources of the Empire are to bo thoroughly developed it will be necessary to provide very large sums of money, but there can be no question that the investment will be a highly ! profitable national asset, for it will mean much in the future of the Empire. We have seen our shortcomings revealed in this terrible war. We have decided not to trade with our enemies after the war. We have not only to replace the wastage, but to produce far more in the future than we have done ir the past, so that development insist be removed from the political arena Mid raised to the status of an Imperial all'air. Instead of being a matter of inclination it has become an impcratrv, necessity, so that now our eyes have been opened to the folly of a go-as-you please policy, a new era should daw., in which the future of the Empire will rise to greater heights and the dignity of labor will, it is hoped, be conspicuous on account of its technical knowledge and broader conception of duty to tin State.