BRITISH COLONIES AND AMERICA.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 October 1921, Page 2

BRITISH COLONIES AND AMERICA.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—-Not long ago we were told that the United States of America refused to enter the League of Nations because (among other reasons) the British Dominions had separate representation on the League’s Council. Later it became known that the La tin-Americans on that Council were raising objections to this separate representation. In last week's morning papers we read that the United States and the Latin-American republics had conjointly attempted to oust us from the International Postal Congress. Twenty-two votes were cast for the exclusion of Australia and the other British Dominions, but so .far I have not lizard that any member of our House of Representatives had considered it. worth while to ask the Postmaster-General for a list of ti c States that voted. Among them, no doubt, will be found Panama (400,000), Costa Rica (466,727), Honduras (650,000), St. Domingo (700,000), and nine or ten other Latin-Arne-; r,can hangers-on of> the U S.A., numbering from 800,000 to 8,000,000 inhabitants each. But, after all. why shouldn’t the United States flout Australia ? They know we’ll take it lying down. The U.S.A, author obtains copyright for his book in Australia by merely offering a copy of it for sale in London ; but the Australian author cannot obtain copyright .in the United States without complying with a •'manufacturing” clause which requires hlun to print and bind a separate edition of his book in the United States within six weeks of ’publication here. A short reciprocal Act of Parliament giving the. United States copyright here on the same terms and conditions would not only bring about an equitable settlement in six months, but might also call the attention of the U.S. Congress to the fact that British Dominions have a status in the world which it is worth the while even of a big American republic to recognise. I am, etc., C .J. DENNIS. Toolangi, Victoria, October 6, 1921.