TRACTS FOR THE TIMES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 196, 21 August 1933, Page 6

TRACTS FOR THE TIMES.

TRADE AND CARDS.

(By PRO BONO PUBLICO.)

There is one thing pretty clear in the present depression and in the discussion of remedial measures, and it is that the world does not count. When President Roosevelt turned from the London Conference, and decided to tackle the economic problem on purely national lines, he did jnst what every other ruler and Government does. There is such a thing as internationalism in science, art, literature and medicine, but it apparently doesn't extend to economics.

You may think this rather a pessimistic view, but it is not really so. It only means that nations are essentially self-regarding and they must always try to improve, their own positions before thinking of other people. Co-operation commences'when nations realise that they cannot progress in isolation. Ami co-operation is difficult* The Empire went to Ottawa to arrange co-operation among its members; but they didn't co-operate; they bargained, and now they are ,not anxious even to stick to their bargains.

One night I watched four men playing cards, and the doctor, who was one of them, made me sit behind him so that I could see how the game was played. Well, I brought away two impressions. One was that you couldn't go far without the right cards, and the other was that wherever you went you had to take your partner with you. Again and again, it was proved that if the partners were ready to go with one another they scored; if they tried , to go opposite roads they came to grief. ,•. . Trade is very much like that. It is true that if you have a very big hand you don't need to worry about other people. You win, and the game is soon over. But if you win all the time you won't find anyone to play with you. The other fellows have' to get a look in sometimes, otherwise they will make up a party of their own and leave you out. No one can always be winning either at cards or trade, unless ho plays solitaire, and I don't think any nation would be content to play trade solitaire for ever. I am hoping that when our delegates come back from London they will be able to tell us that Empire countries have really decided to pull together. While the rest of the world goes its own way we could get together and work out a scheme of Empire settlement, development and trade that would keep us going in comparative comfort.

It seems ridiculous that we shpuld all be British countries and yet have currencies that are not acceptable everywhere in the Empire. This is the first birr barrier to trade freedom, and it ought to be dealt with right away. I see no reason why the Empire should wait for the rest of the world J » move before launching its own prosperity plan.