COLONIAL WORRIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 29, 4 February 1937, Page 7

COLONIAL WORRIES.

Prominent American Delivers Lecture in London. "INSINCERITY" OF POWERS. LONDON, February 3. Mr. Theodore Roosevelt, eldest son of the former President of the United States of that naVi delivered the Watson lecture at London University yesterday. He vigorously commented upon the current topic of colonies.

The lecturer said it was customary for America to explain her former open door policy toward immigrants as altruistic, based on a desire to give a haven to the oppressed while Britain pleaded an urge to take up the white man's burden to explain her acquisition of colonies.

Both statements were insincere, said Mr. Roosevelt. Britain seized colonies for material gain and America permitted free immigration because her industrialists saw that an inflow of cheap labour would increase their profits. But they were not aware that such immigrations predicted. endless future problems.

Colonies in many instances were a continuous loss or a doubtful economic asset. Italy had spent 1,300,000,000 more lire in controlling her colonies in the period 1913-32 than she obtained in her gross trade in 40 years. The German record was a similar story.

It was much' the same for France and Japan. Britain's record was much better largely owing to trade with her Dominions.

BESETTING SIN.

BRITISH " SUPERIORITY." LONDON, January 28. Britain still has a besetting sin, so far as the colonies and Dominions are concerned, said Mr. Theodore Roosevelt in a lecture at London University. It is that her people at home tend to consider themselves infinitely superior, not only to the natives of the colonies, but to citizens of .the. Dominions. That did not contribute to good feeling, said Mr. Roosevelt.

Britain had been the greatest of all colonisers, and to-day was practically at her peak so far as territory under her control was concerned, but he thought that white domination had reached its high-water mark.

History showed that it was impossible for nations to maintain control over and administer large alien populations indefinitely. Sooner or later the home country changed its policy or was weakened unless some new formula was found. It might be that the germs of this formula were contained in the British policy with reference to the Dominions.

"This is news to us," says the "Evening News," in a leading article referring to the speech. "Our impression," the article adds, "was that the fellow from the Dominions was just a bit inclined to look down on the antiquated and rather decadent folk from home, to concede them the past and allocate to himself leadership in the future. Is not that natural ? Doesn't the pioneer always look down a bit on the stay-at-home 7

"We stay-at-home Britons recognise and rather envy the freedom, vigour and speed of the young Imperial peoples, and if, in order to keep our end up, we make modest claims to a culture and philosophic serenity that the younger people have Scarcely had time to acquire, who can blame us?"