Material Support Of Democracy Ties British Commonwealth

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 15116, 27 October 1949, Page 2

Material Support Of Democracy Ties British Commonwealth

Sport’s Part In Fosterin, Friendly Relations Doidge Cup p r i 2e Winning Essay The Doidge Cup, f or an essay competition among thl nUal ondary schools in the Tau AN district, was won bv Man »! ga Baigent of the Katikati District fe School. ni §n The subject for this year's „ Petition was the factors which S tc unite the members of the ? Commonwealth of Nations ii tlSh common interest, and those «£• ? tend to disunite. The sL' hch entry reads as follows:- U ° Cessful One of the strongest ties in tv, British Commonwealth of NatiA • then- mutual support of Democrat.? as opposed to the forces of NazS’ Fascism and Communism T ’ world-wide wars within half a tury must inevitably shatter nation’s complete trust in any aJ tnne of government, but its supp on ot individual freedom, of right ana wrong, still remains. I n the IQiq 45 war Nazism and Fascism were overthrown but Communism j! rapidly widening its influence hm n is also, however, strengthening the unity of those nations who are opposed to it. are

Statute Of Westminster Another tie in the Commonwealth of Nations was confirmed bv tiL Statute of Westminster in 1931 a ‘‘their common bond of allegiance to the crown.” At the Prime Min ister’s Conference in London in i 948, the term British Corn.no - wealth of Nations was “changed tn Commonwealth of Nations thne eradicating, any dependence,’ either literally or in fact, upon England But the mere changing of a name cannot destroy the allegiance to England which has been cemented in the Dominions during over a cen tury of development.

The Commonwealth is also united by commercial interests such as the need for raw materials and f or markets. Following the recent devaluation ol the pound sterling the Commonwealths will tend to trade within themselves even more so than before. The higher price o{ goods in dollar countries will discourage much of the trade with America and stimulate the purchase of the cheaper British goods. In the he’d of sport, international competitions help to foster friendly relations between members of the Commonwealth. The British Empire Games, held every four years, create a keen competitive spirit. Teams of athletes and sportsmen are freouently visiting other Dominions, tor example, the All Blacks are at present in South Africa, the cricket team in England, and an Australian ski team is competing with New Zealanders at Ruapehu. All students, musicians, politicians and even tourists, who visit other Dominions, are ambassadors for their own country and all serve to foster friendly relations. Collaboration For Defence

Yet another, and, following the announcement of a Russian atomic bomb, a more significant tie, is that of collaboration for defence against aggressors. This common desire to maintain peace is perhaps the strongest bond between the Commonwealths. . Factors which tend to disunite the Commonwealth seem more prevalent in the younger Dominions, such as India and Pakistan. Because of the backwardness of the majority of their population, England thought seriously before granting them independence. The few intellectual leaders who clamoured for complete severance from England, found when they obtained it. that they were unable to maintain it. Thus minor civil wars and risings occurred and by some, it was considered to be a reflection in England.

In South Africa the native population is also a source of trouble, when members of a Commonwealth are within themselves divided, it naturally tends to disunite the Commonwealth. This also illustrates how Communism can become dangerous to the unity of the Dominions. By a policy of continual objection,_ Communist members rf an organisation may cause rifts within a democratic country and thus weaken the ties of the Commonwealth of Nations. On reading over the “disuniting factors I feel that they are not very convincing, because I do not believe that the Commonwealth of Nations is tending to become disunited. 1 feel that the ties are too strong, and of too long a standing, to be broken by the forces of evil.