Possible Dangers For Commonwealth

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30171, 1 July 1963, Page 2

Possible Dangers For Commonwealth

(From Our Own Reporter)

TIMARU, June 30. There were two points of possible crises in the future—the division of the Commonwealth into European and non-European separate groups, and its partition into developed and under-de-veloped countries, the director of Adult Education, University of Canterbury (Mr D. S. Rutherford) told a women’s forum at the Adult Education Centre. Timaru. Women speakers said that the concept of the Commonwealth as a family unit—irrespective of the fact that there had been a few “divorces"—was a wonderful thing. Discussing Commonwealth relationships and the pattern of trade, Mr Rutherford said the Commonwealth was a large preferential trading organisation. “But the influence of Commonwealth arrangements has never been commensurate with the value of trade conducted by Commonwealth countries, for the system is a loose one not organised on any definite principles,” he said. Not even the most characteristic feaibures were common to all Commonwealth countries. Most of them gave some tariff preferences to Britain, but the major West and East African members did not, and Britain gave preferences on not much more than half its imports from the Commonwealth. “Most of them are members of the sterling area, but Canada, whose trade is second in value only to that of the, United Kingdom, is not Most of them look to Britain as their chief source of external capital, but, again, Canada does not.

“Nor is Britain by any means the biggest supplier, or the biggest customer for a long list of Commonwealth countries," Mr Rutherford added. Nevertheless, the British constitution was the sole unifying factor of the Commonwealth system. This system had been built up through the development of a series of special relationships with the United Kingdom, said Mr Rutherford. "There is a school of thought which holds that, left alone, the pressure of events will gradually induce them to insignificance. While there

is some truth in this contention, the case should not be exaggerated. Diversity should be regarded as a sign of strength—not of weakness.” Mr Rutherford added. The Commonwealth was not a rigid unit. There were political and constitutional differences. It was multiracial. It contained peoples from developed and underdeveloped countries of widely different cultural tradition and background, and from time to time it did not work as a “bloc" on the international scene, Mr Rutherford said.

Woman Injured.—Laceration of the head and a broken thumb were suffered by Ruth Gebbie, of 116 Sherborne street, when her car struck a parked car in Sherborne street about 8.45 a.m. on Saturday. Miss Gebbie was treated at the Christchurch Hospital Miss Gebbie's car rolled over and came to rest on it* side. It was extensively damaged.