COLONIES

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 208, 30 May 1936, Page 10

COLONIES

Present-day Scramble Has An Economic Background POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF EMPIRE TRADE POLICY

(By

C. M. P. Brown, M.A.)

The pessimists who see in history a mere cycle that continually repeats itself must welcome the return of economic nationalism and one of its corollaries—the restoration of colonies to a central position in diplomatic manoeuvres. In 1934, Signor Mussolini, after pointing out that Italy was the nearest of tlie Western Powers to Africa, contided to the Italian of to-day and tomorrow the special task of ‘collaboration between Italy and the peoples M Africa.” In 1936 Italy performed her share of the proposed collaboration by the conquest and annexation of Abyssinia, while Europe played the role of an interested spectator. A loud and influentially-supported section of German opinion demands more colonies. Dictators must proverbially And external diversion for their subjects, and the only matter for speculation now is how long it will be before Herr Hitler, in order to maintain bis own position, is forced to carry bis Rhineland tactics further afield. Meanwhile, uncolonised lands tiecome scarcer and Conservatives tn England have keenly pressed Cabinet to promise that in any colonial reorganisation Great Britain, which owns one-quarter of the globe, shall not cede one acre of her glorious heritage. Short-sighted altruists, perceiving Britain’s enormous share of world acreage, view the problem only as a contest between certain "Haves” and ••Have-nots” which could be solved by the "Haves’ ceding their surplus to the "Have-nots.” To this, more long-sight-ed altruists like Lord Lugard reply by asking whether colonies are to be swapped like postage stamps and by what criterion Germany and Italy are to receive colonies instead of, say, Persia and Argentine. The main opponents in the struggle for colonics are as clearly defined as the localUy for which rivalry will be most keen —the lands of Africa. Signor Mussolini has stated (that Italy is now a satisfied nation, but while the underlying forces that drove him into Abyssinia remain, it is doubtful how long this one meal will satisfy the ravenous eagles of Rome.

Markets and Fields of Investment. The underlying forces driving nations to colonisation are economic. Our very specialised production requires secure and ample markets; our accumulations of capital denmnd opportunities for investment. In present unstable conditions of world rivalry and parochialism, political control s needed to make a country safe for longperiod investment. All other claims are just rationalisations of t'his simple necessity, as can easily be seen by examining one of Herr Hitler’s statements on colonisation published early this year:

The white rave is destined to rule. It lias the tineoußClous urge to rule. Hits urge arises from its heroic conception ot wealth, which is entirely non-paclilst. . . • When the white race abandons the foundation ot its rule over the world It will lose that rule. It is a rule which is tne basis of the European structure.

It is often said, more often with reference to Germany and Italy than other nations, that Africa can provide a home for “surplus population.” One wonders at the outset why, if there is a difficulty in disposing of the surplus the German and Italian Governments regard an increase in the birth-rate as so urgent a national duty. Even if the difficulty wore real, there are apparently not sufficient healthy highlands in mid-Afriea for the permanent settlement of a very great number of European emigrants, nor is the healthiness of those that exist, compared with more temperate regions, yet determined beyond controversy. Livingstone knew more of East and Central Africa than anyone else of his time, and he favoured European settlement on a miall scale as an instrument of civilisation. But “the idea of a colony in Africa," he observed, “as the term ‘colony’ is usually understood, cannot be entertained.” That emigration is Uo cure for population pressure is most easily seen in the case of Japan. During the decade of the largest emigration from Japan, 1910-1919, the total number leaving the country wasonly 155,000, whereas the population increased during the same period by 5,840,000. Each year the net annual Increase in population exceeds the total number of Japanese living abroad by more than 400,000. Another rationalised argument for colonisation Is the civilising power of the conqueror. Many may legitimately doubt the extent of civilisation in a country in which unemployment has increased 1000 per cent, between 192(5 and 1935, which is marked internally by repression and the loss of all real liberty, and which sets about its civilising mission bearing gilts, not of frankincense and Myrrh, but of bombs and poison gas. Might not civilisation grow more firmly from friendly contact than from mass shootings? The greatest civiliser of all time, Jesus Christ, did not awe His disciples wit it machine-guns and send them out to conquer the world; He did not torture to prove that His doctrine was right. Might not a country inspired solely by the noble aim of civilising do better to send teachers and doctors instead of atmies?

There are other arguments for colonisation. National prestige is a favourite argument for rousing the emotions of a crowd. It is quick to excite and quick to subside, and can be used for any purpose. In general it follows docilely in the wake of economic gain. Some colonies may have a strategic value, but they are few and their importance depends on the existence of other colonies. The Economic Trinity. We are forced back for an explanation of the rush for colonies to the economic trinity: raw materials, markets and investment. The importance of raw materials is usually exaggerated, for only rubber and tin are preponderantly produced in colonial territories. The importance of a colonial market in Africa is shown in the following table of imports into certain African regions for 1901 and 28 years later.

While the British Empire is inclined to feel above the present scramble for more colonies, it is really playing a very active part in encouraging that scramble. Instead of scheming for more land we are erecting stronger trade barriers around the land we already possess. For many years Empire trade has been expanding at the ex-

pense of foreign trade. It is this gradual exclusion of the foreigner from our markets tliat is helping to drive him to seek the security and advantage of colonial markets of his own. Our much-boasted “open door” policy lias long ceased to be quite open, and the latest step in the direction of restriction is Australia’s recently announced auti-Japanese tariff. Japan’s only reply can be to find another market, and preferably a colonial one. Even M. Andre Siegfried, one of the British Empire’s friendliest critics, prophesied a few years ago that under the pressure of world economic forces we would try to refashion our tropical Empire into a closed economic area of the eighteenth century mercantile type. Yet every “buy British” campaign, every hostile tariff, is forcing Japan Io find another Manchtikuo and Germany fn look for its Aiiyssinia.

Colonies arise from instability in a world that must trade and invest Not until goods are everywhere accepted on their merits and investment is safe under any political regime will they disappear. Meanwhile any national discrimination only leads to an intensification of that scramble that has already brought incalculable bloodshed and destruction.

1901. .C 1929. £ 2,242,000 13,193,000 (iohl Coast 1,795,000 10.082,000 Kenya ami Uganda 030,000 11,740,000