AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 67, 17 September 1917, Page 10

AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA

FOSTERING COMMERCIAL RELATIONS. (FROM OUB OWN CORRESPONDENT.) SYDNEY, 4th'September, The decision ; of the' 'Commonwealth. Government to station ■in Washington a trade representative to foster commercial relations between Australia and the United States has been most cordially received by America, but has stirred up bitter resentment .among' the British manufacturing firms.. The secretary of the British Electrical and Allied Manufacturers' Association has written very frankly to the Age, and the gist of his complaint and: accusation is in this paragraph:—"For a considerable time this country has been courted in trade matters by America, 1 who, naturally,' has been taking advantage of. the difficulties which British trade has experienced, due to war'conditions, to extend her export trade to Australia. Australia appears to be now on the point of yielding to American persuasion, forgetting, apparently, the enormous debt she owes to Great Britain for her security and existence as a nation, and_ for support in the whole of her financial transactions."

This writer' then proceeds to give specific instances of the manner in which British goods are penalised under, the tariff, and he argues reasonably enough that British interests in the circumstances should be. protected and, assisted by Australia in every possible way. • He says that America^ producing her own grain, meat, etc., does not want Australia's exports, and that therefore America's cordiality is due to America's hope of getting her manufactured goods into Australia. :'■■■■ ■ . „ .

A Now Zealander in. Australians immediately' struok 'with the Australian attitude towards all things American. The warmth with . which New Zealand regards Britain and British institutions is, in many cases, reserved by the Australians for the United, States.: This feel; ing was not so apparent while America was neutral and seemed, to the unintelligent mind, ; to'be not: "playing the game," but since America entered the war, an Australian love for _America and Americans has been' very, cordially displayed. It is not easy to explain. A student of national psychology might find the reason in pre-war tendency ito regard. Britain as the home of the conservative' and the reactionary, while the Stars and! Stripes, in" Australian estimation, wave ceaselessly over a •community which stands for liberty, equality, and fraternity. Then the Australian Constitution is modelled on that of the United States. The Australians see,, in: America, a great, nation similar to what they hope. Australia yet wiU be. Then, it is not too much to say that the majority of Australians are republicans, and the United States" is the, greatest republic. It would be foolish, however, to suggest that Australian sentiment i 3 in any degree actually anti-British. Emphatically, that is not so. But the fact that America provides a better example of Australian, national ideals than did the pre-war Britain has. .naturally attraoted to America the regard and affection of Australia.', Bm the new Britain that, ,it seems certain, wpl be produced by the terrible but purifying fires of war will appear to Australians in a very different light. -.'"'■.