DEVELOPMENT

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 109, 9 May 1923, Page 5

DEVELOPMENT

CONCENTRATION OF EMPIRE'S RESOURCES

'A POWERFUL ASSOCIATION

(fROJI OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

LONDON, 23rd February,

A number of distinguished men attended the annual dinner of the British Overseas Banks' Association. They included the Secretary of State for the Colonies, the Governor of the Bank of England, the Earl of Selborne, Lord Wargrave, the Right Hon. Sir J. Cook, Sir W. Joyn-son-Hicks, Mr. Walter Leaf, and Mr. R. Holland Martin.

Mr. P. Shipton (Standard Bank of South Africa), who is prominently identified with the progress of the association, presided, and mentioned the interesting fact that the banks represented on the British Overseas Banks Association hadi no fewer than 6000 branches throughout our Overseas Dominions, and had been instrumental in advancing no less than 600 millions sterling for the development of various parts of the Empire. He also emphasised the magnitude of the figures represented by Empire Trade, and dwelt upon the great possibilities which lay in the direction of a still further development' of Empire resources. Mr. Shipton made a striking reference to a scheme of Imperial co-operation originally broached some years ago by Lord Sydenham. Believing that the progressive development of Imperial communications is essential to Imperial union and prosperity, Lord Sydenham proposed to set up an Imperial Maritime Council which should undertake the development of, inter alia, steam communications, harbour improvements, cable communications, and railway communications. To provide the council with a permanent income Lord Sydenham proposed a 1 per cent, ad valorem duty on all foreign goods entering Imperial ports. The income thus arising would be about five millions per annum, and the administration of this income would be left, under Lord Sydenham's scheme, to a council representative of all the Dominions and the United Kingdom, which would meet every year alternately at Montreal, Capetown, Sydney, and Bombay. CONCENTRATING RESOURCES. Without offering an opinion on all the points of the scheme Mr. Shipton thought that it merited careful consideration, and he pointed out to any who might be inclined to regard the plan as savour* ing of "Protection" that Lord Sydenham had been well known for the greater part of his life as a. leading Free Trader. At all events the proposals -were inspired by a motive concerning which there could be no controversy whatever, namely, that in dealing with post-war problems there should be a concentration of the Empire's financial and commercial resources just as in war time there was a concentration and unity of effort in a great common cause. Judging from the Duke of Devonshire's remarks the Colonial Office appears to be responsive to the general principles of Empire development outlined both in the recent speech of the Chairman of Barclay's Bank (Mr. Goodenough) and in Mr. Shipton'a speech. Indeed, his Grace indicated pretty plainly that in certain circumstances and subject to certain conditions there was a sincere desire on the part of the Government to aid in every way possible th». development of our Empire resources, which, it was recognised, require both capital and men. In fact, says the "Morning Post," the outstanding feature of th,e gathering of oversea bankers was the universal recognition of the supreme need for strengthening in every possible way the bonds of Empire. MIGRATION POSSIBILITIES. At the central conference of the Poor Law Guardians of England and Wales, held at the Guildhall, over 600 representatives of 250 authorities were present, Sir Alfred Mond,.presiding.

Commissioner David C. Lamb, of the Salvation Array Migration Department, and a guardian of Rochford Union, read a paper on "Migration as one solution of present difficulties." He took it that the word "migration" was meant to. ; express the new idea that • movement anywhere within the confines of nations could not correctly be described as emigration, and that a redistribution of the population must be regarded at last as one solution of our present difficulties. Work was the great panacea for present difficulties, and he believed that the natural resources of the Empire were such that there need never be, at any time, a single able-bodied man or woman without employment. He was not against migration and settlement within the British Isles; but in migration and settlement overseas there was at hand a complete, satisfactory, humane, and economical solution of many of our difficulties. Mr. Lamb claimed that a'scientific and sympathetic direction of this country's overflowing population to the Overseas Dominions, such as the Salvation Army I had •" carried on for the past twenty years, when the migrants had gone out to assured work, and when adequate arrangements had been made for their reception, and subsequent oversight, was a natural, and economical, beneficent, effective, and economical remedy for unemployment. A CUBE FOR HAED TIMES. Lord Ampthill took the chair at a meeting organised by the National Constitutional Association, when variouß speakers were, subjected to much interi ruption by a band of young Socialists i who distributed themselves about the Queen's Hall. Lord Ampthill regarded Empire emigration as the most vital and important question of the day, yet nobody was worrying about it. There was no question of taking shiploads of unemployed and dumping them in the colonies, where they were not wanted. In this country there were one and a half millions unemployed, and £2,000,000 a week was being spent in maintaining them. No country in the world could go on spending that amount on an unproductive populatiun, and the Dominions wanted more population of the British race.

Sir Joseph Cook, who was met with the cry, "What are you going to do with the unemployed in Australia? Send them to England?" said that, he dissociated himself from any political tinge. ("You have plenty of money.") No, he had not any. ("More than fifteen bob a week," and laughter.) The way to get money was to work where money could be earned. Australia needed these men. ("Blacklegs.") Ho did not believe in blacklegging. ("No, but you want us to do it.") "If," retorted Sir Joseph, "I thought you were going down there to blackleg I'd heave something at you. (Cheers.) That is one of the gags you are circulating through the country, and it's a lie." (Renewed cheers.) Not one migrant was sent to a city in Australia. No one was sent anywhere until there was someone to meet him and take him to a job. ("How much a week?") He did not say that the tn»n would keep his job; it depended on himeelf. ("It. depends on econ-

omic circumstances.") They did not want to send men to Australia who would come running back and whining to their mothers. (Cheers and laughter, and "Why should we leave the country?" and "Where were you in 1914?") "When the Hindenburg Line was smashed," replied Sir Joseph vigorously, "I was there at the smashing, and my two sons were there too." (Loud cheers.) To the shout of "Give us a fair deal in our own country," he exclaimed: "May I remind you that Australia is your own country, and that this country is as much ours as yours? It is one vast Imperial estate, only some parts are more crowded than others." (Cheers.) The question was one of organisation and capital expenditure, and he did not admire the public spirit of anyone who, when he had a million unemployed in his country, tried to make it two. (Cheera.) AN OFFENSIVE QUESTION. Colonel Page Croft, M.P., moved a resolution in support of the Empire Settlement Act. At the beginning of his speech, a man in the gallery shouV ed: "Why is a dole of £25,000 going to be given to the Duke of York?" "That," said Colonel Page Croft, "has nothing to do with the purpose of this meeting, and while we are all united in wishing to help the unemployed I believe that 99 out of every 100 in this hall resent that question." (Prolonged cheers and cries of "Turn him out." countered by "Why should we be patriotic?") Having been- subjected to frequent further interruption, the speaker said that there were some people in the country whose job would be.finished if unemployment was solved. Mr. G. H. Roberts, M.P., who was greeted with cries of "Traitor," "Judas," and "You dirty bounder," seconded the resolution, which was adopted with a few dissentients.