EMPIRE WELFARE

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 137, 14 June 1927, Page 11

EMPIRE WELFARE

UNITED EFFORT

SIR A. BOYD-CARPENTER'S

VIEWS

A STIMULATING SPEECH

Sir Archibald Bdyd-Carpenter, M.P. for Coventry, ana leader of the British motor delegation now in Wellington, was the guest of the Rotary Club at luncheon to-day. The guest was introduced by the president, Mr. D. Smith, who said that a census of car-owners in the room had revealed a 40 per cent, ownership of British cars. (Applause.) "Haereinai," commenced Sir Archibald, amidst laughter. "Service," the motto of the Rotarians, was a glorious ideal, but he was fed up with the word in every-day use, because he heard so often that the British car would not render it. But there were so many views of this, some people setting their ease, comfort, and prosperity in life to the ownership of British motors. However, he did not intend to talk of cars. Why should he? Some of them went and some didn't, and it was-quite possible that some American cars which did not go too well in the early hours of the morning were cursed by their owners as well as those of British make. (Laughter.) TROUBLOUS TIMES. New Zealand was passing to-day through troublous times, as England had, and an examination of the iinan- j eial position as regarded revenue and j expenditure revealed many things which no doubt we wouia like to see altered. The word "service" in this connection would mean mutual assistance to have j the adverse trade balance eliminated, and to see that it did not occur again. "There_ is not the.' slightest use," he said, "in nations, individuals, or cities grumbling one against the other. It merely militates against success. You cannot divorce yourselves from the interests of the community in which you move, any more than a member of this delegation could divorce himself from the interests it serves. It is the duty of New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, or Ceylon, to find out, by the association of ideas, the developnient of trade, on which the development of the British Empire must, depend in all ordinary circumstances. ■:■'.. : ,, ; "The development of the British Empire Tias never been deliberately associated with military action, but circumstances compelled Britain to go to war to secure something which she had riot got. Caesar established Carthago by military domination, but it was the poor red herring which drew the timorous.Briton out into the North Sea, and laid the basis of the great British Navy—(laughter)v-the spices which England needed to render palatable the vast quantities of cold beef which led us to the Par' East; it was"aU these needs -which led to the formation of .what is now the British Empire. (Applause.) It was the needs of the people in that little island which thrust us out to India. It is true there were the romances of Drake and Ealeigh, but they merely followed trade, to fulfil the humdrum needs of tho English nation. . "Yea,r by year, and century by century, tho needs of the growing nation became more acute, until trade reached to the ends of tho earth. Let it not be said-that-tho: English people have lost the characteristics which built up the Empire.. How have our greatest competitors in tho world reached their success? By the use of borrowed British brains. (Applause.) If any criticism of British methods is permissible, it is that they have always allowed their best brains to leave the small island of England, and these small islands" also I have no doubt, to go out and prepare the way for others. Wo built the Panama Canal. It was built by British people and by British brains. They were invited to go there, and when there were naturalised, and. so the effort , secured the. credit to the American people. Even Henry Ford, to whom we tako off our hats, inspired by his enterprise, purchased British brains to develop his business. (Applause.) Do not say that England has lost her inspiration. It is our brains which have built up these great nations, so do not decry tho great nati&n from which we are sprung. We are conscious of the fact that we provide the wherewithal by. means of which vast millions of peoplo live today. After all wo shall be able to feel that wo aro the pioneers of enterprises and industry in the world. We taught the world what it had not got." PEACEFUL PROGRESS. Sir Archibald traced the peaceful progress of England at a timb when other nations wero engrossed in wars, and so England became the pioneers of commerce and industry. But in this she paid a great price. "By doing so, England got away from the means by which she could feed herself. Yet, while agriculture was thus ruined iv England we found that our brothers and sisters in tho Dominions had the means of supplying all we wanted, and so, while a critic might say that wo devoted too much attention to manufacturing, it was the expansion dub to that which gave us tho means to live; and so the greatest duty to peoplo within tho Empire today^ is" to urge further expansion and utilisation of the manufacturer's products. We tako 75 per cent, of all you produce, you take only 45 per cent., and the balance goes elsewhere. I am not growling, I am not complaining; but I am only going to suggest this, -that, believing that in the highest way we are a peoplo desiring peace in the world, and believing that the word of Britain can only bo enforced if tho heart of England is strong, let the strength of New Zealand bo ' that of Canada, of South Africa, that of Australia, and the strength of id], England, and Great Britain may disregard all hypercritical strictures.'' Sir Archibald closed with a stirring peroration -which roused a burst of tumultuous applause.