A NEW LONDON WANTED

Evening Star, Issue 15907, 13 September 1915, Page 2

A NEW LONDON WANTED

AFTER THE WAR. Mr H. N. Casson, the most extraordinaryspeaker in. London at the present lay, has been talking to the London Luncheon Club. Here are some extracts from his address as published n the 'Weekly Despatch.':— From first to last it was business that built London. Her merchants won her freedom. She was a "State city," as Sir Laurence Gronime has said. She got her first charter when she didn't need it; she had it already. It came from William the Conqueror in 1066. She won more rights from Henry I. and Stephen. She agTeed to obey Stephen as long as he governed well. Never promised to do more for any King or anybody else,- she was satisfied so long as they agreed to govern well. London led in getting the Magna Charta—led by Robert FitzWolter. Magna Charta compelled the King to make London his " fixed place." In 1312 the traders got full control of London. "The city sought always to be governed by the aid of men engaged in trades and handicrafts." In 1381 the Mayor of London killed Wat Tyler. They were not revolutionist's. In 1606 London started to colonise Virginia., where G-eorge Washington was born. They sent out 4,000 people, and in that way started the United States. London fought Charles I. and financed Parliament. Then London fought the Rump Parliament. It backed Cromwell. London survived the Plague and the Great Fire, when four-fifths of London was burnt down. Many Kings and Queens tried to prevent London's growth. Queen Elizabeth ordered no more houses to be built. So did James I.—in threo edicts. "There must be an utter cessation of new building," he said. So-did Charles I. So did Cromwell. They all failed. Seven Royal edicts to prevent tho growth of London. London sang " God save the King!" and went on building. London never did what she was told unless she wanted to. Charles 11. took away her rights and abolished city government." London fought him, and won. The anti-Napo-leon War—London financed it; the antiAmerican War—London opposed it; sided with tho colonies; then fought George 111., a crazy German King. A thousand years of struggle have made London what it is. London fought the Tower, the Palace, the Parliament. Fought against Kings, Popes, lawyers, bnreaucrats, Cabinets. You see the word " City ". on the suburban trams. It took hundreds of years to get that word on. It was City versus Westminster, and the city won. The city is where the money is; not where the talk is. London was always a barrel of sugar covered with flies. For 200 years the National Government gave special privileges to German traders. The merchants of Hamburg, Bremen, and Lubeck were encouraged by the National Government against the merchants of London. Then came the merchant adventurers. In 1600 the East India Company was founded by Thomas Smith. Just plain Thomas Smith. The merchant adventurers have built London and the British Empire. To-day there are seven million people in London—two for every letter in the Bible. Go and look at the Bible—look at a few pages, and think that for every letter you see there are two people in London. London is equal in population to Canada, which is 21 times the area of Britain; equal to the population of Australia and New Zealand put together; two millions more than South Africa; more than Argentina; a couple of mililons more than Rumania. Seven hundred square miles!—too much space for the Londoner to carry in his head. Ho has seen a hundred thousand people at the Derby, two hundred thousand people at the boat race; he has never seen seven million people at anything. What prevents people from understanding London? What dwarfs the imagination? Size and "-officialism! The people are divided from London by Ted tape. London is the headquarters of bureaucracy ruled by chief clerks. London is clogged with dignitaries and officials. A,plain business man feels naked in this town. How many officials are there in London? I hare been trying to get to know for a month. Nobody knows. You dare not give a guess within 50,000 of how many there are. No red book, blue book, or rainbowcolored hook gives the number. They daren't do it. But we go on piling up official, head clerks. Officialism is to-day the enemy of business, and always will be. The difference between London and New York is that hi New York they are free from officialism. In United States politics and smallpox are segregated. The legislators and Congress have to go off to Washington. They must not be where the business men are. They leave New York and Chicago and Philadelphia free to grow. That is a very great thing. Here we have the whole thing together—we have officialism, with the result that business has slipped outside. London needs a new body of merchant adventurers. It has no great merchant leader to-day. I often think what John Burns might have been if he had some sense. He might have been Whittington. London has a Chamber of Commerce. It occupies 3£ lines in ' Whitaker's Almanack.' At the annual meeting I counted 75 people present out of 5,500 members. Four pvivvate clubs have more members than that. Over 100 private clubs have higher dues. It represents dignity. A fine, stately organisation, representing dignity. Very well to have dignity, but the London Chamber of Commerce does not represent activity and force. We have the London County Council, well known all over the world. Diligent and well-meaning, not good at running tramway cars—losing £2OO a day—very honest; lost in details; not appreciating itself. Trying to run London as if it were Dover. Saving pennies, wasting pounds. Making petty experiments. We want something in between the L.C.C. and the Chamber of Commerce—something in between dignity and diligence. We want a central body, a trade and commerce authority or a merchants' association, or merchant adventurers of London, or London business men, and we have got to have that central standing for the direction of things in this city. Not a Government body; not a Ministry of Commerce with, a lawyer at the head; but a body of merchants, manufacturers, and engineers, to plan, to fight, to carry on the war'story of London. The electric equipment of London is fourthrate. There is better electrical equipment in Denver, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Why cannot we have a better equipment? Nobody knows. Who says we cannot have a better equipment ? A man whose name is not fit to print. We are up against red-tape all the time. London is packed full of third-rate things and tenth-rate people. There is scarcely a thing in this city fit for the city. It is a mere aggregation of small towns. _ Dominated by officialism' and local _ interests. Where is its plan? 'Where is its unity? There is no civic consciousness—nothing but gigantic size and gigantic complacency. Talk about Home Rule! We have not even-the desire for it here. God knows if they have it in Ireland. If we desire a thing we are told "we can do this and we cannot do that," and we cannot find out what it is that stops us. Talk about Freetrade! Smothered in officialism! We are top-heavy with Civil Service and bureaucracy. London is a mere colony of taxpavers. What are you going to do about it? The largest colonv of taxpayers that has flourished sinco Adam's day. What do we want as business men?

We want a new London after tho war. We want to put our house in order. We want a clean sweep of muddlers in high places. We want more foresight and less hindsight. . Wo want tlie burden of taxation put on the stagnant fortunes. " We want less fiddling while Rome burns. We want ft new trade and business authority, not honorary, not advisory, not parliamentary, but made of men who are commercially strong men, rich, daring, organised, effieieut, hard-headed, masterful merchant adventurers, battling as their fathers did for the fullest freedom and development of trade.