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Evening Star, Issue 15928, 7 October 1915, Page 4

The demonstration organised by tho Dun

edin Chamber of ComThe War to merce, to which we have Come. previously made reference, exposed to the public view a peril which, if it is not faced and grappled with, may render even the most complete win for our arms tho hollo west of victories. There can ho no doubt that Germany already plans a commercial coup do main on as gigantic a scale as the military coup d© main of August, 1914. Already, wo are told, her factories are piling up goods with which to flood the world’s markets when the great war ends. She realises t-liat with tho end of tho war the whole of Britain’s industrial machinery, which has been violently wrenched into a new channel by tho cardinal need for munitions of war, will have to be rediverted just as violently, and with even more disturbing economic results, into the old channels; and iu that period of paralysis, or at least chaos, she hopes to regain at one blow the vastoversea trade that the British Navy struck from her hand in the first few months of hostilities. This is tho peril that the Chamber of Commerce demonstration exposed last night. Fortunately it is one which we can meet and overthrow, if we will only pick up the weapjus that lie at our feet. Their effectiveness, not only as an active embarrassment to our enemy’s design to obtain commercial supz’emacy, but also as an active agency to foster Britain’s aspirations and carry her through the dangerous period of readjustment, was clearly shown last night. Wo have already directed attention to Mr H. D. Bedford’s comments in this respect. The war, by giving an impulsion to new industries in Britain to make the articles formerly imported from Germany, has made it possible for us to buy most things from Britain that w© formerly bought from Germany: such purchases will be "twice blessed,” benefiting both New Zealand and Britain. Th© single, sharp weapon with wlu'ch the commercial hawser that bounds us to Germany can be cut is the imposition of a surtax upon German and Austrian goods, with (as Mr Bedford suggests) a surrender of much of th© impositions upon British goods. Tho imposition of a surtax will make it difficult for German goods to compete with British, but tho imposition of a rigid interdiction by each citizen must clinch the matter. That is a duty demanded from every citizen. ■ Neglected, the war will have been fought in vain.