Page 6 Advertisements Column 6

Evening Star, Issue 16990, 12 March 1919, Page 6

UNITED STATES AND "U.S." Obviously the great competitors for the ■world's trade and commerce now are the British Kmpire and the American Republic, and undoubtedly America has a pretty good start. Her war debt, is only onethird of Great Britain's, and her losses in men and material are immeasurably less. In spite of this she is not taking any chances. Both by purchase and construction her merchant fleet is vigorously growing, twenty-four hours to the day. That Uncle Sam is after commercial supremacy not only for to-day and to-morrow, but also for "keeps," is rather significantly shown in Congress's recent alteration to the Constitution. America was reaping in direct revenue from the liquor business £100,000,000 per annum, and yet decided that it was bad business! She evidently decided also that a. nation with its commerce to sustain had no time to talk any more about the liquor business either. The trade offered the. Treasury £100,000,000 sterling for license for another year, sub- | ject to the ordinary referendum polls, but Congress, directed by the most astute "big business" brains of the world, said : " Nothin' doing!" To save any further waste of time they wrote the answer in the Constitution. Keen business men don't do these things as a matter of senti- ■ ment; neither do they take a five-hundred-j million dollar risk until absolutely convinced. If America, out after our trade and the other fellow's too, can't afford inefficiency and waste—not even for £100.000,000 per annum—New Zealand certainly can't afford the risk at a paltry lone £1,000,000 ! New Zealand cuts it out on April 10. Strike out the top line.- — [Advt.] I" You eay you are in lovo with Miss Baggs '!" •'I m sure of it." "But I can't eee anything attractive about her.'' " Neither can I see it; but it's in the bank all right."