DOES ASIA RULE THE WAVES?

Feilding Star, Volume 8, Issue 2572, 3 May 1930, Page 5

DOES ASIA RULE THE WAVES?

MR BRAILSFORD SAYS YES TH E \V. E. A. LECTtTB E There as an attenemnee of about 40 persons. Presided over by Air Humphreys, in the Oddfellows’ Hall at tV AV.E.A. meeting last night, when the tutor, Air John BraLsford, 8.A., took a> liis theme the challenging question : Does Asia rule the waves? This gave the tutor the opportunity to demonstrate the development of Asians in t'!V ships and shipping of the world. He said that if there was any Yellow Peril to-day it was not one of the martial nature, hut one of too much dependence upon Asiatics to man the ships that go into the seven seas. It is within the bounds of possibility that the British shipping companies may employ the low waged and docile Chinese as crews in the trade between the A Tot her land and the Dominions overseas. The Chinese were found; to r x sober, eheerlfld pnd reliable. DLa American and other nations that had snipping interests recognised those qualities in the Chinese and were employing them more anti more. Asiatics are preferred. Thus it may come about that those Asiatics some day moy hold the power to tbn!p up the commerce of the world. For this dependence upon the Chinese anti others will mean that Jack Tar will not complete with Jack Chinaman anclj thus the best Britoms will drop out of t'be seagoing trade. A list quoted showed that 17 companies trading, in the East had changed wholly or partly from European to Asiatic crews. Even Australian companies are registering their ships abroad and thus are free to engage Asiatic crews. The same thing obtains in American waters. This drift has fcieen going on fo 40 years. Then there is the mercantile growth of Japan, very few of whose ships are laid up. Britain had much capital invested in Japan, hut to-day there are few British owned factories over there. Asiatics are loss efficient as workers, but tlb wage differene is much greater, and despite the trend towards common standards, the yellow man goes on undercutting the white man. “Wo may consider it a small thing that we prefer to have Chinese stoking Hie lires and cleaning the checks of so many British j ocean steamers, rather than pay sufficient wao'cs and provide decent enough conditions to attract our own men. But is it not clear that this is just what our whole V liite New Zealand policy aims to avoid?” A bright, animated discussion followed the tutor's challenging deductions the debaters taking issue sharply with Air Brailsford; a.s fo the destiny of’ the Empire and the riding of the world’s waves.