BRITISH STOCK

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 February 1927, Page 2

BRITISH STOCK

TOO MUCH INBRED!

“Although I am an A m ® r ffi an c*tizen, I was born in Aberdeen, of Brit-

ish parents, so you have nothing on me as a Britisher, and I can be brutally frank to you in talking of the weaknesses of the British people.” This statement was made by an American citizen of over 50 years’ standing, Mr George S. Cornwall, Portland, Oregon, who has just completed a three weeks’ visit to New Zealand. Having discussed material things, he entered upon a somewhat frank discussion of America and her commercial superiority—as he alleged—over Great Britain and all things British. Maybe it is good upon occasions to “see ourselves as others see us,” and our Scottish-American visitor will, doubtless, readily agree upon the aptness of the quotation. '“Your country, Great Britain, has gone over the top of the hill and is going down the other side. British people are too much inbred. Here pure British descent, and you and the people of Great Britain, are too much inbred. You ‘want some new white blood introduced into your race, something of sturdy Norwegians or Swedes. It may sound somewhat brutal and callous, but take your herds and flocks. You must introduce new blood from time to time if you are going to maintain the quality, the standard, and virility of your breeds. There is nothing to fear from introducing the blood of another white race into yours, for the Anglo-Saxon will predominate. Look at our forbears who went to America! When they broke away from Great Britain, for reasons we all know, a great many people of other races were assimilated, but the AngloSaxon has always predominated, and always will, while the outcome has been the production of a more virile people.” The visitor then proceeded to draw various deductions, that America was 10 per cent aliead of Great Britain in per capita production as the result of prohibition, a further 10 per cent better off because of the money so saved being invested in productive enterprise, and a further 5 per cent better for other reasons make 25 per cent in all, which enabled America to surmount the 20 per cent, tariff barrier on American goods imported into New Zealand, with a little

to spare. He expressed the view that Great Britain would still have to experience a severe shock before she realised what were the reasons for her falling trade and when realisation came she would have to secure experts in massed production, and carry certain social measures, before once more holding her own. When that day came, then America would indeed have to look to herself. He also touchbriefly on the relations between Canada and the United States. He emphatically disclaimed that America had any thought or desire of having Canada under the Stars and Stripes, but he did think that some time in the future Canada would separate from the Empire and become a sister republic.