Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE MONDAY, JULY 4th., 1938. ANGLO-U.S.A. FRIENDSHIP.

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 July 1938, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE MONDAY, JULY 4th., 1938. ANGLO-U.S.A. FRIENDSHIP.

INDEPENDENCE Day will be celebrated throughout the U.S.A, to-day, and among the wellwishers will be the British, the defeat of whom is being commemorate/!. At one time, ‘‘twisting the lion’s tail” was featured by American speakers on Independence Day, but, now, friendship and cooperation have replaced bitter-1

ncss. It is increasingly realised that if the two Powers do not stand together in defence of democratic institutions and liberlies, they may fall from their present high estate. Neither side asks for a. definite alliance, but the understanding is more or less compl ole. Any 7 attack on one will be resented, by the other, especially if the attack came from the Far Past. Something similar also applies to Europe. Speaking recently, Dr. Burgin, a Cabinet Minister said: “The greatest force in the world to-day is the British Empire. In the New World the greatest force is the United States. Does not everyone realise that one of the greatest forces for peace would be. some agreement between these two countries? Do you think it is an accident that our people are in Washington this very day trying to find a. way 1o a trade agreement? 1 have no doubt that, before the end of the Summer, we shall he celebrating an agreement of that, kind.’’ There has been some difficuhy in arriving at this trade agreement, but it is believed that the chief stumbling blocks have been removed. There is no doubt that this commercial friendship will have influences on the respective national policies in other directions.

’ Overseas parts of the .Empire J are equally desirous of a close ) understanding with the U.S.A. ) and desire, also, to extend trading relations, on a reciprocal basis, k Fears are expressed that Britain k may give concessions to U.S.A., at . the expense of Overseas. This may ’ happen to some extent, but what ’ is lost in one direction will be re- " couped in another. There is great ? scope for, say, New Zealand and I Australi.i, to sell more- to U.S.A. I providing American tariffs are lowered. A. British-U.S.A. agree- ) nient will be logically followed by I Overseas-U.S.A. trading pacts. . There is also room for under- ’ standing regarding the preservation of peace in the Pacific. There , is no immediate danger of menace , from the N’orth, but time marches - on. and it is wise to lessen the temptation to would-be assailants. The U.S.A, is realising more that Britain is as a bulwark in . Europe for American protection and lhat Austi-alia and New Zealand are as her outposts in the Pacific. Aerial developments ai’e abolishing geographical isolation, and this means that political and international isolation will also 1 have to go. The US.A. could not afford the downfall of the British Empire, and vice vers;i. They are each other’s best customers, and have strong ties in language, traditions .and ideals. It is true that I here are many in the U.S.A; who have no British connections, and, indeed, are hostile to Britain, but these sections do not count for much. At the outbreak of the Great War, they prevented ■ U.S.A.’s early entry, but there is ( evidence that should another simi- 1 < lar conflict be started by the ■. totalitarian States, U.S.A, would J be “over there” much quicker. On this Independence Day, there- t fore, the whole British Empire 1 can, in all sincerity, join in the ( good wishes'fov U.S.A.’s progress, ' . t even if at times this progress is t overwhelming, especially on the fields of sport. Wimbledon tennis E championships witnessed an all- c American triumph, and another p American won the Diamond Sculls, f and these are but incidents in n what has become a serial. h