ONLY 15 PER CENT USEFUL

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 3 September 1932, Page 5

ONLY 15 PER CENT USEFUL

SCIENTISTS REVIEW MANKIND WORLD DISTRIBUTION WASTE. INCOMPETENTS IN PARLIAMENT. BRITAIN’S TRADE PROBLEMS. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph Copyright.) Received 10.55 a.m. to-day. LONDON, Sept. 2. It had been ascertained that only fifteen per cent, of mankind was usefully working, the remainder being occupied in unnecessary trading, stated a report to tlie British Association to-day. Professor Miles Walker suggests that the Government should found an experimental voluntary self-supporting colony under the auspices of scientists, engineers and economists, in which an estimate would be made of the standard of life which the average inhabitant could obtain if lie worked well, aided by the best machinery. Not a quarter of those at present engaged in retail distribution were needed, he said. Vested rights were continually' interfering and lowering prices consequent on the development of science. Parliament was filled with incompetents unable to solve equation with two unknown terms, and much less complicated problems with many unknown terms. The procedure was antiquated, and a 'business conference would reach sounder decision in a fortnight than the House would reach in the entire session.

Professor R. D. Forrester declared it could be argued that Britain must recognise that her traditional dependence on a large oversesa market was no longer feasible. The struggle for a new equilibrium would involve an increased dependence on the home market or those overseas markets where characteristic British productions would hold their, price. Britain had faced a tariff larger in proportion to her trade than any country except Germany, hut trade could he improved if overseas markets were studied and analysed and distributive organisation developed enabling British firms to keep in closer touch with the sale of goods overseas. The world tendency was for many industries to become dependent on the domestic market, hut 'a re-distribution of markets was a normal incident of trade history. Britain’s problem was to w'ork a way through the new equilibrium of foreign sales and new distribution of industries.

Professor .Coatman declared that an organised scheme for a migration of labour and capital to start new industries, or extend old ones, would go a long way to remedy the present imperfections of population and industrial distribution in the Dominions. He emphasised the great increases in population in Southern and Eastern Europe, and still greater in India and Japan, whereas those of Britain and Germany' •were decreasing. The western races controlled a large part of vacant land and meant to do so more rigidly in the future. Canada and Australia could and ought to absorb all British emigrants.