FIFTY YEARS HENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 17 October 1932, Page 8

FIFTY YEARS HENCE

the empire of the future, forecast by lord melchmlji. LONDON, August 30. A world divided into huge economic units, the greatest of which will be the British Empire—such is the picture of the earth fifty years hence 'drawn by Lord Melcliett. The trend of 'scientific -and industrial knowledge,, he declared, had been to make countries far more able to support themselves than they used to be in the past.

“I think that when history comes tc be written, a long way ahead, - ’ he con. tinned,. “the period through which we are passing will be looked upon as the time when the industrial world started up in a very full'era, with this country leading by -a long’ way, and then aprea/d throughout the world. We are now/' at this’ moment, seeing the beginning of the spread. ' < “What is going to happen in the next fifty years, with ’this ebutitry' becoming more self-supporting and nioiv able to manufacture than in the past y “I do not think 1 it will mean in tV long «aua a decline' in international trade, because it will be found that it will' 'be far-more economical for certain countries to (exchange things. You will find a tendency to large ter'ritoral divisions; to try to carve the world up into large self-suuporting ’ units which have the raw: .Materials and the right typie of population. ; “There will be a very free exchange of patents and processes and inventions. No country has a monopoly of invention. People will find- that it best to have rapid progress in the .world rather than delay, and a' small accretion of money which is likely to be lhad by ihaving a monopoly of trade.” ■ Lord Melchett thought that economic pressure would in the course of time compel' a"'-'“United' states of Europe” to come into existence. Then he turned to Russia. Russia was an’ extremely rich country, a huge area managed “in an odd sort of way,” with a .political system which seemed very hard to work, and aln incompetent population. Oir?e wondered' whether Russia and tjie' “United States of Europe”* would be brought 'together. If they 'did they would force" a* great problem on" the World, and force different countries to come injo economic units. Lord Melchett also foresaw the formation- of a" Far OEasterii Federation. But the greatest of a.ll units, he concluded, would be th e British Empire. The Empire had practically everything that man desired.