King Country Chronicle. Thursday, December 6, 1934. PROBLEMS OF UNITED STATES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4632, 6 December 1934, Page 4

King Country Chronicle. Thursday, December 6, 1934. PROBLEMS OF UNITED STATES.

A report last week announced that there are still 11,000,000 unemployed in the United States, and that during the winter that is now upon the country the problem of relief will be one of the most serious the Government has ever been called upon to face. Enormous sums have been provided for relief works, and yet it seems impossible to feed, clothe, and provide firing for the millions out of work. The United States had the world at her feet for the five years ending 1928. She had enormous wealth financially and industrially, yet by her utter selfishness she failed to make the most of the tremendous advantage she gained as a result of the war. It can be said that the United States has been a greater check to world recovery than any other country. There are some far-seeing and able men in the United States, but few of this calibre are to be found in political circles. It is votes they want, and these votes are held by the masses who are largely influenced by the financial interests. Take the war debts, for instance. The politicians knew that it was impossible to collect these, but it was the will of the people who knew little or nothing about international complications that the Government should collect them. Instead of educating the people on the impossibility of collection, many of these politicians joined in condemning the warstricken debtor nations for failing to meet their obligations. Nine years ago Lord Balfour proposed that all the war debts should be cancelled even though Britain was to be the heaviest losei*. The United States refused to entertain the suggestion and kept on collecting from other countries until they turned round and refused to pay any more. Britain was the last country to make payment, with the exception of Finland (whose debt was a small one), and it can be said that the most relieved over this refusal were the politicians of the United States. They could say to the people,, who believed that the United States won the war, that every effort had been made to collect the war debts, but payment had been refused. They had done their duty to the people, and the blame lay with the defaulting. nafaulting nations. It is a sorrowful story of political camouflage, but the people of the United States are now paying for the short-sighted and selfish policy of the politicians. It cannot be said that President Roosevelt comes under this category. Mr. Roosevelt is just as sincere as Mr. Woodrow Wilson and his predecessor of the same name as himself. Had any of these three men been called upon to deal with the war debts in a Presidential capacity, they might have taken a broader view of the whole subject. The first Mr. Roosevelt was a practical administi'ator, and was not inclined towards insu-

larity; Mr. Woodrow Wilson was a just and honest man, though inclined to be too academic in his views. He practically laid the foundation for the League of Nations, but after his death his own politicians refused to honour his promises. If the United States had become a member of the League from the start, the international position would be very much different now. The President Roosevelt of to-day is one who is honoured and respected, not only in his own country, but in many others. He is quite candid in stating that with him his own country comes first, but he is beginning to realise that the United States can never have prosperity Without other countries sharing in that prosperity. An important announcement was made last week in which it was stated that steps would be taken to deal with tariffs, war debts and immigration. It was even stated in regard to war debts that consideration would be given to the £11,000,000 of debts owing to British bondholders and repudiated by seven States after the Civil War. With accrued interest these debts now amount to £65,000,000. Mr. Roosevelt has been heavily handicapped by the big financial interests when attempting to carry out his reforms. He has made many mistakes, but has apparently realised one important fact—that his country's prosperity depends on the prosperity of other countries. With her huge ramifications the United States must have foreign markets, and these markets must be maintained in a healthy condition.