AFTER-WAR TRADE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17960, 29 November 1918, Page 6

AFTER-WAR TRADE.

BRITAIN'S ECONOMIC POLICY. SPEECH BY MR LLOYD GEORGE. In the course of a speech to a deputation from tho National Union of Manufacturers which waited upon him, Mr Lloyd George dealt with the resolutions recently passed by that body concerning the Government's trade policy, bis main points were: 1. Agreement between this country and America on economic policy is vital. 2. Essential national industries must be strengthened. The less we talked! of past tneories and the more we dealt with present realities tho better. 3. Tne longer the war lasts, the sterner must be the economic terms imposed on the foe. 4. Haw materials and transport after the war will bo pro-uicnis calling for altogether special treatment and tor Government interference to a considerable extent. In botn connections tne people who have been hgJitiug together should be served first. 5.. The present system of industrial control is not to be continued after the war. • The Prime Minister said that before tho bovernment announced its policy upon matters which affected the. future o£ Britain, it was essential that they should make themselves acquainted with the views of practical men connected with our great industries. " There are two considerations at least," said Mr Lloyd George, " that delay declarations on the part of the Government as to their final view. First of all, our time has' been absorbed by the demands of the great battle. The second is, that we must necessarily, in whatever policy we proclaim, keep in touch and be in complete accord, first of all with our Dominions, and secondly with our Allies. TWO LEAGUES OF NATIONS. "There is a good deal of discussion about a League of Nations, and I am certainly one of those who believe in it. But there are two Leagues of Nations which are already in existence: the first is the British Empire, and the second is the Great Alliance against the Central Powers. And whatever decision wo come to must bo one in which we can march hand in hand and side bv side with those two great Leagues of Nations of which we are members. "We havo been discussing this problem in the course of the last few weeks with the Dominions, and we had discussions with our Allies before America came in, in 1916. The Paris resolutions were arrived at in 1916. Up to the present time America has expressed no opinion upon the Paris resolutions, and it is vitally important that the policy of America and the policv of this country should be in complete* agreement on economic problems as well as on other problems. (Cheers.) All I am permitted to say at the present moment is that I am very hopeful because agreement amongst the Allies on these great problems means that the economic fate of the world will bo in the hands of the great Allied Powers who are federated together at mesent, (Cheers.) The less we talk of the theWs of the, pa£ and the rneeXo?^sentt^better^ Z in the reed,, but strengthened VTh« war d t£, e wben you.have made have done before, (Cheers.) Tho coun, irv must come first, and not the caieei or consistency of any man or of any nartv.- (Cheers.). , a n „u* P » During the. war wo have undoubtedly discovered that there were industries n this country that were essential not merely from the commercial point of view, but from the point of v?owof national defence and security Under no conditions, and whatever it coste,should we let those, industries down in the future. There are two or three things which I should liko to say noon that particular problem. the Cr tho war lasts the .sterner must 1,0 the economic terms we. impose on the foe. (Cheers.) And I think tho soone. bo realises that the better. He is fighlin* in order to impose his own economic terms upon the Allies. He will never succeed in doing so (Cheers.) _ "Mr Beck referred to the conditions immediately after tho declaration of peace. I agree with him that it will be a time of dislocation of industry. Thare will be. arrears of work which it will' take us years to make up, even in manufacture.. A great difficulty will be raw material; where 'to get it, and how to get it. Another difficulty will be transport, and you will find that during tho first years of peace these will ha difficulties that will require special consideration of a totally different character even front tlvt which lias been predicted in the very able speeches which liavo been delivered here to-day. LEARNING FROM GERMANY. "No one over dreams of continuing tho present system of control after the war. I agree with my friend, bir W llliara Pearce, that the strength of this country has been very largely in the ingenuitv, the self-reliance.; the ada stability and the resource 'which coino from individual effort. All tho same, do not let U 3 despise what the German lias won from combination. There is a lesson of the war which even the Germans have taught us, in the effect of tho assistance of State action, of Statehelp, of State encouragement, of State promotion, and of combined effort amougst those who are engaged in all the industries of the country. Let ua learn our lessons wherever they coin© .from, even from tho Germans. (Cheers.) " War, if it is to be victorious, must be waged, by a disciplined nation, and a disciplined 'nation must mean interference. The war is essentially interfering with business at every turn, and you cannot avoid it. When the war is over all the constant interference which may be absolutely essential now in order to direct and to concentrate the whole strength of the nation upon the war must disappear. But there aro two or three things that must remain even then until wo get over the transition period. , " You are not going to get raw material without Government interference to a considerable extent. You havo also to organise transport. You hav« got to seo that the dominions, who are also in arrear in respect of British manufactures, shall have their fair share. Wo have to do more than that. We- must not forget the countries who have been fighting side by side with us. PARTNERS NOW AND LATER, "You might have perhaps from an enemy source an order which will be more remunerative to you than an order from Great Britain, the dominions, or our Allies. I think we ought to see that the people who have been fighting together should be served first. (Cheers.) " Do not let us make the mistake of dissolving partnership the moment this fighting "is over. The world will not come right at once, and, if you dissolve partnership with all these great peoples —a partnership cemented with blood—there will be men quite ready to take advantage of it. It is vital that when

tho transition period has come, when there will not bo enough to go round, we must keep the partnership going, and help each other to tho end. so that the brotherhood shall remain. (Cheers.) "There is the other point which I want to put to you with regard to transport. Because, there again, you might have a shipowner—l do not say that, there aro shipowners like it— who could got a double or a treble freight for carrying to an enemy country .compared with what is offered or what- is fair for him to exact, for carrying to Groa 4- Britain, or to the Dominions! or to the Allies. I am in general agreement- with tho principles which have been laid down. But do not hitch on to past controversies. Let us consider our problems anew. It is tho only»way in which we can secure absolute national unity."