The Rationalisation Of Industry

Northland Age, Volume 28, Issue 32, 11 April 1928, Page 7

The Rationalisation Of Industry

-% What Will It Mean To The Empire By A E Tomlinson. (Continued) 1 lierc is only one policy for Britain and that is the policy of Empire. Standing alone she would be swamped by the other world groups. Joining any one of them she would fatally weaken the ties of Empire and throw away the trump card in her hand. As a component part of the British Commonwealth of Nations, however, she could face world competition without a qualm.

A few figures strikingly illustrate the position. The United

States has an area of 3,000,000

square miles with a population of K over 100,000,000; Europe an area of less than 4,000,000 square miles

and a population of 420,000,000; Britain an area of 88,000 square and a population of less than 50,000,000.

Take the Empire as a whole, however, and we find that it has an area that of Europe and the United States put together, and a population greater than Europe.

In raw materials and natural resources the Empire is equally predominant, oil being practically the only one in which she is at present at a disadvantage. The Empire has a huge preponderance in rubber, nickel and jute! she leads in gold and tin, and has

ample supplies of other minerals. Her coal resources are enormous ; A in foodstuffs she produces 27 per * cent of the world’s supplies of wheat, in rice 66 per cent, in

cattle 53 per cent and in sheep 51 percent. An equally encourag- % ing tale is told with other commodities of all kinds.

The Empire then is easily the world’s greatest economic group. Nor is she behind in brains vigour push and technical ability to develop her resources. She has an undisputed reputation for justice, spotting spirit and administrative ability.

All that is needed is full eco-noinfc—co-operation. How that can be secured is for the business men and industrialists of the Empire to workout. We cannot expect those countries, like Canada and Australia, which have fostered young industries behind tariff walls to sacrifice them and be content with farming in all its branches. All those problems would have to be solved by means of quotas "of production and allocated markets together with an Imperial compensating pool for such industries as suffer under the new arrangement.

All these devices are familiar to anyone versed in the direction of great industries and could easily be put into operation. Finally the whole Empire economic unit would have to be protected by tariffs, but with complete freedom of trading within its own borders.

To achieve this we must proceed by the modern road of rationalisation. rationalisation on a national scale we will the more easily step to rationalisation of all the industries of the Empire.

This is looking far ahead and to many it may seem a vision of impossibility. One thing is certain : to the ties already existing of race and sentiment must be added the solder of trade and the cement of economic advantage. Without them the whole structure of the British Commonwealth is imperilled; . V

with them we can build an edifice which will stand the shock and strain of centuries and ever grow stronger and more sublime. (The end).