THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY, JULY 29, 1918. THE NEW IMPERIALISM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16914, 29 July 1918, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY, JULY 29, 1918. THE NEW IMPERIALISM.

♦ With the close of tho Imperial Conference has come an attempt by its participators to estimate its service to the unification of the Empire. It is not surprising that its contribution to the solution of Greater Britain's problems in defence, commerce and communication is regarded as epoch-making. It could not well be otherwise. Four years of such a war as this, unexampled struggle has proved to be were bound to hasten the centripetal tendencies that have increasingly charicterised the Greater Britain of this century. Love of the Empire is no lew thing in the hearts of British people, overseas or in tho Homeand; and we did not need this war ;o make us an Empire. But the war has provided an opportunity for a mique manifestation of that love, xnd it has clarified the ideals with ivhich it «is associated. It is not Britain merely that we love; we lave a moral passion for the cause ;hat the Motherland has espoused. "My country, right or wrong," vould doubtless have been a rallyng cry of some persuasive force. But "My country, nobly right," has Droved a slogan of the heart, invincibly enlisting the service and iacrifice of our millions called from ar. They mistake the facts utterly vho confuse this imperialism with Militarism. It is no aggressive nenace to other nations. When vith one consent the Overseas Doninions pledged themselves to the Motherland's support, even before he Motherland had called to them, hey did it out of no mere instinct if self-preservation or lust for miliary glory. They did it from a • notive of mingled, love and pride, lesiring that she to whom they owed heir birth might fulfil her duty to ' iivilisation and maintain unsullied ; ier honour among the nations. It ' ras for this that the St. Lawrence ind the Ganges and tin South Pacific have poured into the ' Thames, and the great free veldt has ' >ecome a wall about Westminster. : Is His Majesty suggests, the war ; rill have made the Empire a more iving unity. His declaration that it will have i nade the Empire more self-support- '. ng is also abundantly justified. As : ar back as 1891, Sir John Mac- : lonald asserted that the British '. Empire was superior in this respect . o the United States, favoured as ; he latter'a territory was in the ex- ' ent and diversity of its soil, ' ilimate, and products. The Em- ' lire was, in his view, even then "a ' rorld in itself." Since then, and ] especially since the war began, there las been a marvellous increase in ' Jreater Britain's material reources, and especially an accelera- ' ion in its industrial development. ' 'he first six months of war saw ' arge orders for war supplies placed ' iverseas by the British Government. ! Canada's share alone totalled over ■ 517,000,000, and included many 1 terns not hitherto manufactured ' here. Despite the shipping diffi- ' ulties occasioned by the war, the ' Jnited Kingdom has steadily con- ' inued to receive in large quantities i n astonishing variety of foodstuffs nd raw materials from its dominions .nd dependencies. Egypt has sent otton and cotton-seed; India, rheat, barley, rice, tea, cotton, • urns, hemp, jute, manganese, fish- . il, seeds, hides and skins, timber, ' nd wool; West Indies, sugar, rum, ananas, cotton; Straits Settleaents, rubber, gutta-percha, tin; • Jeylon, tea, rubber; Nigeria, palm , il, cotton, nuts, and kernels; !anada, wheat, barley, oats, flour, * atmeal, cheese, bacon and hams, ' ird, fish, apples, linseed, skins and ' irs, timber, and leather; South t irica, wool, hides and skins, oil, , nd copper; Australia, wheat, flour, ' utter, beef, mutton, rabbits, tal- i )w, apples, wine, hides and skins, opra, gold and silver, copper, lead, ( in, and wool; New Zealand, butter, ( heese, beef, mutton, tallow, gum, < ax, wool, hides and skins. With i be resourcefulness induced by the ] ar, the chance of the Empire's f eing self-contained has been im- • leasurably increased. 1 Along with the news of the gains c chieved by the Imperial Confer- I nee comes the information that i le British Government has ap- i roved a scheme of Imperial pre- I ;rence. This will give deep and i ide satisfaction ovorseas. For I illy twelve years proposals for a i referential fiscal arrangement i ithin the Empire have been bones £ f contention for British political 1 arties. The strongest of these t arties believed that, if England a ere induced to follow the lead a iken in this by the dominions, it s ould be the beginning of the end 1 i British mercantile prosperity, n ut the war has broken down this v •eed. British finance in the new s eparture has led British trade, a nmediately special war expendi- p ire was entailed, the British Gov- n •nment made initial advances 1 ised upon preference. Canada r as loaned £12,000,000, Australia e 18,000,000, South Africa £7,000,000, e id New Zealand £5,000,000. New n outh Wales and Queensland were b

given permission to make public issues in London early in 1915, getting the advantage of a conserved British market, from which the borrower was excluded; and Canada at the same time was allowed to renew or replace debentures maturing in London, a privilege denied to the Argentine. Thus the overseas partners of the Empire received the preferential support of British credit in time of need, being enabled to continue their self-development while contributing to the new common cause. Imperial expenditure was also centred upon the Overseas Dominions as against neutral countries. The news that a complete scheme of trade preference has been adopted indicates that the beginning made by the Canadian tariff; of 1897, and followed in New Zealand in 1903, will now have its completion in an all-round arrangement within the Empire. Our Imperial unity does not depend upon fiscal reciprocity, but such an agreement will fitly manifest the living unity indicated in His Majesty's happy phrase.