ESPERANTO

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11652, 17 October 1923, Page 4

ESPERANTO

ITS AMAZING GROWTH GREAT FORWARD MOVEMENT OF LANGUAGE. THE RECENT CONFERENCE.. Not infrequently one reads in Homo or foreign journals of the progress being made by Esperanto, the international language created in 1887 by the lnte Dr Zamenhof, a Russian linguist (write* a correspondent of the “Glasgow Citizen’’). But perhaps the most striking proof the adherents of Esperanto have yet produced that their language ie actually a living reality, and not merely a beautiful dream, is to be found in the official report of the delegate of the London Chamber of Conference to the Commercial Conference recently held in Venice. This report is just to hand, published in book form, in English, and translated from the original Esperanto.

The Conference was organised by the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Switzerland, and was housed in tho Palace of the Chamber of Commerce in Venice. The delegates came from 23 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and even Oceania, and the whole proceedings of the conference were conducted in Esperanto. CONFERENCE AT NURNBERG. The fifteenth universal congress has been held in Numberg, and, according to latest reports, 4000 Espertantists from all parts of the world attended it.

But the Venice Conference was unique in this, that it comprised representatives from a great number of the leading Chambers of Commerce of the world, the great Continental trade fairs, several governmental depart, mentis and other official bodies, thirty tourist and publicity corporations, many large commercial firms, commercial schools, Rotary Clubs, industrial and banking associations, over ‘2OO in all, all assembled with the definite idea of urging upon the world the advisability and necessity of adopting Esperanto ate the common comruertfai language, and the chief resolution of the was to that effect, passed on the motion of the delegate of the Paris Chamber of Commerce.

All the representatives came to the conference, which lasted four days, armed . with proof of the practical use of Esperanto, and all gave striking testimony of the many advantages of this auxiliary language. One after another these delegates gave their experiences, or reported on the experiences of those in tneir particular town or district who used Esperanto. The delegate of the International Labour Office of the League of Nations, for instance, said that that inter-State organisation is in relation with Chambers of Commerce and Industry in many lands on questions of labour conditions. They nnd experienced the difficulty of diversity of tongues in conferences and correspondence, and the great outlay necessary for the printing of documents in many* translations. They had, therefore, experimented with Esperanto, and had documents printed in the language. Following this thea*© had been correspondence with organisations of farther eastern countries. ,Notably successful was tho distribution of information for reprinting in the national Press, by means of Esperanto. Since that success the International Labour Office had published a bulletin in Esperanto regularly. ESPERANTO IN SCHOOLS.

The delegates representing the Gen era! Chamber of Commerce of Pekin, the Chamber of Commerce of Tientsin, and the Chinese Chambers of Commerce in Siam and Macassar stated' that the Republic of China had instituted the instruction of Esperanto in the normal schools. The Government of China supported the movement, because Chinese commerce needs more and more the interchange of raw’ materials from tho East with manufactured goods from the West; and the difficulty of European languages is as great as their multiplicity in the way of this necessary trade. Esperanto is much simpler, and more equally usable by* all countries.

The Ministry of Commerce of Czecho-Slovakia, through their delegate, reported that they had long been convinced not only of tho necessity for language, but also of the suitability* of Esperanto as a 'successful medium for international, commercial, and touring publicity. Especially os regards the latter section, the Ministry* could testify from experience, because its touring section had used Esperanto to make Czecho-Slovakia known abroad. The Fair of Prague had done the same. And the delegate of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Uoumania pointed out that various Chamber© of Commerce in Roumania are very favourable to the spread of Esperanto, because of the difficulty of business due to the multiplicity of national languages in tho Balkans and Central Europe. Equally interesting and convincing wae the mass of statistics and information supplied by the Trade Fairs. The smaller nations, whose languages are littlo known abroad—says the London Chamber of Commerce dele-gate—-feel very keenly* the necessity* of adopting some easily-acquired medium for foreign relations, and they are, therefore, devoting considerable attention to Esperanto, while- some of the larger countries, feeling that any international auxiliary* language must necessarily* he a neutral one, are encouraging the spread of Esperanto. Mr D. R. Tullo, S.S.C., the Scottish delegate representing the Edinburgh Merchant Company and the Rotary Club in Edinburgh, informed the conference of the satisfactory experiences of those business houses in Edinburgh and Glasgow who have used Esperanto in their export trade.