THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, JUNE 7, 1948. RED WHITE—AND BLACK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26791, 7 June 1948, Page 4

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, JUNE 7, 1948. RED WHITE—AND BLACK

Drawing attention to the fissiparous tendencies so manifest among many of the members of the British Commonwealth of Nations, Mr Menzies, the Federal Opposition leader, spoke recently of' the “ terrifying paradox ” which was revealed by the signs of dissolution in an Empire which h‘ad twice delivered the world from disaster. These signs are, indeed, alarming, and cannot Be ignored by any citizen of the Commonwealth who has considered the significance of this unique community of nations as a force for peace and the maintenance of - the democratic way of life. Burma has been lost to the Empire; the allegiance of many millions of Indians is precarious, at the best, though wise statesmanship might preserve it; and fresh problems have been raised by the political victory in South Africa of a party which contains many elements hostile to Great Britain and British methods of administration for coloured peoples. Yet it is still possible, as Mr Menzies said, for the Commonwealth, by a joint effort, to enter on the second half of the twentieth Century “ with as much upright power and influence as at any time in our history.” That vision of a great and influential Imperial Commonwealth can only become reality, however, by the immediate recognition on. the part of all citizens of the Empire that the sole remaining reservoirs from which the Commonwealth can draw renewed strength are the colonies, mainly inhabited by people of a different colour, which are slowly being trained to political maturity. In the heart of Empire, in the Mother of Parliaments, this fundamental truth is realised by the leaders of both parties and conjointly with measures—of which the Bill for providing “ Commonwealth citizenship ” is one—for the strengthening of the ties between the United Kingdom and the dominions, the great scheme for the development of the colonies is being vigorously pursued. The decision made in 1940 to provide £52,000,000 for a development plan for the colonies was followed in 1949 by a further provision of £120,000,000, and the latest measure of the Overseas Resources Development Act of 1948 places £165,000,000 at the disposal of the corporations dealing with food production, welfare and development. Local political responsibility has been extended, new constitutions have been granted, and regional organisations have been set, up to advise on the problems peculiar to their respective districts. This great and enlightened project will certainly lead, in due course, to the granting of Dominion status to these colonies when they become capable of assuming the responsibilities of modern nationhood. Their eventual independence is assured by Great Britain’s adherence to the principle of trusteeship under the United Nations. The affairs of these colonies, therefore, become the affairs of all the "nations of the Commonwealth, and just as the partners of the Commonwealth have accepted the entry of India and Pakistan into their community, so in the future will they be required to welcome States consisting largely of free West Indians and free Negroes. * This is a new and challenging concept of Empire, and though its implications are more reassuring than alarming, it • requires the present partners of the Commonwealth to contemplate now the adjustments in national outlooks that might have to be made in the future. Readers may recall that adjoining the report in our columns of the speech by Mr Menzies there appeared the statement by Paul Robeson, the famous Negro singer, that in Russia he walked the earth for the first time with complete dignity. That dignity, however, was his by decree only: the future of the Commonwealth demands that all its citizens, regardless of race or colour, should be guaranteed a dignity upheld and respected by their fellow men, who are prepared to acknowledge divisions in colour in mankind but none in the structure' of democracy.

THE WHEAT PRICE

The miserly intimation from the Minister of Industries and Commerce that the price for New ' Zealand grown wheat for the 1948-49 season would be increased “ to the extent that additional costs of production warranted,” is the only indication wheatgrowers have so far been given that their case is receiving attention. The announcement made last year that the price of 8s a bushel would be unchanged was sufficient to discourage many growers from increasing their autumn sowings, and unless some early pronouncement is made regarding the consideration farmers can expect to receive for the higher prices of labour; transport and fertilisers the plantings for the new season are not likely to show any substantial improvement on those of last season, which were the lowest on record. The f.o.b. price of 8s a bushel might encourage, some farmers, who have no difficult problems of transport to solve, to sow more wheat, but it offers no incentive to the many growers whose properties are situated at a distance from the main ports. Yet, while New Zealand growers are being held to a price of 8s a bushel, the price of wheat is booming dverseas. The boom was so great, in fact, that the price soared to approximately 18s, and speculators were making fortunes. As a check to this unhealthy trend an-international agreement has been drawn up, and this will guarantee all farmers in the signatory countries a ceiling price of approximately 12s a bushel. Under this agreement New Zealand has undertaken to purchase 5,511,000 bushels a year. A maximum of 4,500,000 bushels a year will, however, consist of wheat bought under the contract with Australia, which is not subject to the International Agreement. The contract provided for the payment by New Zealand of 9s 6d a bushel for 1945-46 wheat, and 5s 9d a bushel for the next four years. This bargain for New Zealand lias been costing

Australian taxpayers £2,000,000 a year in subsidies, and, perhaps in answer to the criticism that was directed against the Federal Labour Government, the New Zealand authorities have voluntarily offered to advance the price to 6s 4d a bushel. Allowing say, Is for freight and other charges, New Zealand for the next few years will be importing a maximum of 4,500,000 bushels of Australian wheat (bought below cost) for a landed price of approximately 7s 4d a bushel, plus 1,000,000 bushels at 13s a bushel. These are minimum costs. The exasperation of New Zealand growers at being granted no more than a niggardly 8s can, therefore, be understood.