ACTIVE POLICY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27041, 28 March 1949, Page 6

ACTIVE POLICY

BRITAIN AND EMPIRE TOWARD SELF-GOVERNMENT “ Our aim throughout the Colonial Empire is to develop the resources of these territories for the benefit of their inhabitants, to make economic prosperity the basis for social advance, and to build on this solid ground political progress towards democratic self-government within the British Commonwealth. These are not merely pious hopes or political window-dress-ing. This policy is a practical reality, which can be seen in action by all those not blinded by prejudice,” said the Earl of Listowel, British Minister of State for Colonial Affairs, in a broadcast talk last night. Discussing economic development, he said that three factors — money, materials and men—were concerned. Notwithstanding Britain’s economic difficulties. money was no longer the obstacle it had been. Materials were more difficult. “Local raw materials exist or can be produced in abundance, but modern techniques demand much in the way of manufactured goods and machinery which can come only from the industrial countries. Here we are up against world shortages. “ But, just as Britain is doing all she can to help you in New Zealand to increase your primary production—as for instance, by sending you this year 90 per cent, of her entire exports of fencing wire, and over 5000 tractors —so she is prepared to do without some of the machinery and manufactured goods that she would like to keep in order that they may be used to expand production in the colonies.” Money and materials were, however, useless. Lord Listowel continued, without the skill to use them fruitfully. There were many New Zealanders in the Colonial Service. They could do with more. New Zealand produced the right type of self-reliant and adaptable men that were needed. “We believe," Lord Listowel said, “ that progress towards self-govern-ment must accompany economic development and social advance, which are themselves the essential basis of political independence. Ceylon has already achieved the status of full membership of the Bi'itish Commonwealth. Malta and Jamaica have complete internal self-government. New constitutions in other territories give the elected representatives of the people a preponderant voice in the affairs of the colony. In Africa particularly we are striving to create a sub-structure of effective local government as the scaffolding and training ground for broadly based democratic Governments at the centre. We wish to see the dependent peoples in our territories overseas advance in friendly association with us to full self-government within the Commonwealth.” The colonies had an important part to play in the European Recovery Programme. Many colonial products were dollar-earning or dollar-saving. Rubber and tin from Malaya, where production had been maintained in spite of present disturbed conditions, found a ready market in the United States, and the colonies provided the United Kingdom and Western Europe with many raw materials which would otherwise have to be purchased with dollars. By expanding dollar-earning production and restricting hard currency expenditure, the colonies had converted an adverse balance with the western hemisphere in 1946 into a net credit balance in 1948 of 200,000,000 dollars. This went into the common dollar pool of the sterling area. In return for their contribution to the Marshall Plan, the colonies received a share of the advantages. “In the wider international field,” said Lord Listowel, “we are playing our part in the Trusteeship Council. Unfortunately the tradition of impartial and non-political treatment of colonial problems, which was being established in the work of the Council, has been broken by the advent of the Soviet representative, who exploits every occasion to attack the countries responsible for dependent territories with the object of scoring propaganda points in the game of international power politics. These attacks never show any genuine concern for the welfare of the peoples of the trust territories, but they do succeed in frustrating to a large extent the constructive work of the Council. “ New Zealand has made some notable contributions to this positive achievement of the Trusteeship Council, and I am happy to think that in our attitude to dependent peoples your Government and ours are animated by the same purposes and ideals.”