“Taranaki Central Press" MONDAY, MARCH 15, 1937. MORE ABOUT COLONIES.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 383, 15 March 1937, Page 4

“Taranaki Central Press" MONDAY, MARCH 15, 1937. MORE ABOUT COLONIES.

Ihe report by the Empire Economic Union on Germany's colonial claims as they affect the British Colonial Empire reaches the obvious conclusions that colonies in Africa would not provide Germany with the raw materials she wants, that her difficulties in importing raw materials are of her own making, and that, from the economic point of view, her case for colonial possessions has no substance. It might fairly be added that an already weak case has been further weakened by the manner of its presentation. Instead of making a formal request to the colonial Powers for consideration of Germany's claims, a request which could hardly have been refused and would certainly have aroused much sympathy in Great Britain, Herr Hitler has chosen to state his demands with so much truculence that to accede to them would have the appearance of yielding to threats. But the final comment on the sincerity of these demands, which have from the first been supported officially by the argument that Germany needs sources of raw materials, is the refusal of the German Government to play any part in the international conference which will meet in Geneva this year to discuss the problem of making raw materials accessible to all nations on equal terms. It can, only be assum ed that the German Government is aware that its own statements about Germany’s difficulties in obtaining raw materials are too flim'y to stand examination. But Japan s case against the present colonial system, and against the British Colonial Empire in particular, is on a very different footing and deserves more sympathetic consideration than it has yet received. Although her raw materials problem is much more acute than Germany’s and although she has a large excess of population, Japan does not ask for colonies. What she does ask for is a reasonable opportunity to build up her export trade, upon which her capacity to maintain her growing population mainly depends. Quota restrictions have not diminished Japan’s export trade, and have not solved the problem of Japanese competition; they have merely produced a concentration of selling pressure on the few remaining unprotected markets. The Empire Economic Union dismisses the whole question of British colonial quotas and preferences with the remark that foreign coun ries have no legitimate grievance against these restrictions because Great Britain has never sought to make a profit out of her colonies and has ih fact lost money on them. The argument is not ave y ingenuous one. Although it may be true that colonial budgets seldom balance without assistance from the British taxpayer, it is also true that the colonies are immensely valuable to British trade and that the textile quotas have been of great assistance to Lancashire in its fight against Japan.