QUALITIES OF THE BRITISH

Taranaki Daily News, 9 December 1931, Page 9

QUALITIES OF THE BRITISH

GENERAL SMUTS’ RESPECT CONCERN FOR ECONOMIC FUTURE. SOUTH AFRICA’S OPPORTUNITY. GOLD STANDARD AN OBSTACLE. By Telegraph—-Press Assn. —Copyright, Cape Town, Oct. 7. General Smuts was warmly welcomed on his return -from London. He was seriously concerned about the economic future, and said the Imperial economic conference at Ottawa would present an opportunity to extend South Africa’s markets, but it would be difficult to get markets so long as South Africa remained on the gold standard and the German treaty existed. He had always had a respect for the solid qualities of the British people, General Smuts said, a respect which was born by long experience of working with them and fighting with them in the last ditch. That respect was. heightened by his experience in the economic crisis. “There is nothing fundamentally wrong at the centre of our commonwealth,” he said. (“The national heart is sound and the national pulse beats well. 'The pound has never been worth 20 shillings since the war and was bound to fall. The general election showed that the people were determined to stop the country drifting in sight of the breakers, and demanded thorough reform.”