THE WORLD OUTLOOK

Taranaki Daily News, 11 July 1933, Page 11

THE WORLD OUTLOOK

BID FOR POWER IN THE EAST.

ADDRESS TO ROTARY CLUB.

A survey of the outstanding features of the world’s problems was given yesterday by Dr. G. H. Scholefield, Parliamentary Librarian, in an address at the luncheon of the Wellington Rotary Club. He expressed the opinion that the present World Economic Conference could not achieve much unless it dealt with the debt question. The international outlook was rather gloomy, particularly so far as the Western world was concerned. In the past the W estern nations had to a large extend financed and controlled industry and commerce in Eastern regions. This fortunate position was now likely to be challenged, Dr. Scholefield said. For some decades the strong nationalism of the Eastern countries had been chafiing against the subordination to Western interests. Japan, the leading Asiatic power, would no longer go cap in hand to the Powers of Europe to ask for freedom for herself in Asia. It was ■the deliberate policy of Japan to maintain her increasing population by intensive machine industry based on raw materials from abroad and on vast markets for the surplus output. Contrary to the general idea, Japan was not a colonising nation. “The national wealth of Japan went up steadily by 20 per cent, between 1913 and 1924,” said Dr. Scholefield. “Real wages are rising, - and the standard of living is steadily improving. In spite of the competition of the rayon industry, more than one-third of the Japanese fanners are also silk growers. So long jas Japan has the economic exploitation of a country like Manchuria, and perhaps Eastern Siberia, she can maintain her population at home.” Dr. Scholefield expressed the opinion that the real rivalry in the East would ultimately be between Japan and Russia. In spite of the strenuous efforts which she was making to industrialise herself, Russia was still a mediaeval country largely in the “barefoot” stage.” Russia was not strong enough, either economically or culturally, to exert much in-1

fluence beyond her own borders. Japan would obviously like to push Russia back from the Pacific seaboard. “The Western world is in a state of economic suspense with a good deal of political chaos,” said the speaker. “The Eastern world, under strong nationalist impulses, of which Japan is the spearhead, tends to use the opportunity to the detriment of- Western trade. Between the two is Russia, which can only be considered to-day as a separate region. In the meantime, the outlook for

British trade, even in the Eart, is by no means .bad. British shipping rtfll joys a very big share of the esrrying trade even in the Far East.’ British industry and British merchants are ready for any opportunities which piMCint themselves as soon as John Bull’s «M*r tomers recover their purchasing power.