IS OUR EMPIRE TO LAST?

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18444, 30 March 1922, Page 6

IS OUR EMPIRE TO LAST?

HRROBERT STCUT’S PANACEA. “GREATEST OF THRIFT. CARE, AND HARDEST OF WORK.” - A TERRIBLE ALTERNATIVE. "Those busy watching the sideshows don’t see the elephants pass by,” a gibe by a well-known American writer, was quoted by His Honour the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout, K.C.M.G.) as the text or motive of his address at the Wellington Rotary Club's luncheon at the Y.M.-X-A. on Tuesday afternoon. - There was a large attendance, and Mr. D. A. Ewen officiated as chairman for the day. As illustrating the truth of his .text Sir Robert Stout cited the fact that as far back as 1884 the New .Zealand Government in its Financial Statement called attention to the gnat opening for trade for New Zealand in the islands of Asia and in Southern Asia. The suggestion was .received with laughter, and to-day New Zealand’s export trade to these starts amounted to only £342,000, while Australia had stepped in and her exports to the same parts amounted to over £22,000,000. Australia’s total trade with them, exports and imports combined, amounted. indeed, to £41,000,000; where New Zealand's amounted only to 3j millions.

"The elephant passed by, but New Zealand never saw it. She was bothering with the side-shows.” But that was happening, said Sir Robert not only with regard to trade, but with regard to the highest and best interests of our Empire and our race. Was our Empire, he asked, to last? Was our race to persist? THE DECAY OF EMPIRES One of the greatest empires the world had ever seen began to be broken up in the third century of our era. And how? The various dominions or colonies had demanded self-determination and separation from the Roman Empire; and some of the statesmen said. "Let them go. There are plenty left.” Thus began the decadence of Rome as an empire; and thus would begin the decadence of the British Empire, if we busied ourselves with the side-shows and did not look \fter the greater things that made for a strong Empire and an enduring ra<\‘. Did we recognise that no less than seven great civilisations centred round the Meditersanean had pa-sec away; and what was to become of our civilisation if we continued to bother ourselves about all sorts of side-shows instead Of giving earnest consideration to the future of our Empire and of our nice? Was India to go? Was Egypt to go? He trusted not, after all that British rule had done in the way of bringing peace, in place of constant civil war. progress, and prosperity to Egypt and to India. The troubles of the Empire to-day Were "go-slow,” strikes, extravagance, poverty, waste, and grinding taxation. The taxation in England to-day was higher than that of Germany, with all her indemnity. Owing to that ta: rtion, many widows, left railway shares and other investments by their late husbands, could not live and had to apply for assistance from the Poor Law Board; while many m.a of title were no longer able to keep up and had been forced to sell their great houses. And look at the position in Ireland, wealthier now than either Scotland or England. In 1919 her bank de- ' posits had more than doubled as : cp.mpared with pre-war days. But i look at the internal position of Ire- ; land! Could that go on; and could England go on with all her poverty , and unemployment, with her foreigu trade reduced by half, her shipping laid up, and doles hiving to be given tp assist her workers? Ten millions had been given to the miners, and niillons per week were being given to keep the people generally from starvation. What was to be done? Don’t let them bother about the side-shows Let them face that great question, | THE REMEDIES. One great writer had said that the | only way in which society could be saved from destruction and decay' was by the intervention of conscious and instructed intellect as a factor ' among the forces ruling its development. How else could it be done? It would have to be done, declared Sir j Robert Stout, by the greatest of thrift and care, and the hardest of .work. Every race that ceased to ! work ceased to exist; and he gave as an example the decay of the civilisation of Crete, as the result of the ’ culture of Crete running all to I amusement, dancing, girls, and so forth. What caused the decay of J Crete, of Egypt, Greece, and Rome was want of hard work, want of thrift, and want of intellect applied to securing the efficiecy of the peo- . pie; and that was what was causing also, the decay of England to-day. ! Unless we could maintain industry, thrift, intellect, and efficiency the British race must fail as others had failed. “NO CHOSEN RACE.” There was no such thing as a chos- i an race, and unless a race worked ■ hard, as he had said it would pass. Processor Flinders Petrie, the great ; Egyptologist, told us that, so far ap he could see, unless something ■ was done to give the British race I the necessary things that make a race and keep a race in being, the British race would vanish. He (Sir Robert Stout) did not agree with Professor Petrie; but the professor; said. In a recent magazine article, that If we were able to mould the fu- I tore, a reasonable course would be ! to look round for the race which would best counteract the deflciences of our own race—our unrest, excitability, and want of industry and j

favour their ad-iixture, thus producing a more stolid and hard-working people. “THE ONLY SAFETY.” In short, Professor Flinders Petrie held that the only safety for the British race lay in amalgamation with the Chineses ("Phew! j He did not agree with the professor; but that was what he said. The saving of the race was the big thing; and it could only be done by thrift, hard work, and high thinking. But in one year Britain spent 469 millions in alcohol and 100 millions in tobacco. Even assuming that these thing were not necessary. They did not make a race. But we could not point the linger of scorn at Britain, lor in 1919-20 we spent over ten millions in liquor and tobacco; though in the following year he thought, it fell to about seven millions. That waste, and our grinding taxation, he contended, must cease; and we must learn once more thrift and industry if the glory of our race—for we had much to be proud of — was to continue. He was of Norse blood himself; but he must say that there was no race in tlib world kinder than the English race; no race that had treated subject races better; and even now there was no race .with higher ideals than those of the English race. Fifty-four well-known men, representing many different races, had been by the editor of a great American review to assess the civilisation of the races of the world; and they all agreed in putting England and Wales at the top as 100 per cent. The only others who got 100 per cent, were a few in •France and Germany, and New England States and some of the northern States of the United States of America. “ENOUGH VIGOUR IN OUR RACE.” The English race had done a great work; it had founded great Dominions, and it had a great love of humanity. They saw that in the fact that if any nation was poor and needed assistance, the English race came to its help without asking any questions. Was his race to perish? And why need we amalgamate with the Chinese race? Surely there was enough vigour in our race to be thrifty, hard-working and kindly, to live as brothers together and have a high ideal in lite. Surely jte could do that; and if we in New Zealand were to begin to set an example to the rest of the Empire in that direction, then it would be seen that the American writer’s gibe about watching the side-shows and not seeing the elephants pass by, did not apply to us, but that we were doing our best for our race, for our Empire, and for humanity. (Loud Applause). A hearty vote of thanks was accorded the speaker on the motion of the chairman.—N.Z. Times.