THE BRITISH EMPIRE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 15973, 15 November 1919, Page 2

THE BRITISH EMPIRE.

BRIGHT FUTURE PREDICTED. Australian and N.Z Cable Association. LONDON, November 13. . Mr Amery, interviewed by tbe Morning Post, said that as the Nineteenth Century was the century of the United States, so the Twentieth Century would be the century of the British Empire. It would end with the British Empire having 200,000,000 million white citizens enjoying a far higher level, of prosperity than the United States to-day. The first essential was development of Imperial transport by Empire-wide railways. These were essential as a complement to the policy of Imperial preference. It was the businessjof the whole Empire to assist in developing Crown colonies and protectorates. Equal participation in governance of less advanced territories was of more practical importance than recognition of the Dominions’ equality status in international affairs. As half the population of. Asia > was within the British Empire there was no possible penace against the interests of Australia and Canada. Since , half of the 800 million Asiatics were partners in the Empire with the Dominions, the tropical empire belongs to the Dominions as well as Britain. Australia should look to tropical Africa as well as the Pacific Islands. We must learn to decentralise. The conception of the Empire as a solar system with England as the sun and the colonies as satellites was out of date. Alongside development of transport should go development of overseas settlement. Emigration was an evil word. A man could not emigrate to Australia. The word should he reserved for foreign countries. The League of Nations’ mandate will not interfere with British Imperial policy. The mandate was not likely to impose any conditions which we would not impose on ourselves.