THE PRIDE OF EMPIRE.

Waikato Times, Volume 99, Issue 16545, 14 July 1925, Page 8

THE PRIDE OF EMPIRE.

SOME STARTLING FACTS.

A casual race, the British people do not, perhaps, take Ihcir national days quite so seriously as they should. That may be because the great facts about the British Empire are not generally taught. There is certainly something to surprise most of us in a pamphlet, "The British Empire: Some Facts for Empire Day," which constituted the Empire Day message of the Earl of Meath, founder of the Empire Day movement. A Mighty Commonwealth.

How many of us have fully realised these great truths as stated in this wonderful pamphlet? The British Empire is the greatest political fact in the world to-day. It is the greatest political fact the world has ever seen.

It is the most extensive Empire the world has ever known.

There are about sixty-eight separate Empire flags, representing an equal number of portions of the Empire possessing more or less selfgovernment. The area of the British Empire is about 13,500,000 square miles, or a quarter of the earth's land area. It is seven times as large as the Roman Empire at the lime of its greatest extent. It is four times the size of the United States proper. It would make sixty-five Germanys.

Canada alone is nearly as large as all Europe, including Russia. It is larger than the United States.

On the Grand Scale.

Here are some astonishing comparisons :

Australia is as large as Brazil, or the United States.

South Africa is larger than Argentina, or than all of the United States east of the Mississippi. Of the Empire's area 8,000,000 square miles are "new countries," The bulk of the world's "new lands" are British. It owns more of Central America than any other non-American country. It owns more of South America than any other non-South American country. It is the most populous Empire of the world, about 450,000,000, or a quarter of mankind. It has the largest island in the world ,thc Continent of Australia. It has the highest mountain in Africa, Kilimanjaro, 10,321 feet. It has the highest of the Rocky Mountains, Mount Logan, 19,530 feet. Canada has approximately half the fresh water on the earth. Here arc some facts of commercial interest:—■ The Empire is the world's greatest lea exporter. It is the world's greatest wool producer. It produces more gold than all the rest of (he world put together. In fact, South Africa alone does so. The- Empire is tiie world's greatest producer of tinIt is the world's greatest producer of nickel. It is the world's greatest diamond producer. It possesses the world's largest silver area, so authorities say. It has the world's richest iron mines, Newfoundland. Great War Effort. The British Empire put over 9,000,000 men into the field. The Home countries supplied 6,200,000 men, Canada 680,000, Australia 413,000, New Zealand 227,000, South Africa 136,000, Newfoundland 10,000, India 1,600,000. Canada's army alone was as large as the whole of Napoleon's gigantic Grand Army with which lie invaded Russia. Great Britain lent countries outside the Empire over £1,250,000,000 for the Avar. The Empire's dead in the Great War amounted to about 1,000,000. A sacrifice for freedom. It lost over 8,000,000 tons of shipping in the Great War. No other country ever put forth such a gigantic strength in the history of the world. Surely there arc here the outlines of a story in which we must all re- | joice.