Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-16
AUSTRALIA ACTS
ON POST BELLUM
Trade Question Holding Attention OF
Allied Nations at Present Also In.
tereSt Island Folk.

| MelDOuTUe, AuSIl -ttOTTeSpOuu-
ence of the Associated Press).-The
question of post-bellum trade, which
is being considered by all the En-
tente Allies, is receiving its share of
attention in Australia.
The Federal parliament has already
annulled certain metal contracts I'M
der which German concerns gathered
supplies of ores from Australian mines
and had entered largely into the con-
duct of the mining industry in the
commonwealth. 1t has furthermore
set out to insure that smelling of ma
tive ores shall be done in Australia SO
that by the time the war is over the
local smelling plants shall be indie
pendent of German works of the kind
/ The Federal government has also tao
Killed. the complicated question of pat
entS held by German firms or individ-
ualS and has removed from them the
protection Of the British crown on the
principle that that protection had
been abused and certain firms declar-
ed to be enemy firms" have been shut
off from further business while others
of suspected quasi-enemy character
have been obliged to purge themselves
of reputed or proven German or Aus
trian influences, personal and none
tary.
But it is being urged that private
and individual steps in the directions
indicated have so far amounted to al
most nothing, and that chambers of
tpnrnmnrpo nd Of 70 t, CHI
enter more heartily into the campaign.
Notwithstanding there have been
speeches. interviews and suggestions
by business men of more or less prom
inence all over Australia and trade
fairs and like affairs have been held
20 give point to the cry for trade
within the empire" and home manu-
facture and consumption, the net eff
feet it is contended has been small
Recently the Sydney chamber of COM
merce adopted this resolution which
may be taken as a fair example of ac-
ton by other similar bodies in other
parts Of the commonwealth:
That this chamber places on record
with view to stimulating and in
creasing production within the empire,
and thereby to some extent easing the
enormous financial burdens forced up
on US by the nations for the encour-
agement of trade within the empire
and believes that the imposition of a
surtax on goods manufactured within
the territories of such nations will be
the most effective means to attain this
end
That the British and Australian
lrvCt
with the manufacturing industries by
establishing laboratories and centers
of scientific research such to be avail
able to manufacturers throughout the
empire
Scientific management" as it is
known in the United States and is
practiced in Germany has been agi-
tated in Australia before the war
broke out; but on the whole the prin-
ciples of it had met with cold recep-
ton. Now it is coming to the fore
with an emphasis derived directly
from the war, but what will be the
outcome time alone can tell since the
average employer in Australia be-
lieves that he has little to learn on this
score: he is hampered by state-social-
list laws and the powerful trades I'M
ions hold to the view that scientific
management" is merely another name
of exploitation of the working classes.
Then there is the matter of shipping
with which in the case of Australia it
is said heavy blow could be dealt
German commerce after the war
should Britain, the British dominions
overseas and the Allies of Great Brit
ain resolve upon policy of penaliza-
ton. The commonwealth has a coast
line as great as that of the United
States, it is a heavy importer, and it
maintains a huge water borne traffic
with Europe, Asia and America. On
| this point the Australasian section of
the London chamber of commerce has
| come out strongly in support of this
| proposal by a British chamber of COM
merce committee.
Evidence brought before US has dis
closed the extent to which enemy ship
ping has been subsidized by the Ger
| man government mainly for the bene-
fit of the export trade in competition
with British, neutral or Allied ship
ping-a fact which has been brought
| home in connection with the large
quantities of goods of British owner
ship contained in enemy vessels TAX
| ing refuge or detained in neutral ports
since the declaration of war The
trade sections with practical expert
ence of this kind generally agree that
| a substantial tax leviable by the states
| of the empire should be imposed upon
the tonnage of all enemy ships using
4 hp IF 10 of ho