New Britain herald., 1918-11-04
ASiatiC Imports.

ASiatiC Imports.
 (New York Journal of Commerce.)
 The fact is not without special sig nticance that in the last fiscal year our imports from Asia and Oceama exceeded those from any of the other four great division of the world. North America, meaning chiefly Can ada, Mexico and Cuba, used to head
 the list in what may be called the countries of origin of our imports, but while for the year ending last June North America provided $91S,4S8, 901 of our imports, Asia and OceanIa are found to have reached q total of $972, 2,803,349.
 But. perhaps, the most instructive lesson to be derived from the rapidly mounting figures of our imports of the staple products of Asia relates to the problems which will have to be faced after the war Of securing fair distribution Of the mdiSpensa ble raw materials of our manufacturing in dustry. It was only the other day that the British premier, in replying to a deputation of 200 manufacturers, who were urging an early declaration on the economic policy of the govern mcnt, said that he was in entire agreement with the demand that when the war was over interference in business by the state must diSap~ pear. But be insisted that there was some qualification necessary of this general principle of action, and that was that during the period of transi
 tion they were not going to get raw materials without considerable gov ernment interference. The nature of this has been considerably discussed on the other side. with q general agree mcnt that the people who have been fighting together should be served first. As Lloyd George puts it. "Don't let us make the mistake of dissolvine the partnership the moment the fighting ends. It is vital that when the war is over and the period of transition has come, when there will not be enough to go around, we must keep the partnership going and help each other to the end" A more busnesslike statement has been pre- pared by MT. Sidney Webb, who is distinctly opposed to any economic war after the war and whose plan iS that 1t should be an essential item in the conditions of peace that for A period of at least one year or more, the whole export of certain specified commodit such as cereals eats, metallic ores, coal, hides, oils. rub Der, wool, timber etc, from any part of any territory of the British or any or any other government or any part of territory of q foreign govern ment, together with all the seagOinG merchant shipping, of all the bel ligcrent countries and that of all tho neutral countries to which 1t may be possible to extend this provision, should be absolutely under the con- trol of an international commission, in which all the countries would be represented. This commission would be charged to allocate all the sup plies and their conveyance, not with q view to making the utmost profit, or, indeed. any profit, but with due regard to the relative urgency and degree of the needs of the respective peoples.
 This, 1t is to be feared, may be re- garded merely as a counsel of perfec- ton, though, of course u good deal must depend on the state of mind in which the people of Germany emerge from the war. About the same time that Lloyd George was addressing his delegation of British manufac- turers Sir Robert Borden, the PremieH~ of Canada, was giving utterance in London to the familiar statement that Great Britain and the United States, through their command of natural resources and raw materials, could place upon the industrial and com merciaI development of Germany re- strictions against which she would in vain. If Germany be made to understand clearly that this tre- mendous world wide power would be exercised relentlessly, not against the regenerate Germany but against the Germany of today, it Is almost in eVitable that the unclean spirit of and the sOrdid lust of world domination would be cast out There can be no question about the authority which the United States will bring to the determination of this | question, but the extent of our own on raw materials con- trolled by our Allies must tend to make the discussion one to be con- ducted with due regard to it's bearing 1 on the vital interests of our own and industry. A