Evening star., 1925-07-05

stinctively he turns to the British dominions
overseas.
1t must be confessed that this program of
curtafng purchases in America has not yet
gotten very far but the Britisher is a
clous individual, and once he gets his mind
on an objective he is likely to stick to it.
Even before the the Lancashire cotton
spnners were seeking to develop sources Of
cotton within the empire, because they
thought they foresaw a day when the in
crease of American spindes would
much Of the American crop that there would
be not enough left for the British Since the
this movement is being pushed with greater
vlgor, the latest field to come under study
being Queensland, in Australia, where there
Is a possible cotton at least equal to
that of our own Southern States.
Economic Forces Help.
World wide economic forces are helping to
play the British game so far as American
wheat and beef products are concerned. I'm
portation of American beef into the United
Kingdom now is negligible, simply because
American beef cannot compete in price with
beef from elsewhere. Last year the United
Kingdom took great deal of American wheat
because of crop shortages in Canada and to
lesser extent in other wheat exporting
countries. But if this years crops are nor
NAL little American wheat will be marketed
here. For large financial reasons the British
prefer not 10 buy from America and they
certainly will not buy from America when
they can buy to better advantage elsewhere.
would not want TO convey the impression
that there is in England anything approach
ing a sentiment for boycotting trade with
America. The Britisher is first and last, a
trader He is going to buy wherever he can
buy to best advantage and sell wherever he
can find profitable market, but he feels
that it is necessary national policy that he
sell much to and buy as little from the
United States possible.
l have said that l cannot find any deep
seated resentment over the debt settlement
at least no resentment which is not likely To
pass away when times get better and British
Industry is more fully employed. But l do
ind very bitter resentment the fact
that the United States seems determined to
maintain merchant marine of its and
this has been intensified by the revival of
Englishman feels that he ought to be per
mtted to do Americas ocean carrying first,
because he thinks he can do it more economi-
ca1ly, and, second because he thinks America
ought to be willing to permit him, either with
goods or service. to earn the amounts he has
to pay on his Gebts and not force him to do it
with profits out of triangular trade.
From the Englshman's point of view, there
is no reason why Americans should aspire
go down to the sea in ships" He sees
the United States great. scantiIy devel-
oped country, compared with his homeland,
and he thinks there is plenty to do at home
to keep all Americans busy. For him,
faring is stern necessity. He must have
ships To carry foodstuffs for his people and
materials to keep his factories busy and
to take his finished products to market, and
when he do thing we'll he feels he
ought not to he opposed by the competition
of people whom he thinks can do it only
badly.
Americans are not asked to subscribe to this
British view, but it is the British view. and as
Other British Problems.
There must he left for following articles
phases of the British situation which are of
intense interest TO Americans not that their
problems are comparable to ours. but because
Americans are bound TO be profoundly af-
fected by the solutions which the British reach
One of the most intensely interesting of
these problems is the efforts making to
bring the component parts of the British
empire into closer relations with and greater
dependence upon the mother country. Great
Britain seems to be much in the situation of
an aging parent who sees her children grow
ing up and drifting away from her The
children are loyal in sentiment and their af-
fecuon is undiminished, but they have grow
ing interests OF their which necessity
compels them TO serve. and the parent it
seems that they not a little selfish In
their absorption in their affairs
There seems be growing belief in
England have heard it voiced in numerous
quarters-that the empire must be brought
closer together or it is in danger of falling
apart entirely. The steps being taken to
bring the empire closer together and some of
the almost insuperable obstacles in the way
will be the subject of my next article.
Copyright, 1921