Evening star., 1926-02-16
BY FRANK III. SIMONDS.
Correspondence OF The Sta.

Core spondence OF The Sta.
LONDON.-The longer one stays in
England the clearer one essential fact
becomes. Despite all superficial evi-
denceS of difficulties, there is not the
smallest sound reason to accept cur
rent American peSSimiStic views or to
doubt that Great Britain is already
over the worst of its economic problem
and is not only certain to come
back" but in the inner Circles-as
vontraStcd with the man in the
Strect-has already recovered conf
d"nCe.
It Is true that there are a number
Q! fundamental reorganiZationS in
british industry which still have to
he made, and il is probable that coal
and iron never will recover altogether
the same dominating position they
once occupied. But beneath the sur
face this fact has been appreciated
and discounted, and the British al
ready are looking TO the necessary
eubStltutionS which will enable them
I" regain the position they held before
the war.
Rubber But One Sign.
The recent tremendous uproar over
rubber is really only one significant
sign. The British are looking forward
to obtaining and exercising direct or
Indirect control not only over tropical
products, of which rubber is one, but
over the raw materials of the world
IN a far broader sense AS to tropical
products their position is strong be-
cause of their own colonial empire
but their immense familiarity with
world conditions doubtless will enable
them TO reorganize production outside
ui their own frontiers. Chilean nj
trates and Brazilian coffee offer at the
moment two examples of fields in
which British finances may presently,
II not Immediately. take entire control
provided the United States decides to
refrain from any definite participat-
Ing policy in the next few years.
It is a convenient and perhaps
fattering view which is taken widely
81 the United States that Great Brit
ain is done" in the larger sense, and
mat without effort and by the mere
.aW of weight we shall succeed to
the British primacy i'll the world of
trade and commerce, and even of
finance. 1t IS also an example of our
rather small appreciation of the sit
uation that we should as in the case
ui Col. Harvey, indulge in a certain
amount of sympathetic expression
over the decline in the estate of John
BulI.
SSHpdtHy Is w dSteu.
But the British neither need our
sympathy nor quite appreciate 1t, al
though for patent reasons 1t NAV be
Just as we'll that we should believe dur
ing the critical period in which their
work has to be done more or less quiet
~ that they are down and out"
certainly there is no larger basis for
american doubts as to British condi-
tons than the steady stream of ex-
pressions of British pessimism which
have come to our shores from British
sources during the past two years.
But so far from being down and
out or from believing that Britain is
oone, British energy and British abil-
lty are disclosing new resources and
new power. The first acute necessity
was to get Europe reorganized: in a
word, to deal with the political prob
lens Which blocked the way to Euro
pean rehabilitation and restricted the
European markets for British produc-
ton. And in three short years British
craftsmanship has won for Britain a
political position not occupied for more
than half a century.
The political job has been done. It
has been done with great efficiency and
In period of time which, if it has
seemed long in passing, will from the
historical point of view seem marvel
ously short. Today British political
influence IS supreme in Europe, and
not only is Europe settling down under
conditions which satisfy British re-
Hulrements, but there is not a con-
siderable capital in Europe in which
attention is not concentrated upon
British policy and where British pur-
poses are not all-important.
Industrial Policy Sound.
In the second place. while British
trade has not been restored to a de-
gree which was hoped and is neces-
sary, British internal conditions have
been ordered amazingly when one
contrasts the English with the CONT
mental situation. The budget has been
I'alanced, the pound sterling has been
restored to par, and. above all, the
great danger of a domestic industrial
strife has so far been evaded and may
easily be permanently escaped If the
contest over coal is prevented in the
next few months.
When the war ended Great Britain
was, If / may use a figure Of speech,
not little like great sailing vessel
which has been dismasted and grave
" injured by tremendous storm. It
was necessary to clear away the
wreckage, restore the masts, mend
and fix the sails, to get ready for a
resumption of navigation when the