Evening star., 1936-05-10

started to bite on It. Armed action
in Asia and Africa and threatened
action in Europe have forced him to
it. The results so far are a British
proposal for a world conference on
raw materials, the hasty creation of a
British empire migration board, and a
British inspired Locarno powers sug-
gestion for an international conference
to consider world economic problems,
including colonies.
Materials and Migration.
That there is a link between raw
materials and migration high lights
the problem. You cannot discuss the
practical politics of primary materials
without dragging in the question of
control of production areas. And you
cannot talk of production areas, and
free access thereto, without talking of
colonies and claims thereto. And out
of all this emerges the question of why
nation is in the empire business
anyway. and whether it can justify
ownership beyond certain limits and
on the basis of relative population
pressure and perhaps strategic neces-
sites. In short, the probe is not far
down before it reaches the roots of
empire, and the meaning and purpose
OF our economic civilization.
1t Is curious how easily the fact
slips out of sight that the world to-
day is divided between economic en-
pires which guard their dominions,
colonies, dependencies, protectorates
and spheres of influence with great
sea and air fleets. Methods of empire
building may differ, but imperialism
is always the same. 1t begins when a
nation starts to extend its sphere of
control beyond its own frontiers.
Nordic warriors who jerrybuilt the
Czarist empire provided the oligarchy
now headed by Stain with the worlds
second largest empire in territorial
extent. Covering total of 8.144.00
square miles in Europe and Asia. it
contains l68,000000 people. Ger
many thinks this empire can spare the
Ukraine; Japan feels it would never
miss the maritime provinces at the
Asiatic end.
France, nation Of 41,0O0,000, in
the last half century has grabbed the
second largest empire in population
terms. 1t includes colonies in Africa,
America, the Pacific and Asia, and
contains $4,000, 900 souls. The French
empire covers more than 4,500, 900
square miles; the home country only
212,600.
100000 Under Holland.
Holland contains only 100000
Dutchmen, but flies its nag over a
rich eastern empire containing around
60,000.000 people. Portugal owns an
empire as large again as itself, hold
ing nearly 100000 people.
Italy, dictator ruled state Of Al ,000,-
900, comes way down on the list with
poor territories covering less than a
million square miles, with some
2,500,000 people (but conquest of
Ethiopia may enlarge that picture).
Germany, one of the great warlike
states of the modern world, has q pop
ulation of $4,000. 900 crammed into an
area of 49,, 400 square miles-and no
colonies. Japan's empire was not
much larger than the Philippines un-
til she grabbed Manchuria. province
nearly as large as Britain, Germany
and France combined, and containing
$4,000, 900 people. She now has some
100, 100000 people under her imperial
hand; but, with home population
of $4,000 900, she still feels land-and-
hungry. Japan sees no
reason, beyond British and American
warships and Russian airplanes, why
she should not control China as Brit
ain controls India.
In the old days the United States
took the worlds surplus population
and fused those adventurous people