The Real Path to Prosperity
Canada and Industrial Co-operation
[Our plea for non-political Empire development is echoed by the Hon. Frank Carrel, Member of the Legislative Council of Quebec. —ED. Spectator.] ANUMBER of prominent Britishers and Canadians have now been working for almost a year to arouse the peoples of the British Commonwealth to the following facts :— (1) That increased trade within the Empire will never be satisfactorily accomplished unless organized under non-political influences.
(2) That the time has arrived when the British states- men and the leaders of industry must realize these facts, if they desire to achieve success and relieve unem- ployment, wherever it exists.
When Gseat Britain's leading industrialists desired to rationalize or effect cartels and mergers, did they appeal to the electorate to effect such agreements.?
• If not, then how do they expect to consolidate and co-operate with the Empire industrialists through politics ? Do the industrialists and the politicians of the British Isles think for one moment that they are going to prepare an Empire trade policy, fight over it for years in every political arena in the British Isles, and then say to the peoples of the other Dominions, " we have politically decided upon this plan for free, pr any other kind of reciprocal trade, and now it is up to you to take it or leave it " ? If we leave it, what a waste pf time !
„ I have spoken throughout Canada, on .the.. platform, through the radio. and in pamphlets, and I have yet to hear one voice supporting the ideas or plans of some of the politicians and industrialists of the British . Isles, who have attempted to ride to political power or stimulate their industries by such doctrines, . On the other hand, I believe that ,it is unfair to the working people of the British Isles to mislead :them on this point, and I now appeal to every statesman,. politician and industrialist of the British Isles, before it is too late, to get together and make a clarion call in all parts of the Empire, the colonies and dependencies, for a group of patriotic Britishers to meet in London during the next few months, preparatory to the Imperial Con- ference, and to disCuss this question in an Imperial and non-political manner, in order that a sane mid logical conclusion -may-be arrived at with regard to any sug- gestions which might be offered, and which, no doubt, will be gratefully accepted by the Imperial Conference, to be held in London in September next. - It might be interesting to your readers to note the following paragraph from a letter received from one of Canada's largest , fish industries, in response to a questionnaire which I sent out to many Canadian industrialists. . • - " First of all, you have hold of the only practicable handle fot building up Empire solidarity through economic means. The • Tory ' spirit—whatever party flag it appears under=always makes the mistake of thinking that some measure of forcible or artificial regulation of the channels and currents of tie& is the. Way to do it. History has repeatedly demonstrated the fsillsPy. The classic example remains the American Revolution. Every real student knows that the American colonies enjoyed a measure of internal freedom in their own affairs, prior to the revolution, unexampled elsewhere in the colonial world of the time. Almost the only restrictions imposed by the Mother Country were in the way of trade restrictions of one kind or another. The argument was made at the time that to giye these up would be to drop the very cement of Imperial unity. But it was the effort to maintain the unity by these mistaken Means which disrupted it. The most elementary psychology would urge the same lesson— any attempt to force economic development into courses not to the sensible advantage of any group affected, is bound to arouse the resentment of that group, and not to create loyalty on its part to the arrangement."
The The general consensus of opinion of many of our manufacturers is embodied in the following extract from a letter from the General Manager of one of Canada's largest - steel works, who stated :--- " The British manufacturers of raw materials can only meet foreign competition by. duplicating the type of service provided by such competition in Canada. The steel industry and its allied trades is a good example of this. I have discussed this matter with the steel representatives of Great Britain several times, and have found by experience that they have not been able to provide the necessary service. The steel, and other. companies referred to, are well informed on this subject and know what is necessary to meet American competition. It requires co-operative selling and stock held in consignment in the locations such as Montreal. The same would appear to apply to the selling. of British coal in Canada, as small consumers -neither have facilities for storing nor do they care to prircliase in large quantities. British goods in a semi-finished condition might advantageously be sold through existing Canadian companies, by using existing factories for assembly and Canadian sales forces already existing; this is being done to some extent at the present time."
How different are these opinions of practical Canadian manufacturers, on the true causes of trade depression within the Empire, from some of those sponsored by the politicians Why not give the public the truth, the real reasons why United Kingdom exports to Canada are not larger ?
The reasons are known in Canada ; why shirk the responsibility of imparting them to the people of the United Kingdom ?
Since returning to Canada last July, I have not failed to inform the Canadian people why Canadian exporters were losing ground in the markets of the British Isles. The task was disagreeable, but good will come out of it, and someone had to do it.
Commercial education and non-political co-operation are the sole remedy for our industrial ailments. Both can be .speedily applied if we only put our shoulder to the wheel. Can we get together within the folds of political turmoil and inflamed differences of opinions ? I say, emphatically, No ! We may settle our local home troubles through our respective Houses of Parliament, but not an Imperial question of such vital importance to us as increased trade within the Empire.
I have hundreds of letters similar to these from which have quoted, all speaking in the same sense, and endorsing our efforts to inaugurate an independent and non-political organization to weld the Empire through commercial education, as being the best ways and means to immediate and permanent action to meet foreign industrial invasion.
Why not let us get together and drop political com- plications, and, like Britishers, throughout the Empire at least, consolidate to meet and stem the progress of foreign competition in our mid3t ?
FRANK CARREL.
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