Developing the Empire
In more recent years there has been a tendency on the part of a section of the Labour Party to assert that the possession of negro dependencies was a moral wrong, that " Imperialism " meant exploitation of the blacks, and that we ought not to spend a penny on development schemes even if they were for the obvious benefit of the native population. The opposition to the Sudan loan a year or two ago for the construction of the Makwar dam and other works on the Blue Nile was based on arguments of this sort which fortunately did not command the support of the more intelligent Labour leaders. Mr. J. H. Thomas, who was Colonial Secretary in 1924, showed a lively interest in the Sudan project and recently made a special journey to the Gold Coast to open the new harbour for which he provided a loan while he was in office. He saw that the Sudan scheme meant the enrichment of the Sudanese and the production of cotton for the Lancashire mills, while the new African port meant increased prosperity for the Gold Coast and Ashanti and the output of more and cheaper cocoa, timber, and other tropical produce for Great Britain. Other Labour members like Major Attlee and Colonel Wedgwood have shown themselves enthusiastic promoters of Empire development, and it need not be feared that Lord Passfield will try to reverse the Unionist policy, any more than Mr. Thomas did when he was in office.
Another and more subtle objection has been raised within the past few months, not merely to Empire development, but to overseas investment of any kind, by Liberals of the type of Professor 'Keynes in the hope of giving some plausibility to Mr. Lloyd George's alleged " cure " for unemployment. They have urged that neither the State nor the private capitalist ought to invest money abroad, inferring that all the available capital should be devoted to the construction of more roads and other public works at home and to the expan- sion of home industries. It was a strange argument for Liberal economists to employ and it carries its refutation in its face. Our industries are not suffering from want of capital, but from want of custom. The construction of new roads might partially and tem- porarily relieve unemployment, but could not be of much assistance to our manufacturers and merchants in increasing their business. Moreover, it would be impracticable to forbid overseas investment. Inasmuch as from the same quarters has come the suggestion that we should extend our credit to Russia, it is hard to See why it can be wrong for us to lend to our colonies who need capital just as much and are more likely to "honour their bond.
These political and pseudo-economic objections to the general policy of Empire development have not impressed the public. On the contrary, instructed opinion is now more ready than ever to welcome a courageous initiative on the part of the Dominions and Colonies and of the Ministers in Whitehall. The progress of the Empire Marketing Board set up by Mr. Baldwin and of the Overseas Settlement Board, which a Canadian corre- spondent in another column criticizes somewhat harshly, has been watched with warm approval. Dominion and Colonial loans continue to be well received in the City. It is generally recognized that the growth of the Dominions and Colonies in prosperity reacts immediately on the mother country. They are our best customers, relatively to their population, and as they become richer and make fuller use of their natural resources they buy more and more of our manufactures and provide steady employ- ment for our dense industrial population.
Sir Robert Hadfield now comes forward with a proposal to accelerate the movement by setting up an Empire Development Board, composed of leading men from all parts of the Empire, drawing its funds from public and private sources, and holding aloof from party politics. Through the medium of the Board, a permanent institution though with changing personnel, the various countries within the Empire could co-operate in carrying out large schemes of public works, including roads, railways, harbours, land reclamation and the like, with the general purpose of getting things done quickly and so increasing the wealth of the whole Empire. Sir Robert contrasts the rapid development of the United States during the past century with the slow progress made in the Empire, and maintains that we could do better if we put politics aside and worked together. There are, of course, special reasons for the growth of America, with its temperate climate and its energetic white population. But Sir Robert's plea deserves attention none the less. The Dominions might not be able to join in so heartily as he thinks. It is well known here, if not overseas, that the emigration schemes to which the late Government attached much importance were hampered and delayed by considerations of domestic politics in the Dominions, especially Australia. But the Colonies atone afford endless opportunities for the pro- posed Development Board. One colony after another is crying out for capital and enterprise to make its natural wealth valuable to the Empire and the world. British Guiana, for example, is a typical "neglected estate" that is still waiting for its rich interior to be made accessible at the cost of a few millions. Nigeria with more railways could produce large additional supplies of foodstuffs and minerals. Uganda could increase its output of cotton and coffee if its road system were improved. Tanganyika has scarcely begun to grow for lack of transport facilities, though its hill-districts are among the most fertile and healthy in Africa. So we might go through the long list and point to what could be done if the task of developing the resources of the Empire were seriously taken in hand.
It goes without saying that Empire development must be accompanied by safeguards of every kind for the natives of the several countries under our charge. Development does not mean exploitation of the native by the white. On the contrary, it implies the raising of the black man's status by helping him to make the best of his country. The natives of West Africa have certainly benefited by the remarkable changes that have come about in the past generation, and similar results should follow elsewhere as wealth increases and more money is available for education and sanitation.
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