1940-02-27 — Page 16

Tuesday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

February 27, 1940.

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Hongkong Telegraph.

Tuesday, February 27, 1940. Wyndham St., Hongkong Telephone: 20016

THE pre "Special to the Telegraph” is used by the Hongkong Telegraph to Indicate news which is strictly copyright ander the provisions of the Telecomrnal- Callans Ordinance, 1938. Bach news bears the indication "Up" is recolved in Hongkong on the date of publication by the United Prom Associations, who re serve all rights and forbid republication either wholly or in part without previous Arrangement

Loan Or Taxes?

0

HAD NOT the Hongkong Govern ment financed Loan Works such- as the Jublice Reservoir, the Kal Tack Airport and the Central Market from the Colony's Excess of Assets over Liabilities (pending reimburse- ment from two Louns which are to be floated at some nebulous date in the future), it would have been cumparatively simple matter to have mude a substantial initial contribu- tion to the Empire's war effort without having recourse to new taxa- tion.

Since, however, the Colony's visible Treasury balance has been re- duced from $17,000,000 to $3,000,000 by advances pending reimbursement, any donation from this source is out of the question,

10

Nevertheless, there seems no valid reason why the vexed question of the Colony's contribution the Imperial War Chest should not be answered by the less

painful completely voluntary method of War Loan rather than by direct taxation.

and

This method was used by Hong- kong in the Great Wor and obvinted the necessity for additional taxation until July 1, 1917-tbree years after the outbreak of hostilities-when a special War Rate of seven per cent. was levied on Property for a period of two years.

The 1010 Hongkong War Loan was quickly over-cubscribed and-again without recourse to extra taxation- was repaid within a decade or so of the Armistice.

To-day, as regards Publie Debt, Hongkong is one of the most fortun- ale countries In the world. The Colony's Public Debt on December last stood at less than $10,000,000 (£1,000,000), or roughly two-fifths of our annual

the Income. Or British Colonies which obtain up- proximately the -sume revenue, Uganda has

Public Debt of £2,230,000, Mauritius of £3,000,000 and British Gulana of £4,857,000, Many parts of the Empire in receipt of less revenue have higher Publle Debts. Among them are:

Revenue Public Debt 514,000 £1,200,000

ם

582,000

Jersey Guernsey

1,400,000 Fiji Islands 700,000 1,414,000 Jamaica

2,000,000 4,000,000 20,000,000 .. 3,000,000

9,000,000 Kenya

3,000,000 17,000,000 Debts of other Colonies are: Ceylon

£13,000,000 Straits

Settlements 12,000,000 11,500,000 11,435,000

Tameryka 2,000.000

S

Coast.

Nigeria

ple their

(Dr. Joseph Goebbels has announced that there must be more optimism and joy in Germany), Typical German Scene: Distributing crackers in a concentration camp.

Questions for the Premier

W

HAT are the Peace

Alms of the British Government? Mr. Chamberlain objects

when asked to define them.

To do so, he said in the House of Commons would be futile and dangerous. Dangerous to whom, I wonder?

He considers that a determina- tion to defeat Hitleriam, combined with rague aspirations towards a "Utopian Europe" after the war. Is all that a nation engaged upon a struggle which may prove the greatest in its history needs to sus- tain it.

He considers that such aspira- tions-the rosy bubbles of Sun- day evening cloquence-are in themselves sufficient to entitie us to the sympathy and confidence of the great neutrals and of the German people,

I do not agree.

by FRANCIS WILLIAMS

moral speeches during the last war. And look at the result.

What is the good of Mr. Cham- berlain telling us that the new Europe will come into being gradu- ally over many years? If the his- tory of the world has any lesson, It Is that what is good does not simply triumph of its own goodness.

Those who wish to alter the world for the better must think hard and work hard. They must know what they are prepared to sacrifice and what price they are ready to pay.

Says Mr. Chamberlain, it does

The defeat of itlerism-is-of-not need a war to bring the idea course, vital. But as I said last

of a better world into men's minds. week, it is not a Peace Aim. It is a

Well, Mr. Chamberlain has been War Aim. If we do not achieve it

either head, or an influential mem- then we need not worry ourselves

ber, of the Government of this about the future of Europe,

country for the past eight years. will be a Nazi Europe.

What sort of a new world has he tried to make in that time? What sort of a world has he in fact -asalated in making?

But if we succeed, as we must succeed, what then?

The last war cost the nations of the world some seven million lives and at least seventy thousand million pounds in money. This war may cost no less before it is finished.

It is a big price to pledge In ad- vance

for Mr. Chamberlain's castle in the sky, of which we must not even ask to see the plans.

What is the good of Mr. Cham- berlain talking in vague generali- ties about a new Europe with a new spirit? There were plenty of ano

Why should he consider that on his word alone or on that of any member of his Government, the Deople of Britain, the people of the neutral countries, the people of Germany, shall rest assured that after the war there will be estab- lished "a new Europe in which the nations will approach their dim- culties with good will and toler- anco"?

That is too big an assumption to accept on the mere word of any man in the world.

It comes from that same stock pot of complacency and wishful Golf-deluaton out of which came

the watery soup of appeasement. the sawdust banquet of "peace, in our time."

Good will and tolerance and a new order, of international society will not spring unbidden from the soll of war.

It is, of course, true that Britain will not alone have the making of. the peace after the war, It is, of course, true that no one can yet foresee what shape the new fron- tlers of Europe will take.

But the durability of the peace will not depend solely on frontiers. It will depend in no smali.mea- sure upon the economic stability of the post-war world-upon the avoidance of such another econo- mic crisis as has previously always' followed war.

If there had been no economic crisis in 1931, we should, I firmly believe, have been at peace to-day. It was not the Versailles Treaty which made Hitler master of Ger- many pression.

It was the economio de-

The Versailles Treaty-or rather certain clauses of the treaty-gave him his Arst inspiration and pro- vided him with the raw material of

his first propaganda. But econom mic depression was the recruiting sergeant which brought him to power,

If the present war leaves behind it the same legacy of economia dis- organisation and financial choos we shall see the same destruction of fine ideals; the same emergence of dark and barbaric forces: the same world-wide impoverishment. What have Mr. Chamberlain and his colleagues in mind to prevent that happening? What sacrifice of economic privilege are they pre-

Lindbergh Out Of Air Job

the Prince of Wales' Relief Fund and on an eclent war-time basis,

£170,000 for the War Charities' Fund Committee. From the Colony's sur-United Kingdom are being called. The fact that taxpayers in the plus balances and the proceeds of the upon to face on Income Tax of s. 1916 Hongkong War Loan, a total of in the £ is applauded in some quar- $19,250,000 was remitted as a special ters contribution to the Imperial Govern- were a virtue, and it has been ad- in Hongkong no if, almost, it ment.

vanced Q3 the chiet reason why

WASHINGTON. Additionally, the Colony was in-Hongkong should make an equal

Colonel Charles Lindbergh has re- volved in a local war expenditure of sacrifice. The idea is ridiculous in $1,854,202 for such items as main-view of the dissimilarity of financial signed his membership of the National tenance of prisoners of war and their and econonile problems existing in Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, families, cable and postal censor- Motherland and Colony. The United not because of any Immediate break ships, transport of recruits to and Kingdom already had, at the out-with the Administration but owing to from England, war propaganda, etc. break of War, a Public Debt of cumulative causes,

It is interesting to note in this con- £7,002,000,000, or £172

per capita-

that the highest Hems were a Debt which has since been in- He has realised for months that he to creased. by £1,000,000,000. Nothing was out of tune with the Government.

40 as special allowances

It has been argued that of thin Colony should make great sacrifices in order to prove loyalty to the cause for which the $306,737 as a special War Allowance or Colonies can do-no sacrifice, when he openly opposed the Presi

Servants at the Front and Hongkong or any of the Dominions This manifested itself first publicly Empire is fighting. But we weren't

to Civil Servants-over one-third of however great, they are prepared to dent's plan to repeal the arms em- accused of disloyalty when we did

unalterable bargo and lent himself to the Isolań the total amount expended in the make--can alter this not follow the lead of the Mother- land in the 1914-18 War, In fact,

Colony on the local war effort going fact: the United Kingdom, rich as tionists' cause while the Senate was to Civil Servants, of this

she is, must have recourse to in- debating the issue. the people of Colony, in addi- tion to over-subscribing the local

There totals did not include the creasingly heavy taxation if the

He has also been under attack in War Loan of $3,000,000 in the last

cost of maintenance of the Hongkong Pubile Debt is not to impose an War, invested in British war lontis

Bts Defence Reserve, which was mobl-economic and financial burden too many quarters for his close relation- alup with the Nazi regime and for the amazing total of

lised, or the Colony's usual Military staggering for the people to bear. £6,000,000 which, at current rates of exchange,

Contribution to the Imperial Govern-

receiving a decoration from Hitler.. That position does not obtain in

Finally he incurred further hast!- ment, is approximately $110,000,000. This amount, it should be emphasised,

Hongkong. We have a Public Debt lity from the Press for his arrogant, It should be emphasised that Hong which, qumpared with most other attitude toward it. President Roose- was voluntarily subscribed, at the kong's revenue during the 1814-18 Colonies, is infinitesimal. It can be velt had no hesitation in accepting rate of £1,015,000 per annum for war years was less than two-fifths increased fifteen or twentyfold with his resignation. four years double the amount which of the total revenue obtaining to-day out straining our economie resources Government. proposes to raise to-day

Yet the Colony was able to finance or Imposing a burden which would through extra texation, and more all these war undertakings by having make the annual Budget a. than the entire Government revenue

problem, mic recourse to only one Wor Loan ́arxi

system. It can financo our For at least three years the contributions for that period on a by the impoalition, during the

last of each of those years.

effort two years of the war, of seven period, Ineldentally, that Britain has truly voluntary basis-on a basls

per prepared

herself for war-this which would indicate more clearly. cent. levy on Property. It would Colony can finance fis entire war than compulsory taxation the unanl- certainly appear that the Government effort without in any way disturb-mity of our people's desire to aid the of those days was able to function ing or Impairing the existing econo- Motherland,

The Colony's voluntary

in the last war did not end with this extraordinary Onancial con- '-tribution. · We raised £41,000 for

pared to contemplate? What pool- ing of world resources, what con-- trol of anance are they ready to accept?

Mr. Chamberlain declares that the British colonial system is al- ready operated as an international trusteeship. Has he so soon for- gotten the Ottawa Agreement which reduced the proportion of German goods entering British markets duty free from 80 per cent. to 4.5 per cent, and gave to that country and to Japan, which wAS even more hardly hit, a new excuse for aggression?

I remember writing, as that agreemont was signed, that the effect of the policy of Imperial Preference in increasing economic inequality among nations and strengthening the forces making war, could not casily be exag- gerated.

I do not, in the light of events, feel that I have anything to with- draw.

Are we going to make the same mistakes again? Or are we going

to fight this war with a practical ideal in front of us? And are we prepared to tell the world what our contribution to the new world. order will be?

Of course we cannot draw up in. advance the terms of a Pence Treaty whose date and circum- stance we cannot know. Of course- we cannot assume that our ideas will alone provail when the pace conference is held, for whatever the terms of peace, they must be negotiated, not dictated,

But there are certain things we- can do. I ask Mr. Chamberlain if he will do them now.. Will. he, as an evidence of sincerity, give these

ese three guarantees?.

(1) WI he announce that after the war Britain will give full democratic freedom to India

and ia any of our Colonial dependencies reaiy for

If, the decision, in case of dispute, to rest. not wills Britain, but with an Inter- national Court?-

(2) Will be announce bis Government's readiness to place the whole of our non- self-governing

possessions under International mandate to be administered under inter- national supervision for the common good as a free trade area with none but sitielly revenue tariffs?

(2) Will be guarantee that Britain will not accept any in- crease of territory as a conse- quence of the war, and will not demand, as we did last time. financial reparations from the defented enemy?

Those undertakinga . will not solve the world's post-war prob- lems much more of planning and effort will be needed than that..

But they will do something 'to polp. And they will give, to the people of Britain, to the people of the neutral countries, to the people of Germany, an assurance of ain- cerity that no smooth promise of a vague Utopia can offer.

If you mean what you say, Mr. Chamberlain, give these guaran- toes now. If you will not give them.. then tell the people why not, o that they can judge you,