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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 79

All for Empire. — A New League and its Objects. — To Eliminate Enemy Trade & Influence

All for Empire.

A New League and its Objects.

To Eliminate Enemy Trade & Influence.

"That this conference heartily approves of any scheme having for its object the elimination of enemy trade from the Dominion, and undertakes to bring before the members of all affiliated associations the necessity for an immediate and active canvass towards the accomplishment of the suggestions set out in the objects of the All for Empire League."

"That the delegates here assembled to-night form themselves into an All for Empire League for the elimination of enemy trade from within the British Empire."

These resolutions, carried by the annual conference of the United Commercial Travellers' and Warehousemen's Association of New Zealand held yesterday, heralded the establishment of a new league—the All for Empire League. Sixteen foundation members—delegates to the conference—subscribed their names to the league, and threw upon the table the shilling which it was resolved should be the minimum subscription for member-ship within the league. Considerable enthusiasm marked the birth of the new league, for which a brilliant future, extending into every corner of the country, under the energetic activity of association members, was predicted.

The special preliminary objects of the league, as drawn up by an enthusiast who has devoted much time to the subject, were adopted as follows:—
1.To ensure the safety of the British Empire by advocating more efficient means of defence, both military and naval, and greater unity between the self-governing States and dependencies of the Empire and the Mother Country.page break
2.To secure a clean, loyal and patriotic citizenship by promoting legislation making it impossible for alien subjects, the laws of whose country of origin permit of their retaining citizenship in that country while sub-scribing allegiance to another State, to obtain letters of naturalisation or the rights of citizenship in New Zealand.
3.To obtain legislation making it illegal for aliens to hold property in land or in the shares of any joint stock company trading in New Zealand.
4.To discourage the employment of alien enemy labour in New Zealand and to press for legislation in that direction.
5.To foster closer trade relationships between the Mother Country, New Zealand and the sister State of the Empire, by means of reciprocal tariffs and preferential trade treatment.
6.To promote reciprocal tariffs and the "most favoured nation treatment" in the tariff relationships between New Zealand and Britain's Allies in the present war.
7.To aim as far as possible at the elimination of German trade within the Empire, by the adoption of an absolutely prohibitive tariff and increased shipping due on all German and present enemy vessels visiting New Zealand ports.
8.To conduct by press propaganda a publicity campaign with the view of keeping the people of New Zealand alive to the tremendous issues involved in Germany's attempt to dominate the commerce of the world.
9.To make traffic in German goods impossible in New Zealand by securing definite pledges from members of the league that they will not purchase goods made in Ger-many or of enemy origin from any merchant or store-keeper, and that they will not knowingly deal with merchants or storekeepers who have purchased German or other enemy goods since August. 1914.

In the outline given of the scheme special mention was made of the hopelessness of expecting that at the conclusion of the war there would be any general disarmament of the Powers or that in Germany herself there would be any sort of a revolution which would end for all time any idea of further Prussian aggression. The very platform of the Socialist Democratie Party showed the futility of such hopes, for it set out ambitions which involved the very supremacy of Germany and equally the subjugation of other races. Practically the whole German nation had become criminal lunatics, aiming at world dominance.