All for Empire.

A New League and its Objects.

To Eliminate Enemy Trade & Influence.

Empire Leaflets. No. 1.

(Reprinted from the "Lyttelton Times" of Friday, February 11th, 1916.)

"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.

The Next War.

Sir William Ramsay's Opinion of Germany's Commercial Methods.

Commerce Regarded as War.

"All for Empire" Leaflets. No. 2.

Sir William Ramsay, K.C.B., F.R.S., one of the world's most distinguished chemists, and a former President of the British Association, in a stirring address delivered in Manchester on January 22nd, 1915, before representatives of British associations of employers and industrial concerns, pointed out that in Germany "commerce is regarded as war .... the powerful mass of the German State being projected into methods meant to kill the trade of other nations. After the war between the nations," Sir William said, "the German war with British trade will be resumed."

"Under the German State there is a trade council, the object of which is to secure and keep trade for Germany. This Council has practical control of duties, bounties and freights; its members are representative of the different commercial interests of the empire, and they act, as a role, without control from the Reichstag. . . . Let me give you a simple case of the operations of that trade council.

"Ex uno disce omnes. A certain English firm had a fairly profitable monopoly in a chemical product which it had main-" tamed for many years. It was not a patented article, but one for which the firm had discovered a good process of manufacture. About six years ago this firm found that its Liverpool custom was being transferred to German makers. On inquiry it transpired that the freight on this particular article from Hamburg to Liverpool had been lowered. The firm considered its position, and by introducing economies it found that it could still compete at a profit. A year later German manufacturers lowered the price substantially, so that the English firm could not sell without making a dead loss. It transpired that the lowering of the price was due to a heavy export bounty being paid to the German manufacturers by the German State."

"It is the bringing of the heavy machinery of State to bear on the minutiae of commerce which makes it impossible to compete with such methods. One article after another is attacked as opportunity offers; British manufacture is killed, and Germany acquires a monopoly. No trade is safe; its turn may not have come."

"At the end of this war we shall have Germans again as trade rivals; it there is a German State our German rivals will be backed by that State. They will, as they have done before, steal our inventions, use trickery and fraud to cast us from world markets, and we know now that we need not expect any bargain to be binding."

"Are you aware that no treaty, political or otherwise, with the German people, is worth the paper it is written on? That the country and its inhabitants have forfeited all claims to trust? That no one in future should make a bargain with a German, knowing that he is a dishonourable and dishonoured man?"

The "All for Empire League" has for its express object the elimination of enemy (and particularly German) trade and influence throughout the Dominion of New Zealand in particular and the Empire in general. Plank 7 of its platform is as follows:—

To aim as far as possible at the elimination of German trade within the Empire, by the adoption of an abso-

lutely prohibitive tariff and increased shipping dues on all German and present enemy vessels visiting New Zealand ports.

It further proposes under plank 9—

To make traffic in German goods impossible in New Zealand by securing definite pledges from numbers 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.

Will you not help in this most laudable and patriotic movement by becoming a member of the League and using all your influence to induce others to follow your example?

All for Empire.

Tolerance Worse than Folly.

Empire Leaflets—No. 3.

The "All For Empire" League has for one of its objects "the elimination of enemy trade and influence, not only from New Zealand, but from every part of the British Empire."

Some people say this is impossible. But it is at least up to every man, when his very existence is imperilled, to take the necessary steps to safeguard himself and his friends from the attacks of an insidious foe, absolutely unscrupulous in the methods he adopts, and intent only upon accomplishing his will in the most thorough manner possible. Treachery, fraud, deceit, violence and murder become instruments of honour in German hands, ill only the supreme object may be attained.

What is happening in America?

"Naturalised or unnaturalised Germans in America are plotting to blow up munition works, to sink ships, and to cam on a secret form of armed rebellion in America."

We not only want to eliminate German trade from New Zealand and the Empire, but also to exclude Germans from the right of citizenship. Under the German citizenship law, signed by the Kaiser at Balholm on July 22nd, 1913, a German does not lose his citizenship in his own country by taking out letters of naturalisation and swearing allegiance to some other country; although in every case he is called upon to abjure and renounce his allegiance to all foreign princes, and particularly to Wilhelm II.—"German Emperor and King of Prussia."

Join the "All for Empire" League, which proposes not only to eliminate enemy trade and influence from New Zealand and the Empire, but aims at securing 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.

The German in himself and in his trade had proved himself undesirable, and now was the time when his whole elan and effects should be swept for ever from our midst.

In the course of a general discussion upon the idea of forming the league to force public opinion upon the issue of making it impossible ever again for Germany to trade with this Dominion.

Mr. F. W. Manton (Wellington) pointed out that just before the war New Zealand had been deluged with offers of trade from Germany and Austria—from places of which we had never heard—and he knew for a fact that this was one outcome of the presence of German representatives in our midst. For practical purposes every German firm in New Zealand was a business spy. Mr. Manton also mentioned that since the war began a German in London had actually had the effrontery to send a representative to Wellington to endeavour to establish a company under the title of the Belgian Trading Company! Need-less to say that scheme had been nipped in the bud.

Mr. F. W. Mitchell (Dunedin) pointed out the good work the league could do in the way of influencing public opinion and forcing the Government to take action upon this matter.

Mr. A. J. Carlton (Wellington) indicated that substantial support had been promised to the league by influential men in the capital city, and also said that the executive of the Welling-ton Association would be prepared to actively undertake the inauguration of the league. He had every confidence in the ability of the Commercial Travellers' Association to carry the thing through to a successful issue.

Mr. A. E. Philps (Wellington) declared that such a league as this had to be started in order to secure the objects aimed at.

Mr. S. A. Orchard, president of the conference, heartily approved of the idea, saying that he was satisfied they had to get such a thing going. Although they were at war with Ger-many, he knew that German goods were coming into the country—goods might be bought in neutral countries in all good faith that, they were of neutral make, and yet they would be found to he of German origin. It was a downright shame that such things should be upon our shelves, and every effort should be made to prevent such an occurrence and strengthen the bonds of Empire trade for the future days of peace.

The motions already indicated were carried unanimously. The founders of the league were the members of the Conference of the United Association comprising representatives from Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch, each centre being thus pledged to actively assist in the propaganda to be undertaken.

At a further meeting of the Conference delegates held on Friday afternoon, Mr. James Brown, secretary of the Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen's Association at Dunedin. Mr. A. J. Carlton, secretary to the Association at Wellington: Mr. W. Garrett, of the Auckland Association, and Mr. H. B. Gould, Conference and Association Secretary at Christchurch, consented to act as interim secretaries in their respective centres, pending the formation of representative committees, and the appointment of such permanent officials as may be necessary in connection with the work of the League.

The subscription was fixed at a minimum of one shilling leaving it open with members to contribute larger sums in furtherance of the objects of the league.