NA TURE 



29 



THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1914. 



THE WAR—A^D AFTER. 



THE terrible war which is now raging-, not 

 only near our shores, but also much further 

 afield, is teaching us many lessons, among them 

 that the things which make most for a nation's 

 life are apt not to be considered by the partisans 

 of party politics. But it also shows that the 

 British nation is sound enough at heart to throw 

 off the trammels of party politics when a supreme 

 moment arrives. Such a supreme moment is now 

 on us and Britain is struggling for life with 

 a foe who now shows his true colours. Many 

 of us have been great admirers of Germany and 

 German achievements along many lines, but we 

 have now learned that her "culture" and admir- 

 able organisation have not been acquired, as we 

 do not doubt was thought by the workers them- 

 selves, for the purpose of advancing knowledge 

 and civilisation, but, in continuation of a settled 

 policy, they have been fostered and used in order 

 that a military caste in Germany, with the Kaiser 

 at its head, shall ride roughshod over Europe, all 

 treaties and national rights abrogated, all conven- 

 tions set aside, all honour thrown to the winds, 

 all laws of war and even of humanity disregarded. 

 We are back in the days of the Huns. There is 

 no doubt that in the complete plan of the great 

 schemer the conquest and subsequent effacement 

 of Britain were included. 



Thank God, after many days of the most 

 terrible fighting which the world has ever seen, it 

 seems as if the day of the humiliation of France, 

 which was to be the first stepping-stone to the final 

 achievement, is not yet, and that before long the 

 arch-plotter may be caught in the toils which he 

 set for others. His final humiliation and over- 

 throw are necessary for the world's peace, and 

 will certainly come. 



It is not for a scientific journal to chronicle the 

 progress or to predict in detail the possible conse- 

 quences of a war so brutally brought about, so 

 brutally carried on by our enemy. Our task rather 

 is to point out the importance not only of 

 strengthening the troops in the field, but of seeing 

 that our industries shall not suffer too greatly, for 

 industry can alone supply in the long run the 

 sinews of war for whatever period the conflict 

 lasts; industry, moreover, to be most effective, 

 must be broadly based on science. 



In the latter direction the Government has taken 

 a very wise step. The following communication 

 has been issued from Downing Street : — 

 NO. 2341, VOL. 94] 



" Bearing in mind the sudden cessation of the 

 oversea trade with Germany and Austria, the 

 Secretary of State for the Colonies, with a view to 

 alleviating to some extent the loss of business 

 and employment both in the United Kingdom and 

 the Colonies, telegraphed on the 15th inst. to some 

 of the more important colonies not possessing re- 

 sponsible government to remind them that it is of 

 the utmost importance to have full information up 

 to date respecting the principal imports into each 

 colony from Germany and Austria and as to the 

 products of each colony hitherto exported to those 

 countries. The Secretary of State has further 

 desired that he should have by the earliest oppor- 

 tunity particulars as to the leading lines of articles 

 of trade with Germany and Austria, illustrated by 

 samples in the same wav as was arranged in 

 1895. 



"The Secretary of State has it in mind that 

 action on the above lines will not only be an imme- 

 diate benefit as regards employment in the United 

 Kingdom, but should also lead to the permanent 

 advantage of British trade in general. 



" It is understood that the Trade Commissioners 

 in the various self-governing Dominions are 

 already kept closely in touch with the requirements 

 of the trade in those Dominions, and collections 

 of samples of different lines of goods in which 

 British manufacturers might compete have recently 

 been sent, or are on their way from certain parts 

 of those Dominions. 



"As regards neutral foreign countries the Secre- 

 tary of State for Foreign Affairs has undertaken 

 to send a similar request to his Majesty's Consuls 

 in all places where such an inquiry is likely to have 

 a useful result. 



" The present intention of the Secretary of State 

 for the Colonies is that, as soon as the samples 

 from different parts of the Empire and from neutral 

 countries are collected the traders and manu- 

 facturers of the United Kingdom shall have an 

 opportunity of inspecting them in a central exhibi- 

 tion, possibly at the Imperial Institute. At any 

 rate, no time will be lost in making suitable 

 arrangements to carry out this intention." 



"The Board of Trade are moving on ihe same 

 lines, and have devised what promises to be a 

 fruitful campaign for assisting British manufac- 

 turers and traders to take advantage of the war 

 by establishing themselves, in neutral as well as 

 Colonial markets, in those branches of business 

 which have hitherto been largely in the hands of 

 their German, Austrian, and Hungarian rivals. 



"There are two great and undoubted factors 

 which tend to ensure such a development of 

 British Overseas trade to a very considerable ex- 

 tent. One is to be found in the safety of the 

 trade routes, together with the protection afforded 

 by the State scheme of insurance against war 

 risks, and the financial measures also taken by 

 the Government for the continuance of business 

 transactions. The second is that German and 

 Austro-Hungarian trade with foreign countries is 

 at a standstill. 



