i6 Hoiv to Pay for the War 



labour far in excess of the supply. Before I conclude, 

 therefore, by giving my views as to how the resources of 

 our Empire can be safely developed for all time and for 

 the benefit of everybody, both of this as well as of future 

 generations, I would like to say a few words on the danger 

 of " forcing the pace " of the coloured races in the Tropics, 

 and I am doing so, not from any humane reason, but out 

 of pure selfishness, because I do not want my children or 

 my grandchildren to run short of the necessities of life 

 in the time to come. I am doing so because, on paper, 

 I do not profess to care one jot or tittle what happens to 

 the blacks, the browns and yellows of this world, but 

 merely because I believe in the idea that it is wise to grab 

 from the Tropics year by year, both now and in times to 

 come, every ton of material that can be secured and to take 

 all steps possible to increase that output in every way. 

 To do this, however, we must set to work cautiously and 

 in such a way that we shall secure much larger native 

 populations everywhere, and not the continually smaller 

 ones that seem to be the rule at present even under the 

 most favourable circumstances. Judging from all we have 

 heard recently, the natives whenever subjected to over- 

 pressure have been killed off, or discouraged, or otherwise 

 prevented from breeding or of rearing their children when 

 they do come along, the result being in every case where 

 such circumstances exist that the population has gone 

 steadily back. With this view in my mind when I read 

 the English translation of a book written by Adoph Cureau, 

 published about two years ago and entitled " Savage Man 

 in Central Africa," I could not help wondering how many 

 of the British public realized what a stern necessity the 

 Tropics of to-day are to the reputedly civilized nations of 

 the temperate zone ; furthermore, that an abundant and 

 ever-increasing native population, a far larger one than 

 exists at present, will be an even greater necessity in the 



