50 How to I'ciy fov-ihc War 



CHAPTER YIl. 



By Studying the Suggestions of the Proposed 

 Imperial Development Board. 



Tropical Life, June, 1917. 



We think it but right that we should in a book of this 

 description call attention to the carefully-thought-out 

 paper read by Captain Richard Jebb on June 5 (1917) to 

 an influential audience of the Royal Colonial Institute, 

 when the vigour, sincerity and determination shown by 

 the leading men who took part in the debate to bring 

 things to a head, so as to be able to start off without delay 

 to make things "hum" once and for all time, was very 

 noticeable. 



Differ as the speakers may have done between them- 

 selves or with the opinion of the audience before them, 

 there was no getting away from the fact that all were 

 agreed that those vast resources within the Empire, which 

 have hitherto remained dormant and idle (and hence, like 

 all idlers, had often been allowed to get into mischief and 

 benefit our enemies instead of ourselves), must now be 

 developed to the utmost without delay. " If it is decreed 

 that the Empire needs 2,000,000 tons of sugar, then we 

 must have them," vigorously insisted Mr. Bigland, M.P. 

 (one of Mr. Wilson-Fox's lieutenants), and those present, 

 including ourselves replied " Hear, hear," as on this point 

 we found ourselves in accord with the member for 

 Birkenhead. Other leading spirits who are urging us all 

 to develop the Empire also spoke with the same vigour 

 and sincerity, including Lord Desborough (in the chair), 

 I\Ir. Sandbach Parker, Hon. Gideon Murray, Governor of 

 the Leeward Islands (who made an excellent speech), 

 whilst the heavy guns, which scored hits every time, were 

 manned by Hon. J. G. Jenkins, late Agent-General for 

 South Australia, and Mr. F. M. B. F"isher, of New 

 Zealand, the latter gentleman speaking in the most con- 

 vincing manner that we have yet heard. " Those who 

 support the Unseen Hand, and the idea of trading with the 

 Germans," he exclaimed, " should go and live in Germany. 

 This Empire is no place for them, and they should have no 

 place in this Empire." 



From our point of view, as the general mass of our 



