Fiiiciiuc /^ 



eye. We all know, who know anything of whal Germany 

 lias done to develop her trade (and to fill her coffers at 

 other countries' expense to carry on this War, or, shall we 

 say, this dream of a World-Empire, that we only wish the 

 people of this country had had the " go " in them to dream, 

 much more to carry out), how very diflferent the banking 

 system in Germany is to our own. In Germany banks 

 exist to finance enterprise, here they exist to gather in the 

 savings of the millions and to lend it to the few big houses 

 whose influence enables them to secure loans on advan- 

 tageous rates. It is true that the doors of the banks are 

 equally open to all, but we should like to see the face of 

 the manager or of the Board of Directors at the men v/ith 

 ideas but no cash, the pioneers and prodigal (pushing) 

 sons from the fringe of the Empire (prodigal only of their 

 strength and love of their country and its welfare), who 

 dared to walk in and ask for assistance. We unhesitatingly 

 maintain that such men in many cases deserve such assist- 

 ance if the good of the Empire at large is considered, far 

 more than the merchant who faces them as a director of 

 the bank, or who rubs shoulders with them (and in either 

 case scowls at them as a rival) as they go in, each to lay 

 their case before the manager. What is the result ? The 

 man with ideas hangs on, and finally gets into the clutches 

 of the company promoter, from whom he gets very little, 

 and the public still less, except by a fluke. Listen to 

 what the Round Table has to say on the matter : " Even 

 before the War, notwithstanding the reputation for in- 

 tegrity, which British industry and finance enjoyed, and 

 which still inclines foreign countries in our favour, the 

 tendency has been of late years for Russian, Chinese, and 

 South American enterprises to go to Germany or the 

 United States." The United States, into which our 

 enormous war orders are pouring fabulous sums, until 

 their industries will be vastly more wealthy and powerful 

 than our own ; until, in future, we shall have two enter- 

 prising and powerful rivals, the U.S.A. and Germany, to 

 compete against. " A contributory cause to this," our 

 contemporary goes on to say (p. 64), "is undoubtedly the 

 roundabout, slow and costly methods of negotiating financial 

 business through company promoters, trust companies and 

 so forth, in London, compared with the immediate and 

 thorough consideration given to them elsewhere by power- 

 ful and combined financial and industrial interests." Now 

 turn to page 61, where you read : " In other very well- 

 informed quarters there is considered to be a serious and 



