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posts strung out over 8,000 nautical
miles from Gibraltar to Singapore.
British merchants dominated
in–
ternational trade and commerce.
Their goods were eagerly sought
thro ughout the world. Canada ,
while not the pearl of the empire,
ultimately became its most impor–
tant overseas nation.
An important conference was
held here in Ottawa in 1932. At that
Ottawa conference, Britain nego–
tiated important agreements with
certain Commonwealth countries
concerning "imperial preferences."
These agreements later evolved into
"Commonwealth preferences." The
preferences were based on the prin–
cipie of "home producers first, ero–
pire producers second and foreign
producers last."
The negotiations of 1932 resulted
in a series of bilateral agreements
that pledged the United Kingdom
to allow free entry of most empire
goods, while imposing new tariffs on
certain food and metal imports from
foreign countries.
This system of preferences gradu–
ally became eroded after World
War II until , during the 1960's, the
average margin of preference on all
goods of Commonwealth origio en–
tering Great Britain had fallen to
only 4 percent. Even so, the Com–
monwealth preferences were helpful
to the developing ("have-not") na–
tions of Africa, Asia and the Carib–
bean.
But in January 1975, all Com–
monwealth preferences are sched–
uled to be swept away! Trade
between various Commonwealth
nations will inevitably be seriously
atfected. January 1975 could spell
disaster for an already shaky Com–
monwealth.
Already on the Brink
How close the Commonwealth is
to disaster can be seen simply by
reading the Declaration of Com–
monwealth Principies, adopted at
the January 1971 Commonwealth
Confe rence in Singa pore: "The
Commonwealth of Nations is a vol-
8
untary association of independent
sovereign states, each responsible
for its own policies, consulting and
co-operating in the common inter–
ests of their peoples and in the
promotion of international under–
standing and world peace."
The tenuous nature of this volun–
tary association was revealed in
1972, hardly more than a year after
adoption of the declaration.
In 1972, India and Pakistan, both
members of the Commonwealth,
fought a brief, but bitter war. Imme–
diately after her defeat in that war,
Pakistan opted ou t of the Common–
wealth because other Common–
wealth countries were willing to
recognize the newly formed nation
of Bangladesh as an independent,
sovereign state. Pakistan felt the
Commonwealth had not been help–
ful.
lt
had neither helped her to
avert the war nor to win it. Why,
reasoned the Pakistanis, should they
remain in what was a politically im–
potent organization?
The late prime minister of India,
Jawaharlal Nehru, once described
the Commonwealth as "a rather
strange and odd collection of na–
tions which has found sorne kind of
invisible link by seeing that prac–
tically there is no link."
Canada's Prime Minister Pierre
Elliott Trudeau, a zealous supporter
of the Commonwealth, summed it
up in these terms at this year's con–
ference, at which he was host: "The
Commonwealth provides an oppor–
tunity for meo of good will to dis–
c uss with one a no th e r their
problems and their hopes for the
future.
1t
is a forum for men who
are as different as God has made
them. It is a meeting place ...."
And that, say Commonwealth
critics, is just about all today's Com–
monwealth is - a forum, a place to
talk, a "Hyde Park of the world."
Avid supporters of the Common–
wealth, however, counter this by
saying that it is vital to discuss dif–
ferences among nations. Talking,
they say,
is
better than fighting.
So ... the more the talk, the better.
Common Market to
" Pick Up the Pieces"
In January 1973, Britain entered
the European Economic Commu–
nity, primarily as a result of many
hard years of work by Mr. Heath
and his colleagues. The Prime
M
in–
ister wants to see Britain become a
powerful influence within the Eco–
nomic Community.
Britain's entry into the EEC, how–
ever, poses serious problems for
other members of the Common–
wealth - and could eventually be a
problem for Britain herself.
Wh en the special preferential
treatment ends, sorne of the Com–
monwealth countries who trade with
Britain will be hurt. Most members
of the Commonwealth are already
reconciled to the fact that they will
have to forge their own trade links
with whatever nations they can.
At present, about twenty of the
developing Commonwealth coun–
tries in Africa, the Caribbean and
the South Pacific have been offered
various options for a special rela–
tionship or association with the
Community. These members appear
hopeful that they will be able to
make sorne kind of links with Com–
mon Market nations, partly through
British and Commonwealth in–
ftuence. Such trade links will enable
them to continue prospering in their
trading arrangements - büt within
the Common Market, not a Com–
monwealth framework.
1975: Turning Point
for Britain
The Conservative Britisb govern–
ment, with Mr. Heath at tbe helm,
has made its Common Market com–
mitment, regardless of what hap–
pens to the Commonwealth. But
political storm clouds are aiready on
the horizon. A recent poli reveals
that a majority of all Britons now
believe that opting for Common
Market membership was the wrong
choice.
Will this dissatisfaction be trans-
PLAIN TRUTH
January
1974