Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 6 : Debate on New Art Gallery and Cultural Centre 1963-1970

Will America keep bolstering an UNGRATEFUL WORLD •.. ? .... ..... ...... -- -·- ···- - • THIS u the ,econd of tw~ article.- - ~ Jrom North America writlen ,pecially ~ /or The Courier-Mail by $1R LEON ~ TROUT, Bri.abane bruine11 leader and ~ National . 4rt Gallery cliairman, who i, ~ on a world tour • • • ~ , 'Go ome ., Yank!' ~ -1 I I From SIR LEON TROUT N EW YORK. - The average . American is generous. If his n~1ghbour has a Lincoln motor car or a ~•gger or better houH, he doesn't resent it but goes out to earn more money to 1 compete and buy· a better one for him– self. He is generous with his friendship , 1 and gives and returns hospitality very · freely. Many Americans realise that great wealth in– volves great respOn– sibilities and they spend . their money ·to the best advantage of themselves and others lese fortunate. 1 Thl1 1ener0tlty ol In- dividuals 11 ,hown In their country'• reneroalty to other countries. Since 1945 the U.S.A. has given economic arid military aid of over $122 billion to more than 100 countries. How would Russia or Red China at.and up to these when they have needed help ao badly has come forward to assist her , Ith the fight against Com– munist aggression In South Vietnam. Britain ls a very reluc– tant ally with her ieft-wlng soclallsts openly hostile. Do these people who are so critical of America ever stop to think what they would be doing now If America had not come to their assistance In two world wars and not given them financial aid for the last 20 :veara since the war? The American's reward< 11, "Go home Yank." If one wants to make an figures? Here are flclarles: the main bene- · enemy give him or lend him some money - and Area mUllon1 ol $ Euro_i,e .. .. .. •. 47,300 Far Eu, . . . . . . . . 27,600 Near Em and North Asia . . . . . Zll,IOO American Nation, . 11,6116 Africa .... .. .. 1600 Au • tralla and New Zealand . . . . . IQO France (lar1e1t Indi- vidual recipient) 9'10 Great Britain . . . 90115 ltal:, .... .. ... 8150 Wnt German:, . . . 4995 Yugoslavia . . . . . : • 21130 1 With few exceptions every one of theaex cpuntrles has forsaken America. FraI)ce the Biggest bene• lfactor i;~ ,openly told the u.s.F..' t.. a.t, she ls ~ot ln– tereeteU In America s pro– blem ot protecting the dollar trom devaluation. With the exception of Australia and New Zealand, none of the nations Ame– l rlca has helped financially the same applies to coun-. tries. If there ever was a na– tion that could have sur– vived and kept out of both wars .It wu the U.S.A. It la no wonder many Americans are beginning to believe that charity begins at home, and there are no rewards or even thanks for assisting other countries. Gold drain If and when America withdraws from its world– wide battle against Com– munism we and the tree– dom-lovln_g peoples of the world will have "had It.•· Ten years ago America hnd gold reserves of 21.9 billion dollars and other countries had 14.3 billion. Now America. ha.s only 13.5 billion and other co11ntrles have 27.3 billion. . , The U:S.A haa \lOlit 8.4, and other 1:ountrles '~have gained 13 billion. Ten years ago dollars held by other nations for which gold can be demanded, totalled 18.B bjlllon. Now it ls 28.2 bllllon. A,11 told the outside world THI COURIIR-MAIL TUESDAY SIPT 17 _ 19~ tells U.S.:- now holds 58.5 billion In gold and dollars. This ls nearly -- _ _ __ ---~ twice as much as 10 years B • Y ago-and America Is stlll 19 pa handling Inflation? It will · pouring out aid and has , be Interesting to see. ,· over one million troops .. ,,,,.,,,,......... ~ The colour problem 1n , overseas. They publicly support, , a. America la a real headache How lonr can thl• and ' candidate for governor &."'ld and there is no sign of any wlll thla go on? say they will support him eu olutlon ' Many Americans agree wlt!l $1 million tor his cam- Y ~ • that thlR money would be paign . More and more Amert- more advantageously spent Companies a.re legally re- eA111 are 1eeldn• o•& Au• In their own country. strlcted from giving money ) -tratla for Aff ID•emnen&. If I were 11 very selfish tor polltlcaJ purposes. The They l&_y "we like your American I would agree, but, unions a.re not. political climate and ~u fortunately for the world, /' It Is a swing of the penduh- have ao jDUCh to offer for there a.re many unselfish Jum of years· ago when rlc the futqr., - ·with no major Americans. corporations and companies problems to aolve unlllte ao There must be a halt; used their fu:ids for polltl- many other counfrle •." otherwise there will be ea! benefits. serious financial repercus- There are closed unions Lo It slons to the dollar and to a.nd closed shops. If a man I ya y the economy. wants to be a plumber or a 1 · truck driver, the respective ............................. .. Inflation ........................... Canada and the U.S.A. are havlnr inflation prob– lems. ftR.ecently a weh-known American urged the youth of this country to beware of the welfare state that pro– tects one from the cradle to the grave. He pointed out that being takers and not givers has been the ruination of many civlllsatlons. Taking Canada and the U.S.A. as the best examples of the free enterprise sys– ,tem and comparing them with the Socialist and Com– munist countries. this _Is what hapoened: GROSS NATIONAL PRO- DUCT PER CAPITA. U.S.A. $3200 Canada $2200 Britain (with par- tially controlled Socialist eco- nomy) $1700 Ru!lllla. $1200 Communist China $108 The world's population ls expected to double by the year 2000, and unless pro– ductivity Increases under the tree enterprise system there will be little hope of feedi:Jg everybody. There ls a beatnik ele– ment In America, but most of the successful companies won't tolerate everyone ma.king his own rules. Their · employees must go to work with a sensible haircut and In clean and normal clothes, or get a job some place else. The 11mslble conform; the nut• ,co el • ewhere. -The future of America will depend very largely on the conduct ot the trade unions and t!1e politicians. The trade unions a.re very well orga.ulsed, rich and powerful. They openly use their funds for political pur– poses. unions tell him he may !lave They verv much ap- to wait five years before he I preclate our loyalty to them gets a ticket. in Vietnam and our help . A plumber makes • 1 ft j wlll not be qulcklY., tor- least $12 an ho·ur, and gotten. • · . he works overtime his In- The American business- come could be up '° / man hat a very high opinion $30,000. That's more than of John •McEwen. He ·is a the salaries of our Chief very sincere and competent . , Justice or Prime MlnlStcr. advocate. tor Australlan There are not sufficient trade and they admire him margins for skllls, many tor his tenacity of purpose. ~~jorcl~l~kes have been They regard him as a big ~t;§§fulJn_gettlng~ man. , I believe we have ao very much In common with the wagea for the lndividualhbut Americans and our future. cause great Joas to t ose will be more and more who are not In that union closely linked as time goes and to the nation. __b;;aY:..·__________, An unskilled laborer or even youths receive about · $1.60 an · hour minimum wage. . One American Hid years ago politicians used to openly pa,v a voter $5 for his vote. Now they do the same thing In a more Indirect way - they make promises Instead and buy votes no ma.tter whether It Is In the National lntere91; or not. They have a great ad- I mlratlon !or Sir Robert Menzies because he went to the Australian public on several occasions anct said: "I don't Intend to buy your votes," and the Australians supported him. They re– fused to be bought, and a., a result we prevented In– flation. · • Can Canada. America, and Great Britain be as suc– cessful as Australia In q - f J