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Show Face Political and Financial Fi-nancial Problems With Optimism; Vexatious Questions i Are Many. Steady Commercial Revival Re-vival Is Anticipated; Great Growth in Export Ex-port Trade Expected. v. Tiy the Associated Press.) LONDON, Dec. iS. The people of Great Rntuln look forward to a new year full of financlnl and political 1 difficulties, but with greater optimism than they would have thought possible a few months ago. A "new world fit for heroes to live in," which was an ideal of the war, has not yet been fully attained at home, and international in-ternational pruhlems which 1 brought on the war stlli are hanging over the head of the nation. Yet the Itrltlsh people are trying to face the future ln an invincible faith In the nation's ability to conquer ail troubles. The most cheerful optimist of a'.l Is Premier Lloyd Weorge. I'nder the leadership leader-ship of liis unflagging faith that everything every-thing will work out for the beat, ti.e clouds of despondency, pictured by the newspapers as thickest when the chancellor chan-cellor o the exchequer declared that tiie nation was heading for bankruptcy, say -HrltfmwHUW1 'i'T.!Mi "fWH. " ' A foremost cause for confidence is the steady commercial revival and cessation of lahor troubles, which Britons hope will continue. These give ground for prediction predic-tion by optimists that Great Britain will return to normal conditions sooner than other great Kuropean countries which engaged in the war. FACTORY BUSINESS IS WELL BOOKED. Manufacturers in many lines have b-jhl-ness booked far ahead. Thy cotton trade, one or the basic British industries, Is said to have all the orders it can fill for the next five years. Shipbuilders say they are In the same happy condition. They have yet to be convinced that America will he able to take away the former British supremacy in '.'ne carrying trade. They base their confidence on the belief that, while the British are a seafaring race, the Ameri-i Ameri-i cans are not. Apparently they believe that American ships built in the war are destined tu be bought eventually by distinctly maritime Continued on Pago 2. Column 2.1 BRITONS H0PEF0L IS ffl ME (Continued From Paee One.) nations. Their confidence, however, is not iron-clad. Lord Inehcape told the shareholders of one Great Britain steamship steam-ship company that if the American government gov-ernment turned over its ships to private owners Great Britain need not be afraid, but if the American people were to be taxed to btii'd up thdr mercantile marine ma-rine the outlook for t he snipping industry indus-try in these islanus was anything but rosy. BANKERS EXPECT BIG TRADE HERE. British banker? and merchants look forward for-ward to a great increase o: business wiih South America in I !'''. They expect to hold their pre-war customers and to gain much of what Germany lost. They profess pro-fess ro discount the prospect that the T'hited :'-tates w;!l acquire control of the South American field. Many nations are anxious to buy from 1 I Great Britain. How some of theni can 'pay is a problem. The decline in e-, e-, change rates had a depressing effect on A meriean trade. but exchange with) France, Italy and smaller markets is fa- i vorabl.-; to Great Britain. Against these reasons for business cgn- j fidence stand two handicaps in the t.,rm 1 of financial and labor conditions. The national dbt appears appalling to the i British puhlic, but optimists argue that j it is smaller than was the debt after i the Napoleonic wars, measured by the ' country's wealth and potential producing power. The oy.K-stion of clearing the decks by some form of a capital levy i still at t h e fro n t and may be one of the burning burn-ing politfcal ipies t ions of the year. MANY PROBLEMS BEFORE CABINET. The na t i o r. a 1 1 za '. : o n of :r. 1 r. e s a ! i a i 1 - j ways is another British, problem and with it ar linked i'i'"ftion.-j of hours and waea. which confront all industrirs alike and which Kr.cland shares w.t i America. It has been said that Grat Brit.in'e recovery re-covery after the Xar'!::c wars wj( possible through underpaid la)or, L: British employers no n.jt exp-ct ti ,1r to j be among tne as.-ets of t'r.r- future. On i the -contrary, many inuufnriai leaders s.iy i Bri'l-h ir.dustrv is facinc a ijue-tior. :whetner the steady increase in wg-s may not become a dangerous handicap in 1 cump-tition with other co-ir.'r.es. I Laror has other prospective benefits in the promise uf P render Lloyd Go: i;e's grat s'-hen-.e for b-, tiding comfortable I workmen's horr.e.-? throuliour ti:e couii- try. wl.ieh i ju : beg.r.ning to ::.a-tcriah-'1 and in plans for inpurane ; .acainst unemployment which ha'"e not vet ' develone 3. T..e ''rlr;c,ip'.l of tne lafr i y.'an is that all rr. - n out of work tr.ruJk'n ! no fault or" their own snail be assured , of a respect.tble living ns a right, wdt.;-out wdt.;-out any taint of pauiierism. IRISH QUESTION STILL TROUBLES. Irhm-l st::I is re parried at oae rr' th.e goverriment's mot difficult and thr-ii- j enir.c oomestic proal-un.-. flar.v foreru-f of 1 . ? n e w 1, ( . n , e r 1 1 e nil: m. nothing but opposition from ail Irivh fa.-f.ou. TY.e Sinn Kein, h ir,t j'.rity )f tne I rlxr. vo'.f'S, Threatened to i"cutt th K-'b-m as it boyo'ts the British p-rllarr.'-r,f. India and 1-1 c v f i are b i I n g w : c b ! in the baianc v. i I n honei and fear.i .is i n-tense n-tense as thos- centered upon Ir.l.iuil. India wdil in the new ynr th- b-.n- rhns of the pro tr ram of Tvf win Samuel Montagu i'or ne w measures of -co: -ernrr'iit. Il-.'abll.jiimf-nt tf a protectorate protec-torate over Kgvpr is now b.-ln r'-I.r.d I wi'h mucn t.ii satne bittrnn aral .samel methods n t Irish, re.-dsd ir.e pre.i- I ent adnhr.istration in. Ireland. j T:." n-w yea r is pe- t ed to V; vif :tl : for the fort un-j of the army nd navy, i The prenrit plan If to reduce t'n armvj rixt year to virtually 1 1 h pr-'-wf-r ui. '-;!. The na-. v in at a ritlral tatr'. Mxj)'TfH upon whom t..e country reded in t' p-is, ' notably Baron Idnr.'-r. formerly flraf men iord. and R-a -v Ad aural Sir Tr.-v S'n't. ;.r- for scrapping the old -'M'ab;!hir:M!t. Thv deci;i re ! ha bf g ha ' tlnhipH a- onsolete, that nuhinarin-i and airrxft have r". rduti'irdfd uarfar and thf nun. in.T.-u :)'. and bi vut.-i.'THl ales, , re t r, only craft of t..o fiitiire. Experts Say, "Go Slow," Na'.al ep'Tts whoK opinion? command fiua 1 re.-pe.'f ji m ':k "pt 1 al and na v, "g'j viow." It Is urgf'd t.iat a counirv wi'o-:" li it: d r'eriflt-; i;i,on lis n;rv sr. on VI rioi drop In fd maihlriery bci"..re (;. jt- ,v has b.-- ri ) roved nryond raroi.an.e doubt. 'J'.'i' if'y di.po,t..or.s of Tor ,t'-',- ,ind rd U'-r la nd: of t ';,: ii'ar : -1 a ? n ;(lni'fil aft jrnporlant f'r Gr r-.it Britain a tar ! i'.'l 'ai." or h'-r own t it r i tori S'tlrig up ill n.'W ma tifia ; orv rolon:-s and island.-, imop.'f-s many (! i--br,. S"hto:n has tii" nii'oi. fac-.l rr-.nr or nirin; ario:o) and dhficult Ih-i'kh tin n iii" v.' ".v '.' .ir hold.-; for Grr-at Hrllalu. r the- a.'ertio- in.-'n h. ;i...orb" in ono mi.-i-( t more tb. in all ft lae oIiiik toe.-t bej . T,,lJ. ) Pie I'nit of living, which ba ln-cM.i-;. '! iiioic In tb p.'t.t ear loan (lurihi; I ;brt f ur P'ur.-i of v.;n, ati'i h.i no t in nlittr poi n ! in : ,cot . Tills ihtwik t ha t a Jar;e part a' tb" popnl.i t ;on h;m (o I'adli'.i p,- y.r;uf of 11-inu and that a !.,rr.- vff'liim of I be old "middle rb.s:;" ia i'Coinin tb" t: .' poor. |