Preferential Trade.

* .<-- SPEECHES ON "NOT APABT^ -^tE>STioN/" ; \- ' colonies H?iSislro coWert] ■ - ' " 'jp, ' '"' ■• ' '.■*'''• . ''; J ' : tJnitediSPr&s Association.— Bjr *;- 'Tdeg?aph^jJopyriglit. ! '•' ■ ' '-~ ,'" L.onson, Jiiine,27i."' v j *.The jaddross iji a! casket presented t<J JJjj.'X3i&mfcerl»m l>y Ih'e ■iio.nal'^Clul^'ofc Friday was written a' year ago:-, i' „..•-.. ... >Hrßalfonr, -in ihe . course of Ms sjpeech when nualcing^ the _ presentation, said; it wpuld' be., folly -to make fiscal differences the test. < of.' party .^loyalty.' Negotiations in - the tr.ue sense of the AVdrfel were impossible under present conditions, as ohir balloon -^had bden kept up by throwing : out^sanH bags, and when the sand was 'exhaujsteil we inSust considei?'- our p'ositiojni. -The as Isues raised ■ were nowise new, "as the j^xisjing - evils and daiagers had 1 been em^hasyded for years by the, Government, or 'its : ,meinjbers. wThe public would make a mistaike in[ eohceritrat--Ing its gaze "on'tiliG,p(articular-meth l oßs -for m'eetmg -these evils-. It was riot a controversy as to ' w&eijher food sh'aulid' betiaxed, but' whether evils existeji whicih deniadded a'< remedy. There iwaa, no -real or- aiibstautial < reason why'th.e proposed policy, if wise r^rid i^aciical in other respects, shTould. not be car^riexi o,ut- withouit increasing th^e cost of living. .' What was wanted -Was freedom of negotiation for the purpose .of increasing the ' f reedom - of . traifle^ aw- > trammelled <by prohibitive -taHffs. H]e. would say nothing "ailiixutj the further object of strengthening lmjgeriaitijpity 'leaving; that to Mr G^aiivberlain, who was the one m'ah, dead of alive; wihb. had -given 4 life- and esjpressaon to' tKe, idea' of Imfperial tutity., (Cheerajf. ;\ Mr C/3bam4>erlaita, in;-reply,";said" Txe reciprocated Mr Balfosir's coniplim!ent with 1 iW g^neroiis protestation of loyalty aiiid fidelity i He paid* a. glowing iiib.ute ifcQ tihe"^ v colonies. fot' rallying to "the _ideal of a common 'o-biigatipin to Jfee despite indiiffeSefnoeT; ' .sligjhts, sneers, anjd apposition in tjhe passt. TJhere .were nuaaiy nie'thods/of prjbmoting' closer uiiity ; nevertheless -theyV^ 'Musi consliiltaind^f&llow" -fehefishes anH. interest© Ql,the .colonifesj, remembering that, thes ;'auc'cess' -of any Imjperial u'njon icfeiJended on the. Icor^iah aju.p v por't tendered from ajl parts of the Emjp re. He, in , a' certain^ sense, as reppeseataiLve of 'fHx& > colonies, wa^ bduiM to ask -for ( an .inquiry in puralu: ance of their suggestion .that djoser utaity woiuld inosft pfot^itablv be' reaptif' ed by a eojinimiereial tijijon preferential tariffs. ' ( This '' was no p'ari^ qiuest&oii: '; A' "preferential tariff Vas th\e 'only sysleiic capable of "^keeping, tjhe Elmpirc together. He suggested wJkc r » Iher tlhe exports of" British man,ufaje— tuJrers ' tq tine bolonies did riot 'exceejd' those tb,, all' ehe" protecteH States ;< iof Eharope anQ America tiogfef^ier^ -frgvo&p of exports that were .coutiniUcally' itutad rapidly iJeci-easing^ in' qiiantpity?. arid in -proifitable chaisacfier. v He ihirraier. «ujgr gtisteii whetiher it' would, riot' be -wiser to : italtiy.ate trade/ ] with ten mjHlioij kinsmeii' taking ironrus £10 per heaid* rattier ■ than lose the opportJunity for the sake of*" attenipting to conciliate 300 mllion i foreigners taking a few s^hill'ings'wortih per' head.- The inquiry Would also' comprise the condition anjd relative' progress of js^otected^coiiii— tt*ies J j? /l^Qgitwlingi a p.olioy of retalia : tiori,'or,' "aS'Tffr Balfomr hald^ better desoribed i^ a policy of negotiation, .if, haivan'g .' something '.\to bargain witji> Britain failed in her n^igotiatiojisi/ they wctiW preserve ; her ' vast pro-i-dueti,oli», 1 ihsiteaHof tolerating- the ruin of their iron Vahid textile i&l,u£tfried by the importation of "goods" matfu4- j ifatetmrWi in protected' States and' sold in Britain below cost price. >H.e'.<fcsKIcribed as' monstrqus the accusation that the Unionist 'party intended to impose greater burdens on the poort The cry of a dear loaf he declared . to I be an iir!<posfcur6. 'Be "pointed' oo't tha^. even 'if the price of a particular a*rti- j cle \vei'e ' raiseel by' the 'tariff tih£re would bo compensations in other di- j i-ectiQli's, arrcl x:o^i of living wouH' not lac inlcreased' in. the slightest degree. IFc u,l:ged ■an f impiartial ' iritjuiry in.- relation tp. the interests o.f, the^ majority of the, popjulajiaoni -„.-> > The - speeches i- were cheered , through- j out". t •' „ t. , '- , / - i The StondaKcl, . commeaitlng on, tli6 speeches, aalks if , the colonies will so far waiive their -, piolfcy of fpifot&ctmg local intkistiri'est as, to open a remiu'n- i oratjjwe marlcet' to Buitish goods, and ad<ds' ( jtihat it . will proib-^ly foe harder to converts some of the eoloiues tJban i to obtain the aWntr of some of the consitituouciOß to 'Mr v Cliian^bei'lain J^ scheme. > 5 • •>• . • ■ >