DOMINION TARIFFS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 267, 24 August 1936, Page 6

DOMINION TARIFFS.

TREATMENT BY GREAT BRITAIN THE QUESTION OF EQUITY The fairness of the policy by which Great Britain treats her hightariff and low-tariff dominions alike, is questioned by the High Commissioner for New Zealand in London, Sir Janie,s Parr, in an article in the special New Zealand supplement published by. the “Daily Telegraph,” London, last month. Sir James expresses the opinion that with bilateral pacts inter-Empire trade would increase. “As foreign nations pursue a policy of excessive - economic nationalism, as foreign country after country endeavours to become selfsufficient by rearing tariffs as high as the heavens against us,” writes Sir James, “it surely becomes increasingly evident that the true in tercsts of the British Empire are to be found in cultivating the closest economic relations one country with the other. Such, indeed, is the trend of policy nowadays, and I prophesy that with bilateral pacts this inteiv-Empire trade will increase.

“At present, under the Ottawa agreements, all dominions are treated equally by the Mother Country. lor example, Great, Britain, while taxing foreign imports, treats New Zealand, Australian, South African, and Canadian produce on the same level, that is, it all enters Great Britain free of tariff duty. “I think there is a weakness in this system, inasmuch as Great Britain docs not differentiate between the liigh-tar iff and Sow-tariff dominions. The, result is that while one dominion may have a low tariff, against British goods, and another dominion an exceedingly high tariff, nevertheless each of them is placed on the same level, their goods all coming into Britain free. “Is this quite fair?” asks Sir James. “Is there to be no reward or extra concession to the dominion which deals most liberally with Britain ok tariff matters? For instance, New Zealand’s tariff is a very low one, but Australia has a tariff 300 per cent, higher, and Canada’s is nearly as high as Australia’s, against most British goods. With no desire to be invidious or to hurt anyone’s feelings, I hope I may he pardoned if I question the equity of such a position.”