LABOUR AND PREFERENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 163, 10 July 1907, Page 5

LABOUR AND PREFERENCE.

Eeply to Free Trade Manifesto. (Eeceired S-ll _jxu) p nil ii i ]" ' \ T i Seform Association, claiming to represent many thousands of trade unionsfcs, — wjlUen -fco _t« lE*ress strongly dissenting from the Free Trade manifesto recently issued by. twenty-two Labour members of the House of Commons.

They consider that the manifesto is principally significant owing to its antiImperialist tone, its ultra-parochial chaxaeter, and the weakness of its arguments.

The letter declares that the signatories j to the manifesto are not identified -with the staple manufacturing industries, and the protestors deny that .the colonies, have made either threats or demands. They also condemn the attempt to belittle the v importance of colonial trade, and express the "belief that preference would cause an immediate increase of 10 per cent, on export trade, and would give - employment to 110,000 persons. The letter, in conclusion, deplores the sneers at the colonies' disinterested attitude, remembering that they fought for us and only wish to trade with us.

[Tbe original Labour members' manifesto, after minimising the importance of Australia and New Zealand, accused the colonies of having " used threats if -we refuse their demand." Preference • was represented as a system, of exploiting Imperial sentiment at the expense of the British workman.3