A "WATCH OUT" LEAGUE.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 199, 22 August 1919, Page 9

A "WATCH OUT" LEAGUE.

AWAITING DEVELOPMENTS. STEP RATHER HASTY. Mr. Robert Burns, president of the Auckland branch of the Welfare League, when pressed for an expression of the League's probable attitude in the _Buajtion that the country now faces, pointed out that the Welfare League concerned ! itself more with the return to Parliament I jof suitable men than parties. Active propagandist work would be undertaken lin the coming campaign, and candidates I would probably be nominated by the ' League, but whether the League would ally itself with any particular party for tin- fight he could not say. That phase iof the matter had not yet been discussed. Speaking personally on the subject of Sir Joseph Ward's decision, he was of c*Viion that the step was rather hurried. T. iecmed as if for the moment Sir Joseph I Ward had allowed his feelings to overI come his judgment. "Wo hope he will reconsider his decision and continue in the National Government until the urgent matters are dealt with by the present Parliament," he added. TRADE RESTRICTIONS SHOULD CO. Mr. Burns was asked his opinion as ex-chairman of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce on the section of the Liberal policy dealing with the removal of trade restrictions. "Every person engaged in commerce must have realised the harassing effects of the ninny trade restrictions imposed during the war period," he said. "Some of these are being continued. There is no doubt that the best thing for the trading and purchasing community and the country at large is to remove ihe restrictions as soon as possible. The effect of the Government regulations litis in many instances been the direct reverse of their object. If they would leave trade to find its own level competition would bring prices down to a reasonable standard. Competition has been stilled by the great number of regulations made, and the consequence is far higher prices than we should have had without any restrictions whatever." On the subject of Imperial preference Mr. Burns declared that the Auckland Chamber had always advocated it. "But in the past." he remarked, "the preference has always come from Xew Zealand's side and not from the Mother Country. Preference, to be satisfactory, should be reciprocal.''