BEAVERBROOK PLAN

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 293, 11 December 1929, Page 7

BEAVERBROOK PLAN

Free Trade Between British Peoples. AIMS OF MOVEMENT. ' (Received 0.30 a.m.) ;■' . • LONDON, December 10. f Lord Beaverbrook, Mr. C. A. McCurdy, •a former ■ Parliamentary- Secretary to the Treasury, arid : Sir Hugo CunliffeOwen, chairman of the British-American Tobacco Company, Limited,-have issued an appeal, which is published in the newspapers all over the country, to all persons who believe in the ideal of free trade within ■ the Empire to enrol as foundation members of an "Empire crusade." "Men and women who support Lord Beaverbrook's policy will be called later to-a national convention. They will not be tied to any existing political party. .': .The objects of the Empire crusade are stated-to be:—Firstly, to develop the industries and resources of the Empire to: their fullest extent, making the Empire. a single economic unit and removing, as far as possible, all obstacles to the freedom of trade between the constituent parts; secondly, ■to make the resources of the Empire, both financial and material, more fully available to producers, distributors and consumers in every portion of the Empire; and thirdly, to erect tariffs between the British Empire and foreign countries, such as are found necessary to realise these ideals. The conveners state that they will take no sides in the historic controversy between free trade and protection.. They recognise the difficulties to be overcome. Local interests must be considered, but they believe that a means can be found to achieve their objects without depriving the Empire of the freedom of trade essential to rapid and profitable develop,ment.