DOMINIONS' ATTITUDE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 171, 22 July 1931, Page 11

DOMINIONS' ATTITUDE.

URGING TARIFF ON BRITAIN. i DISCUSSION BY MEMBERS. "GREAT DEAL OF SIMMERING." (By Telegraph.—Press Association ) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. A general discussion, which will be continued to-morrow, took place in the House of Representatives to-day, after the Prime Minister had reviewed the work of the Imperial Conference. The Hon. W. Downie Stewart (Reform, Dunedin West) eaid when Mr. Forbes said the proposals for tariff reciprocity had been turned down and that the Dominions then discussed the proposals of the British Government, lie had not put the actions of the Dominions' representatives generally in a true light. Mr. Forbes had not indulged in hectoring the British Government to the extent that some other Premiers had. if the Imperial Conference were held in New Zealand or Australia and British Ministers asked for an abolition of tariffs and talked in the same strain as some Dominion representatives had done, it would not lead to a closer binding of the ties of the Empire. The result of the conference appeared to be a great deal of simmering, and if tho Dominions were to endeavour to get what they wanted in the manner adopted by some of the Ministers it was bound to lead to friction. Britain's foreign trade was of enormous importance to her, and she had naturally to move with great caution when considering placing tariff barriers against foreign imports for the advantage of the Dominions. Referring to tho proposed adoption of the Statute of Westminster by the Dominions, Mr. Stewart said the Prime Minister's action in not seeking to bind New Zealand by such wide powers was the proper one. "Britain Has Her Rights." Mr. M. J. Savage (Labour, Auckland West) eaid Britain had her rights, and it appeared an astonishing thing to him that the Dominion Pri.ne Ministers had not realised that. The Prime Minister had said the Dominions would not get anywhere unless Britain altered her views. Mr. Forbes: On free trade. Mr. Savage: Well, has not Britain the v:ight to her own views on free trade or any other fiscal policy? Continuing, lie said if the Dominion representatives had spent lees time in questioning Britain's Labour Government and had spent more on Imperial affairs, they would have done better. It was all very well to talk about trade following the flag, but it would follow money, and they would have to realise that and act accordingly. How could Britain give absolute preference to New Zealand beef, for instance, when she had a great deal of money invested in the Argentino, where only beef was grown? It was asking Britain to erect tariff barriers against herself. He considered some working agreement for the economic soundness of the whole Empire should be entered into. New Zealand would never get bulk purchase while it had the present Government. If New Zealand could take large quantities of goods from Britain at fixed prices, why should she not do so? The Hon. E. A. Ransom, Minister of Lands, eaid to his mind the conference had not discussed at sufficient length tho influence of preference for Dominion products on Britain's foreign trade. It was held by the British Government that the policy of preference would be detrimental to Britain's trade as a whole, but there were numerous arguments against this contention. Marketing ProblemMr. W. J. Jordan (Labour, Manukau) urged that a conference should be arranged with tho British authorities on the question of produce marketing. One of the finest Empire tics that could be established would be a reciprocal pensions arrangement. Mr. J. S. Fletcher (Independent, Grey Lynn) advocated setting up a special Imperial affairs committee of the Now Zealand Parliament for thj purpose of investigating such questions as bulk purchase. Mr. A. M. Samuel (Reform, Thames) said it was regrettable that steps had not been taken to secure a reciprocal pensions system covering the whole Empire. He thought the time was coming when the Dominions should have representation in the British Parliament, so that problems affecting Dominion welfare could be dealt with on the spot. Mr. H. M. Rushworth (Country, Bay of Islands) considered the Prime Minister had been called upon to perform an impossible job at the Imperial Conference. He had referred before to the possibility of component parts of the Empire drifting, and he felt that in some countries disintegration of the Empire was contemplated with equanimity. That, of course, was not the case in New Zealand. It would depend upon public opinion in various parts of the Empire to what extent the drift would take place.