MR HALDANES SHEFFIELD SPEECH.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12970, 25 November 1907, Page 7

MR HALDANES SHEFFIELD SPEECH.

MR DEAKIN'S CO3SMENT. MELBOURNE, November 28. In reference to Mr Haldane's speech at Sheffield, iMr Doakin, in an interview, said lie was greatly surprised that a man of Mr Haldano's eminence and ability should place euch gloss upon facts amd dates. Mr Winston Churchill, six months ago, at Edinburgh, declared they had banged, barred, and bolted the door upon Iraperial taxation of food. Their ma- ' jority, Jie had ,*aid, was the largest majority ever eeen in the House or Commons, and it had ite back firmly against the door, and that door would never be opened—not a chink of It would ever be opened again. He said they would not givfc one farthing's preference on one single peppercorn. Mr Winston Churchill, in that speech, was speaking for Air Haldane and all his other colleagues in the Government. "It needs w> comment of mine," said Mr Deakin, "to emphasise how unmistakably and fully Mr Haldane's colleagues have banged the door. Our tariff was not introduced until throe months afterwards, and, of course, in the light of tfheit x deolwetion. So far, however, from emulating the irreconcilable attitude of,. Mr Haldane ] and his colleagues, a : feature , of our tariff was preference, to . Britain, by way of gift, without any ■ return. This was valued at £1,500,000 ' per *muim. The Teail baneing of the '■ dew occurred in May, when Mr Win- j 'ston Gburohill spoke β-t Edinburgh. ( The re-opening Cf the door occurred. . when we inttrodiuoed out tariff. Thai evewt ihae iiow 'been perverted by Mr HildflJi© banging tlhe door." '