The Press. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1912. TARIFF REFORM.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14512, 19 December 1912, Page 6

The Press. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1912. TARIFF REFORM.

We doubt if Mr Bonar Law's speech at Ashton-tinder-Lyne in reference to the Unionists' policy of Tariff Reform will tend either to enhance his own reputation as a leader, or strengthen the Unionist cause at tho next general election. When Mr Joseph Chamberlain dealt with the question ho handled it ! blindly, as a man who thoroughly believed in tho cause he advocated, and was absolutely convinced that it was for tho good of the country. Mr Bonar Law speaks more as a politician anxious to conciliate all*sections and afraid to come out too strongly on the subject of Imperial preference for fear of alienating thoso Unionists who still cling tenaciously to free-trade. This is not tho stuff of which successful leaders aro made. To gather round him a party and carry it to victory, a man must be a fighter, and havo the courage of Ids convictions. An attempt to trim hero and hedge there, to avoid giving offence, may perhaps keep a party in power for some time after signs.of disintegration begin io show themselves, but in going to tho country it is necessary, if victory is to be achieved, to have" a decided platform, and men who believo in it thoroughly. We think it is particularly to bo regretted that Mr Bonar Law has endeavoured to brin_ tho oversea Dominions into the political arena of the United Kingdom. Ho stated that if tho Unionists -were entrusted with power they did not intend to impose food taxes without first convening a Colonial Conference to consider tho whole question of preferential trade. The "Daily Chronicle" makes tho obvious comment that this is a palpable attempt to shift the odium of Food taxes from the shoulders of the Unionists to those of the Dominions. "The Times" very properly remarks that if food taxation is undesirable as a purely domestic reform, then it is not desirable at all. That is an absolutely sound proposition. We hear a good ! deal about taxation without rcpresen- | tation. but if it were attempted to tax j the people of the United Kingdom not in accordance with their own wish as expressed through their own representatives, but in compliance with the wish or the opinion of a purely advisory body composed of delegates from other parts of the Empire, it would be a flagrant act of injustice as well as a gross breach of constitutional propriety, and any free people would be bound to resent it. Most of the oversea Dominions have adopted a protectionist policy for

j themselves, and there is a strong preponderance of opinion that Imperial preference "wonld be a good thing for the Empire. There has, at the waic time, been a strong feelin_, however, that the question was one for the United Kingdom to settle in her own way. and that it would bo altogether wron_ for tho Dominions to interfere in the politics of tho Mother Country. And the very las-, thing which oversea Britons would desire to do is to apply pressure with the view of bringing abtout. taxation of th food of thoso in the Mother Country, with whom tho question of getting sufficient to eat is a matter of some difficulty, and a problem of extreme importance. The view of the advocates of Tariff Reform is that the duties can be so adjusted that the total food-bill of the working man will not bo increased, and that, secondly, tin increased prosperity brought about by Imperial preference will mean raoro employment and a rise in wages. There is a good deal to be said in favour of this view, and had Mr Joseph Chamberlain been spared in activo political life until now -vo believe that his earnestness, zeal and eloquence would havo converted a sufficient majority of his fellow-countrymen to his views to give the system a trial. Having got his mandate from tho people of the United Kingdom ho couid then have convened a conferenco of representatives from the Dominions, with a viow to agreeing on fiscal arrangements that would satisfy all parts of the Empire. Mr Bonar Law apparently wishes to hold tho conference first, to ascertain the minimum amount of preference that would satisfy tne Dominions, and thus frame his policy accordingly. With all duo deference we think that a bolder policy would be more likely to -succeed, and it would certainly be fairer to all concerned.