CONTRACTS WITHIN THE EMPIRE.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17732, 7 April 1923, Page 9

CONTRACTS WITHIN THE EMPIRE.

STRANGE ACTION OF THE WAR OFFICE. (FROM Ouß own correspondent.) LONDON, February 27. A very influential deputation waited upon Sir William Joyiison-tLicks, M.P., Secretary to the Department of er seas Trade, in the unavoidable absence of the President of the Board of Trade, relative to Empire preference in the matter of cqutracis. The deputation, organised by tne British hmpire i J ro»luctrs' jUjrgaiiisation, was lepieseutative of over twenty English and Colonial Associations. Mr T. B. Lues was present on behalf of the Now Zealand Meat Ben H. Morgan, in introducing the deputation, said that it was one of the most remarkable that had ever piaced its views be tore a Minister of the Imperial Government, because it represented a preponderating majority of the industries of the entire Bntis Empire. This prodigious body or opinion was unanimously in favour of the proposal that it should be obligatory on every Government Department and every llailway and public body authority in the United Kingdom to purchase goods entirely of British Empire origin and to employ oniy British labour on their contracts and work. N'ot only was the burden resulting riom unemployment greater than we could continue to bear, but unemployment was causing a measure of degeneration and social unrest among the workers constituting a menace to the State ana to all schemes of peaceful regeneration But more tnan this,, the atitude of the Imperial Government in respect to Dominion and Colonial trade caused very deep misgiving in the minds of the British people overAustralia, for example, in 1921, this country a preference in her tariffs amounting to-no less than £8,000,000, and the comparative tariffs preference that was accorded to Australian products here did not- amount to £300,000. New Zealand not long ago placed an order in this country for rolling stock at prices 10 per cent, greater than foreign prices, and this in addition to the great advantage which w« derived from her preferential tariff. These were only instances Other Dominions and Colonies were every day giving Great Britain similar treatment. Canned Meat from United States. Only a short time ago the War Office passed over tenders from Australia and IN ew Zealand for canned meat for the Army and gave a contract for nearly one million tins to the United States. When the Dominion tenderers asked for definite details of the reasons for this action, they were refused information. This was only on a level "'>fch what was happening in the purchases of a great many of the municipalities, including the L.C.C., who not only in respect to machinery and tram linea purchased foreign material, but actually in connexion with their housing scheme designed primarily to benefit the working classes of the country. He was credibly informed that even the Ministry of Pensions used foreign pencils. On the one hand this country was paying out something in the region of 100 million pounds a year for unemployment, and on the other hand, through lack of a sound Empire economic policy, it was deliberately adding to the ranks of the unemployed. If something were not done there would be a great revulsion of feeling in the Dominions and colonies against increasing or even maintaining the preferences on the products of the Mother Country. The British Empire Producers' Organisation had it in the strongest terms from its affiliated bodies, fn the Dominions and colonies who controlled industry there that they -would press locally for a compulsory measure that •would ensure preferential purchases of Empire products by their Government Departments and public bodies if the Imperial s Government would set the example. 1 The deputation asked for legislation which would compel all public bodies, Government or local, to give contracts only to British Empire firms, employing British Empire labtfur and materials, except under the license of a committee to be set up for the purpose, and to represent the spending departments of organised industry and labour. He suggested that in the meanwhile the Government _ could put the principle into practice without legislation in all Government contracts and contracts requiring Government assent or guarantee, and. urged upon them to do so without delay. Mr Hugo Hirst {British Electrical Manufacturers' Association), Mr George Terrell (National Union of Manufacturers), Mr A. D. Bremner (British Engineers' Association), and Mr, A. R. Has9an (Australian Meat Industry) were among the other speakers. Government Sympathies. Sir William Joynson-Hicks replied that both the President of the Board of Trade and himself were in full sympathy with the object which the deputation had in view., and that the matter had for a considerable time received the careful attention of the Government, and particularly of the Cabinet Committee on Unemployment. A distinction must be drawn between contracts placed by Government Departments' or by local authorities in respect of works for which they received financial assistance from the State, and contracts placed by local authorities or public utility undertakings not so assisted. Tn the former group of cases, the Government could lav down such conditions as they tliought proper; as to the other rases they could only make recommendations to the local authorities or companies concerned. The matter was undoubtedly one of great and immediate importance, and the representations made by the deputation would be given full weight.