EMPIRE TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 33, 2 November 1907, Page 5

EMPIRE TRADE.

PREFEBENCB. ' MR. ASQUITH'S CATECHISM. ;, IS AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS GOING ELSEWHERE? BY TELEOHArn— PRESS ASSOCIATION— COr-YRIOHT. London, Octobor 31. The Right Hon. , H. H. Asquith, Chancellor of tho Exchequer, speaking at' Lcvcn, Fifoshiro, said that what had taken placo at tho Imperial Conference, and tho present Australian tariff, had combinod to enorniously, strengthen tho free trade feeling in Britain. " . ~ Mr. Asqiiith ehallcngcd tho Tory loaders to plainly answor if, in order to obtain colonial : preference, thoy wero ready to tax 'foreign corn, meat, and wool. If Mri.Balfour said "N0, , -.he would doom liis authority with the party; if " Yos," ho doomed tho fortunes of his party. That was rather a sordid spectacle. ■ Mr. C. H. Rason, Agont-Goncral for Western Australia, addressing Australian membors'of the Chamber of Commorco, declared that Australia was developing trade with other British possessions and with foreign countries'" .which already equals, and ultimately may exceed, in magnitude and valuo her trade with, tho United Kingdom. V. I " I' '- ■ ' ■ . ■ . Mr.; Asqiiith's contribution to : one pf the preferonco debates in the House of Commons took the form of four categorical : questions to Mr. Ball'oiir—whether he would tax (1) wool, (2)' corn I ,'-.(3) meat, (4) raw material? To this catechism ; .the Leader of'.tho Opposition made no reply,'ami the Chancellor sat down. Mr.. .-BalfburV predicament botweon tho tariff reformers and the freetraders was the themo of a speech by -Mr.. Asquith on August 24, when ho laid dovn two principles:—"The first was that i wo' cpiild- not accept or adopt'any form of Colonial..preference which involved taxation to corn,'nieat,. and raw materials; and . that tho. Colonists for. thoir part could not give-us any-fo'riri of Imperial-preference which would admit' British manufacturers on level terms into competition with their own protected industries; That was the '''principle upon whichi tho -Canadian, the best- of all Colonial l ,tariffs,. [ .was, l framed.; It was the 'principle .'still' more conspiouous , id tho ]new Australian tariff., lie wished that tho Unionist party—it. was-almost ,timo they got a now. name— show equal frankness with'tho' people' of'. this country. ' They saw that • at' every' by-election ' that took -place the official candidate of tho. party was- a tariff refonnerr-that was, a person prepared to piit import duties on "corn and other necessities of'life. But what , was the'leader of the party? (Laughter.) Ho had asked,the leaders of the Unionist party to tell the people of,, this , country whether they wore prepared" to tax corn, to-tax-mwit, to tax-the , necessities of life and of industry in order .to carry out a so-called policy of Colonial preference? Until they had a , plain answer, the Unionist party could not expect .to escape the penalty of siibtertugc and evasion, which lost them the ndonco of; the coiintry." '■'..'■