THE FISCAL ISSUE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 204, 22 May 1908, Page 7

THE FISCAL ISSUE.

CROSIER AND MILNER.

PRO-CONSULS' OPPOSITE VIEWS. WOULD PREFERENCE PAY? BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT. (Roc. May 21, 9.19 p.m.) London, May 21. In tho Houso of Lords, tho Duke of Marlborough' initiated a fiscal debate. Lord Cromer emphasised what ho described as the absurd, intolerable, and minute classifications of the Australian-tariff. Ho complainctl that tho prospect was that' any changes in colonial protective tariffs would bo.only slight, and ho urged tho Motherland to leave well alone. ' ■ Lord Milner declared that tho question was, whether we intended to be the principal sellers to. tho colonies P Olio or two moro treaties - like tho Franco-Canadian and our position in tho Canadian market would bo destroyed. . LORD CROMER'S POLICY. Tho noteworthy conflict of opinion on 'the fiscal issue between the two great Unionist Pro-Consuls,- from Africa —for Lord Cromer is Unionist if ho is anything—seems to have been tho outstanding feature of the debate. Lord Cromer opposes Imperial preference, not only on economic grounds, but on tho plea that it will i do more than anything else to promote Anglophobia abroad; an argument that has drawn forth the retort that it presupposes that Britain is afraid to adopt fiscal measures to other oountrics which they already apply to her. It has been further contended that Lord Cromor is contusing his position in Egypt, where Britain has not a free hand fiscally, with that of the United Kingdom, and its autonomous States. ' Tho commercial treaty botween Canada and France, the terms of which were recently published, was concluded after Britain had votoed Imperial preference at tho. Colonial Conference. Sir Wilfrid Laurier took up tho ground that the acceptance or rejection of colonial preference was purely a matter for tho peoplo of the United Kingdom to decide. '"Canada," he said, "would not allow England to interfere with its fiscal policy, and, equally, Canadians did not want to dictate to the British on such a matter."