IMPERIAL QUESTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 644, 22 October 1909, Page 8

IMPERIAL QUESTIONS.

■■ v ";' : '';--' ; ' ;,: ~—^':', , ?' : 'V' : ' : -s'' r V' : i, ; ;' ' : :' • ' .;TARIRF I /BUbGET,,!ANDV|CABLES. , ! ; ' ■'■■■,] SIR 'ALBp.T,;SPICERvINTER\ T n!WEpi,?.:" • Sir' AlbertVSpicer.'.'MiP., who.,was 'president. ■■'■ of.the. Cbmmerce Congressi'at Sydnej,;and . '■ is-' the head- of:. a : well-known' : pAper-niakfnjj • ."..- firm, found'time 'during a busy day.ini,We\. lington yesterday to'g'rant an interview./to;'*: :,; Dominion reporter; f .. . , , '' : ;, : j ' .Questioned as'to' the practical results, ao. ,-' tual lof-the late > congress of,Chambers of Commerce of the Empire, 'the ■)'" ■ , distinguished visitor E aid.that one resultwoul'd'■..■''■ bo a better knowledge of Australian 'conditions , and Australian opinions on the part of-.those > • • who came out from the Old Country, and'ho hoped, that -a .large, number of ,th« population of Australia, who did not know the Old . Coantry at first hand, : had gained' come' now light upon conditions at Home..'.. •■.•;.' ••■'.''.• With regard.to,preferontial trade,"-he con. '•■' ttnued, the outlook is, of course, uncertain. If the -British liberal party are. , defeated at-■; •'■• the- next general elcctioh-whioh, personally/I don't expect will-be'the case—there can be no doubt that an effort will be made to introduce tariff reform, and with it a preferential tariff) but it W been clearly indicated in some-of ■■ the cablegrams to the Australasian'press that if the Budget is passed,- • tariff reform" will be ■ side-traoked. X spoke in support of tho Budget during the'.second- reading debate, 1 and,de; •.'■'. scribed as a, thick-and-thin'snppjrter. of-it. My visit to Australia, 22 yjars agj'led "■ me to,study:.the-'landquestion, and.'eyer since then, -. I, ..'have; been 'a ..'strong, (advocate of - tho , views in connection with.' land that :are -embodied in ~ the . Budget. ■ Its proposals arc, after all,-very moderate, It '■•' provides, in the first place,' that land, other' ; ;han agricultural - land, 6hall be valued, and' :hat at the next transfer by sale or death, if an ■ inorement has been obtained, 20 per".':' cent, of, that increment,: above to-day's valujiV '' tion,- shall .be returned to■ the State us a. re- ' coinpenso for the additional value which the State and the.people have given to,the ilandy! Secondly,:it 'provides- that undeveloped or un- - occupied, land shall be taxed Jd, in the Jβ'. on. ' its' capital value,;. ,The refusal of. Colonel Rat.' ■ cliff, to .attend a, meeting of protest against' ■ the Budget is, to my mind, very significant'. If, the Budget has, really, caught on with the' , poople—and I think. it has—the Lordsare ribti , "' likely-to throw it out. During the term, of office of the present Government; the Lords '; have only rejected Liberal measures which would'not have been. supported by all, who" voted for the Government in the Freetrade •" ■ eleotion : of 1908." ! ," ; ". :'. ! \.: ,':'"-' Sir Albert Spicer, who is a pronounced trader, had read the analyses .of. the.resultt of. the , New Zealand preferontial tariff by > ; Messrs.John Duthio and James .Allen, M.P., in-THE -Dominion, ;but he thought it was too . -' early yet to'form any definite opinion'as to the •:■ effect of such tariffs in the oversea 1 Dominions : '■'■' generally. The figures publißhed ; .by the Minis-■ ' '■ ter-for-Customs/of the Commonwealth ehpwed that some advantage had been.gained, but it i would take a long. time, for trade to' be , ire- ; ' ■ diverted, after.it had once entcred.a new chpnnel,;and,.of coursey'otherconntries. Were, using , ■ every 'means to try> to'/prevent.-preference "to British trade .having' any.'-effect;':'and-; thpy , : would, of course, endeavour to give counter- ' advantages .'-.,- ...'. .':,' ■'. , .':,■•<■ , ''.-.- Sir Albert added .that'he thought the cheap- /■:, enmg of cable communicatioh is a matter'of. great importance. to the Empire. . Tho cable- , grams from the' Old Country,, appearing in '■''■ thn Australasian .press,.though doubtless.as ' i full, as the: papers could'afford at'the present . , rates for .cabling,.'did'not-'give' the people'an . adequate idea of; the'-various'movements',at '< Home., .Hβ hoped, and believed, that Virelesi '-.'< j telegraphy would oofore long • come irito tnuc)i ' , keener, competition :with, the cable oompanioe, ~-. and,* as a reetilt,. the people :of i<;all. , parte " [ of'the Empire.would bo muchijnore,fully in. {ormed. of Tprhat.was -'going' om.iii .diffetent . countries.- ■'. "-j--.. >- ■'■■■",-•/. '■. ■.:.■ .•-.»■• •• ''■"■■■.•' ; -:.V--'V..^T , '-. : i- ■ ■■■■■