IMPERIAL TRADE PREFERENCE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3066, 30 April 1917, Page 6

IMPERIAL TRADE PREFERENCE

SPEECH BY MR. LLOYD . GEORGE , DOMINIONS' CLAIMS TO A • REAL PARTNERSHIP "FATEFUL DECISION NOW MADE" (Reo. April 29, 5.5 p.m.) ' ' " London, April 28. Speaking at the Guildhall, in acknowledging tho honour ol the Freedom of tho City of London, ■ Mr. Lloyd George, the Prime Minister, made an ~ important statement on the eubject of Imperial preference in trade. "We he said, "one hundred thousand men to Franco iu August,' 1914. They turned the tide 1 of history. The Dominions and India have contributed a iJnilliori; men. That has transformed our ideas regarding the re&Hty and teneficence of the-British Empire. The world cannot afford to lot it be broken, but the choice must; be between immediate concentration, and ultimate dissolution. Things cannot remain where they are. It may be said that the sHadowy character of the relations between us and the Dominions and our groat territories in the East produced this real cohesion. That was all very well before they made these great sacrifices. , ] Thej have now established their olaims to a real partnership. Henceforth effective consultation must be the only basis of cc-operatidn. If our action brings' them into trouble, as it has, and costs them millions and precious lives, they must henoeforth be consulted before we act, and oun methods must be oarefully. considered. A great war is not tho b'est time for thinking out, perhaps,, new constitutions, but our counsels of Empire must be a reality. The Imperial War Cabinet has been a demonstration of the valuo of the counsel of our colleagues from the Dominions and India. 'They have not taken part is any formal conference—they have had a real share in our counsels and in our decisions, and they have been a great source of strength and wisdom to our deliberations.

_ "We have decided;" he added, "that in the future it js the business of Britisb. and Dominioil : statesmanship to knit the Empire in closer bonds of interest in trade, commerce, business, and": mutual intercourse in affairs. .Wβ have considered this problem,, and have decided that in order 'to develop those enormous territories in the future it is necessary that' exceptional encouragement should be giveti.to the products of eaoh part of the Empire. We: believe that a system of prefer►nce_ could be established without involving the imposition of food burdens. Wβ ''believe that we can do without that."—lus..-N.Z, Cable > Assn:-Reuser

§ STATEMENT BY MR.-BONAR LAW f.,■■'■■ '..'■■'■ .' : : '■■'-■■ London, April Lw, . -Mr. Bohar- Law, in. the/House of Commons, stated that the War. Cabinet 'bad 'accepted the prinoiple rliat'each portion of the Empire, with a dun re ■ .Bard:to the. Allies' interest, should pivc. epecially favourable treatminf to ■ preduce manafaetuiers in the ether •portions. .: '..-■ ■ ■': ',■;■. .-. ■. . ' . 'Mr. R. L. Outhwaito pointed out that, Australia was not represented. Bonar Law agreed, but said that os e present, were unanimous, and came tothe a"bove decision. He added ■■that the resolution left the food question open.—-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

,;;,;; press opinion APPROVAL WITH ONE ■J-i'-OR TWO RESERVATIONS. ; (Reo. April : 29, 5.5 p.m.).' • ; V,n" London,' April 28. .. ! .The newspapers generally 'welcome ...the" 'announcement that Cabinet' has adopted. - Imperial ' • preference. The Post" regrets that the decision does not include foodstuffs." : "The "Daily Mail" .says:—"This : . ?f a °ge has long and ardently been desired. The fateful decision has now :,been made;" ' , ■, '•_ ■..-. ■<■ ; T1 TJI f "Daily says:—"Mr. •Lloyd George'isnpt; likely to be' more successful in "avoiding, food taxes in connection'with , colonial preference than was the late Mr. Joseph Chamberlain." .'_- •• ; n-7\ ; -,. . ■ . '.'Daily Chronicle" regrets, that the highly con tentibus question of prefereriCe-fcad rfot been left for dis- • cussion/until after the war. -Any alteration- rn .our fiscal policy would be unfair.to our Allies." 1 - The "Daily Telegraph" says:—"The jkpvernmerit's decision will be welcomed far and wide throughout the Em- . T[ OPINION IN THE CITY. '•i (Rec. April 29, 1i.5 p.m.; '-.'> ■■■.■:.- London, April 28. _; There was no meeting of the Imperial Conference to-day. City circles anticipate that one result of the preference decision will probably be State subsidies for steamship lines, to assist in the development of the Empire's re-' sources.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. ■

?;' MR. HUGHES'S COMMENT V ;;'■•: (Rec. April 29,'11.5 p.m.) •• ■'•;' ■ "■■_ , Melbourne, April 29.. ■;'.-...■; Mr. Hughes, commenting on the lm- '■:■. penal Conference's preference decision ■said that Imperial preference lad been part of Anstrah'a's policy for years -Presumably the Conference's decision ; meant that Britain ■■ intended' to give {reference to : Australia.—Press Asso- .-' ciation. .: ■•; ■ ■