THE FISCAL QUESTION. CRITICISM BY LORD HUGH CECIL. [press association.] LONDON, 19th October.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 96, 20 October 1904, Page 5

THE FISCAL QUESTION. CRITICISM BY LORD HUGH CECIL. [press association.] LONDON, 19th October.

Lord Hugh Cecil, in a letter to The Times, Bays : "Mr. Balfour's and Mr. Chamberlain's policies fundamentally differ. Mr. Chamberlain proposes to erect a general protective tariff on all manufactured goods. Mr. Balfour, by way of retaliation, proposes a penalising duty on some imports of a particular country, which method need have but a slight protective effect on the Home market, and would much less easily degenerate into a protective . system than Mr. Chamberlain's. ' The Times, commenting on the letter, says it is significant that the most active free-food leader has resumed his confidence in the Premier. • SPEECH BY A CAPE COLONY MINISTER. CAPETOWN, 19th October. The Hon. T. W. Smartt, Minister for Lands, speaking at Fort Beaufort, said all the South African colonies favoured preference, not only so far as South Africa was concerned, but throughout the empire. It would promote the Empire's consolidation and unification, which was the ideal of those working for preference. COMMISSION TO BE APPOINTED IN AUSTRALIA. (Received October 20, 10.31 a.m.) MELBOURNE, This Day. The Federal Government has decided to appoint a Royal Commission composed of business men but no politicians, to investigate the working of the tariff. The members of the Commission will be men of moderate fiscal views. Mr. Isaacs is likely to make an attack on the Government over the appointment of the Commission.