PREFERENCE TO BRITAIN.

Evening Post, Volume LXXII, Issue 66, 15 September 1906, Page 5

PREFERENCE TO BRITAIN.

THE COMMONWEALTH PROPOSALS. DEBATE IN~PARLIAMENT. i [PRESS ASSOCIATION^ MELBOURNE, 14th September. Tho Houso of Representatives discussed the proposal to give preferenco to imports from Britain by raising duties against foreigners. Sir William Lyno, Minister of Customs, in explaining tho scheme, said it was intended merely as the initiation of a great policy. Ho hoped there would eventually be reciprocity with Britain. Ho proposed to first put a. general resolution to tast the feelings of the House. They could afterwards deal with each item in the schedule. • Amendments proposod by Mr. Cook, Doputy Leader of tbo Opposition, favouring remitting, on British goods 10 per cent., and adding tho mime amount to the market value of foreign importations, and by Mr. Johnson, affirming the desirability of preferenco based on a reduction of duties on British imports, were negatived. MOTION CARRIED. (Received September 15, 9.32 a.m.) MELBOURNE, This Day. Sir William Lyne, in explaining the preference proposals, eaid Australia had not asked for any reciprocity from Britain. .Ho chimed that nothing could more help to bring a white population here than trade treaties. Mr. Joseph Cook declared that the treaty was nothing but a cunningly-de-vised system of protection to Australia without giving the slightest benefit to Britain. Sir William Lyne's general resolution testing the feeling of tho House in favour of preference was curried on the