REASONABLE DEMAND

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 88, 13 April 1923, Page 7

REASONABLE DEMAND

CONTRACTS WITHIN THE EMPIRE

I STRANGE ACTION OF THE WAR I ' OFFICE I ~i— DEPUTATION WAIT ON THE GOVERNMENT. (fßoit oun own correspondbhi.) i LONDON, 27th February. A very influential deputation waited i upon Sir William Joynaon-Hicks. M.P., Secretary to the Department of Overseas Trade, in the unavoidable absence of the President of the Board of Trade, relative to Empire preference in ,the matter of contract*. The Reputation, organised by the British Empire Producers' Organisation, was representative of over twenty powerful English and colonial association, Mr. T. R. Lees' was present on behalf of the New Zealand Meat Board. Mr. Ben. H. Mpwan, in introducing the deputation, said that it was one ofthe most remarkable that had ever placed ite views before a Minister of the Imperial Government, because it represented a preponderating majority of th industries of the entire British Empire. ' This prodigious body of opinion was unanimously in favour of the proposal that it should be obligatory on every Government Department and every railway and public body outhority in the United Kingdom to purchase goods entirely of British Empire origin and to employ only British labour on their contracts and work. Not only was the burden* resulting from unemployment greater than we could continue to bear, but unemployment was'causing a measure of degeneration and social unrest among the workers constituting a menace to the State and to all schemes of peaceful regeneration. But more than this, the attitude of the Imperial Government in respect to Dominion and Colonial trade caused Very deep misgiving in the minds of the British people overseas. Australia, for example, in 1921, gave this country a, preference in her tariffs amounting to no less than £8,000,000 and the comparative tariffs preference that was accorded to Australian-products here did not amount to f100.0,000. New Zealand not long ago placed an order in this country for rolling stock at prices 10 per cent greater than foreign prices, and this in addition to the great -advantage which we derived from her preferential tariff. . These were only instances. Other Dominions a-ndi colonies were every day giving Great Britain similar treatment. CANNED MEAT .FROM UNITED STATES. Only a short time ago the War Office passed over tenders from Australia and New Zealand for canned meat for the Army and gave a contract for neaily one million tins to the United .States. Whpn the Dominion tenderers asked for definite details of the reasons for this action • they were refused information. This was only On a level with what was happening in the purchases of" a great many of the-municipalities, including the L.C.0.. who not only in- respect to machinery and tram-lines purchased foreign material, but actually in connection with their housing scheme designed primarily to benefit the working classps of the country. He was credibly informed that even the Ministry of Pension used foreign pencils. On' tlie one hand this country was paying out something in the region of 100 million pounds a year for unemployment and pn the other hand through lack of a sound Empire economic policy ifc was deliberately adding to the ranks of the unemployed. If something werp not done there would be a great revulsion of feeljnp in the Dominions and colonies against increasing or even maintaining the preferences on the products of the Mother Country.

The British Empire Producers' Organisation had it in the strongest terms from its affiliated bodies in the Dominions and polonies whp controlled industry there that they would press locally for a compulsory, measure thnt would endure preferential purchases of Empire products by their Government Departments and public bodies if the Imperial GoY»rnment would set the example. Th B deputation asked fqr legislation which would compel all public bodies, Government _or local, to give contracts only to British Empire firms, employing British Empire labour and materials, except under the license of a committee to be set up for th ß purpose and to represent the spending departments of organised industry and labour. He suggested that, in the meanwhile t£e Government could put' the principle into practice; without legislation in all Government contracts and contracts requir-! ing Government assent or guarantee, and urged upon it to do so without delay. Mr.-Hugo Hirst (British Electrical Manufacturers' Association), Mr. George Terrell (National Union of Manufacturers), Mr. A. D. Bremner (British Engineers' Association), and Mr. A. R. Hassan (Australian meat industry) yrer» among the other speakers. GOVERNMENT'S SYMPATHY. Sir William" Joynson-Hicks replied that both the President of the Board of Tra.de »nd himself wer» in full symparty with the 'object which the deputation had in view, and that the matter had for a considerable time received the careful attention of the Government, and particularly of the Cabinet Commi(;te» on Unemployment. A distinction must j t>e drawn between contracts placed by Government Departments or by local authorities in respect pf works for which they received financial assistance from the State; and contracts placed by local authorities or public utility undertakings not so assisted. In the former group of cases, the Government could lay down such conditions as it thought propel-; as to the other cases, it could only make recommendations to the local authorities or companies concerned. The matter was undoubtedly one of great and immediate importance, and the representations made by the deputation would be given full -weight.