DOMINION FREE-TRADE

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 102, 27 October 1925, Page 5

DOMINION FREE-TRADE

DRASTIC PROPOSALS

APPEAL TO ALL PARTIES

CAPTAIN F. E. GUEST'S PLAN.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

LONDON, Bth Sept,

Captain F. E. Guest, M.P., has the courage to invite a group of men of all political parties to risk their chance of party preferment and launch out in some definite and constructive scheme for dealing with unemployment. In an article in "The Empire Review" he advances some during, proposals and calls on parties and men to burst the bonds of prejudice and doctrinaire training in an endeavour to work out the remedy on Imperial lines. He maintains that tho case is different from and deeper than any that lias ever supervened in this country before; and that everything else has been tried and failed.

His plan is founded on a real system of Imperial preference. His main policy would comprise a general tariff on all articles which tho Dominions suggest would be helpful to themselves, but the tariff would only ue enforced against foreign countries. With the Dominions and the coldniea there would be preference amounting

to complete Free Trade

"The unemployed to-day," says the writer, "number 210,000 nr-ve than a year ago, and the total is in tlie neigh-, bourhood of 1,260,000. These figures hiive been steady, or steadily growing, for the past four years. Yet there aru roughly 200,000 more persons actually employed than in 1913. This is not the worst of .the story, for over 300,000 fresh persons come into the labour market every year. The birth rate is beginning to decline, but, even supposing the fall continues, no substantial easement will result for 15 or 16 years. Wo cannot, therefore, look for an ultimate solution of the problem to natural causes.

BRITISH CANNOT WORK

'-The British people have ceased to work—all classes of them, without exception. Everybody has heard of ca' canny, but not sufficient people » have appreciated the equal evil of tho weekend habit. It is not pure coincidence that tho motor trade is one of the few flourishing British industries. The British cannot only not work, but they cannot even save. I attribute this partly to the effects of the uatnral but foolish exploitation by the trade unions of their mastery of the industrial.situation during the boom years, and partly to the development of. enormous limited liability companies—a peculiarly,' vicious form of socialism disguised as capitalism." '

The main argument for Free Tradethat it kept down food prices—lias largely disappeared. "We have never had Free Trade, for wo haye Customs and Excise , duties amounting to £234,----472,000 per annum. Of this figure, food taxes alone amount to £40,000,000. AYithout in any way, therefore, changing tho total charges on food, we could transfer these duties to other, articles even larger consumption, and with the effect of a very minute increase in price, possibly compensated by a drop in the price of tea and sugar. So far to satisfy the timorous; but, really, the main policy should not depend upon .juggling with . trading accounts. It should comprise a general tariff upon all articles which the Dominions suggest would be .helpful „to themselves. But the tariff would only be enforced against foreign countries. With the Dominions themselves and tho colonies there would be preference amounting to complete Free Trade.

HOWL FROM THE DOMINIONS

"In return for this really substantial benefit, the- Dominions should give reciprocal free entry to all British products. I am aware, of course, that there will be a howl from Dominion producers of manufactured articles, but it is expedient that some should cry for the benefit of the people of tho Empire. Moreover, the main objections from the Dominion side to emigration would automatically be swept away, and there would at once be no difficulty in agreeing upon a large, emigration programme. The only outstanding obstaclo would be the procuring of agriculturally skilled emigrants. For the problem is not merely to persuade people to settle on the land, but to see that they have the skill to work it and tho perseverance to go on working it. For example, the single city, of Sydney contains nearly one-fifth of the whole population of the Australian continent. But, at least, a very powerful incentive to go back to the laud would be created not only there but at Home, and the 110,000 juveniles who seek employment every year would have a career ready for them.

AN APPEAL

"The sands aro running out," Captain Guest concludes, "the suijl of enterprise is dying; hope is becoming extinguished ; the spirit of thrift has disappeared. Tho narcotic of amusement bus taken its placo in all classes oE the community. The rich are extravagant. The unemployed are becoming unemployable. Tim musses aro leaderless, and losing faith. Is there no party or no mall who will burst tho bonds of prewar party prejudice and doctrinaire training, and try this solution on British Imperial lines? Or is thero no group of men of all parties who will risk their chance of. party preferment and act independently in pursuit of some such scheme as I llavo outlined? What does 'it mutter if the first shock of these proposals loses them their seats? I believe others will carry on the crusade, and in the end the army of the unemployed will form behind them and march together in the hope and conviction that it is only in the practical nse and development of the great possessions of the Empire I hat their salvation lies.''

85, Fleet street.