INTERNAL FREE TRADE

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 26, 31 January 1930, Page 9

INTERNAL FREE TRADE

ECONOMICS DISCUSSED

COMMENT IN COMMONS

British Official Wireless.

RUGBY, 29th January

A debate on Empire free trade took placo to-day in tho House of Commons. It was initiated by Mr. J. E. Remer, a Conservative private member, who moved: "That in tuo opinion of this House it is desirable that the Empire should be developed as a singlo economic unit, with internal free trade as an ideal, and that the Government be urged to open negotiations with the other Governments of the Empiro with a view to the formulation of a policy designed to secure that the purchasing power of the Empire shall be directed primarily to the full employment of the inhabitants of the Empire."

Mr. Eenicr said that he was not in the least afraid of the cry, "Your food will cost you more." If it proved to be true, which ho did not believe, we should bo giving a good deal of permanent employment to our people instead of doles and unemployment.

LIBERAL AMENDMENT.

Mr. Lloyd George, Liberal Leader, agreed that it was desirable to get all that was possible, of the trade of tho Dominions aiM colonies, but the real test was what were they going to give in return. He moved a Liberal amendment to add at the end of the motion the words: "Provided that any such proposals shall not include additional taxation iipon foodstuffs or raw materials imported into the United Kingdom."

The Chancellor of the Exchequer said as this was a privata member's discussion ho would not deal with any of tho statements made in the debate, but would confine himself simply to that part of the motion which called on the Government to take action. The most regrettable feature of the debate bad been tho silence of the members of the lato Conservative Government on this question. The speeches of the two members who introduced the motion had made it perfectly clear that the motion meant taxation of food and raw materials, and also of manufactured articles from foreign countries, and this would necessarily raise prices. Ho need hardly say that the Government could give no support to a proposal of that kind.

LABOUR AND EMPIRE TRADE.

The- Government was asked to open negotiations with the other Governments of the Empire for the formulation of a policy designed to secure'that the purchasing power of tho Empire should be directed primarily to tho full employment of the inhabitants of the Empire. If that stood alone, apart from what wont before, then the Government would have no objection to it, because the Government was anxious to do all that it could to promote Imperial trade. The Labour Party had supported every measure which in its opinion was likely to keep together the bond uniting the Mother Country and the overseas Dominions. "That we- shall continue to do," continued Mr. Snowden, "but we shall give no support to a policy such as is hidden in the terms of the resolution. The vote for the resolution would be a vote for a tax on tho people's food, and for proposals which would increase the costs-of production in every manufacturing industry in this country and reduce the standard of living of the workers of this country."