OUTSPOKEN

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 47, 23 August 1930, Page 14

OUTSPOKEN

"'LIP-SERVICE" TO EMPIRE Candid criticism' of the Dominion tariff policy is expressed by Sir Bichard Winfrey, a member of the British farmers' party which, visited. New Zealand recently. Writing in the "Suffolk and Essex Free Press," Sir Richard states: — "I have not hitherto said much about the heavy import duties on most of our English manufactured goods, but it has riled me more than a little to hear so many New Zealanders, in their public speeches, refer in glowing terms to the fact that Great Britain is by far thenbest customer for all their food products (which; of course, we admit to our country without import duties) and they admit they could not get on for a week without, us. At the same time they boast of their intense loyalty to the Mother Country; yet their Government' take care to put heavy duties on most of the manufactured articles we send them in exchange I could not help feeling, when I listened to such speeches, there was too much lip-service in. the loyal expressions and in practice much too little real practical reciprocity. It is surely to this country that Lords Beaverbrook and B°th™e should first come to preach their doctrines of Empire Free Trade, and after that they could go on to Australia an Canada. When they # have converted these three large Dominions to Empire Free Trade, then we may begin tOisenouslv talk about it at Home. I romem. ber during the war Mr. Ford, of America, chartered a 'Peace' ship and sent several American orators over to Jiurope to advocate peace.. Some equally rich man in England might follow smt and charter an Empire Free Trade^hip -then capture these two noble lords and send them over hero on a Free Trade mission, and keep them here until they had converted the powers-that-be in New Zealand. They would find many supporters amongst the rank and file of the people out here-as I can testify." ,