TO PROTECTION

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 92, 20 April 1931, Page 8

TO PROTECTION

BRITISH SWING-OVER

ENGLAND'S POSITION

A GLOOMY PICTTJBE

A strong swing-over from the old conservative clinging to the free trade policy was noticeable in England, said Sir James Parr, interviewed to-day, and there was an increasing bulk of opinion favouring the- imposition of a tariff on cheap foreign goods; imported into Great. Britain, with a protectionist sympathy for the Dominions. The change would probably lie brought to a practical basis before very long, owing to the serious position in the Old Country, which, was realising that it had to protect its own industries. Millions spent with .foreign countries coulo. be largely diverted to the Dominions, without hurting the British manufacturer^ "There aro still tremendous possibilities in marketing propaganda," said Sir James, "and it is most important, because every retailer for New Zealand products in England is an additional asset for the farmers of this country. I am satisfied that the cure for New Zealand's industrial ills is largely in the extension of our only market, the British, and in the adoption by the British people of a policy of protection for the Dominion products as against the dumping of cheap foreign stuff into England through her free ports, which remain free in pursuance of the now generally discredited policy of free trade, a policy which puts the New Zealandev and the foreigner on the same level, notwithstanding the valuable preferences which New Zealand and the other Dominions aro giving the Mother Country. WIDE PROTECTION SUPPORT. "During the past year there has been a strong revulsion against free trade, or rather free imports, for England has never, strictly speaking, had free trade, with, its implication of free trade at both ends. The Conservative Party is now pledged at the next General Election to a straight-out policy of. protection or safeguarding, as_ it is called. Even the Liberals, the historic supporters of free trade., are split on this issue. Sir John Simon, the best brain in the Liberal • Party, Professor J. M. Keynes, the ablest- of all postwar economists, and other important men among the Liberals have pronounced for a tariff and tyre prohibition of sweated or dumped foreign goods. Even the workers aro turning against free trade. The Trades Union Congress, which met last year, representing 4,000,000 trade unionists, was most emphatic in its demand foi- a reconsideration of tho whole question of tariffs, and was keen to make arrangements with, the Dominion countries based on. mutual bargains founded on tariff principles. ENGLAND'S POSITION SERIOUS. "The English people are ready for a drastic change. Their position is most serious. They will soon have a Budget of £1,000,000,000 a year in annual expenditure. Tho unemployed, largely as a result of industries being closed down through the competition of foreign dumping, aro fast approaching the ghastly total of 3,000,000 people, who are drawing doles and relief amounting to nearly ( £100,000,000 annually. English industry and taxpayers cannot much longer sustain such an "awful burden. It is no wonder that the British public is ready for drastic fiscal changes by which they may recover their own home markets and go in for large-scale production in the manufacture of much cheaper goods than at present. This will lead to the recovery of their foreign markets, which they are fast losing, and to the extension of their Dominion markets, in which they are also going back. They cannot at present make their goods cheaply enough." INVASION OF FOREIGN GOODS. Giving instances of the tremendous extent to which foreign imports had invaded England, Sir James said that Japanese cotton goods were boing sold in Lancashire itself, where 45 per cent, of the operatives were out of work, and also that in Northampton, the boot manufacturing centre, he saw boots and shoes from Czecho-Slovakia ' hawked about the place and sold. "I have seen municipally-built houses in England in which there were no British, building materials at all," ho said. "The bricks wero brought from Belgium, the tiles from France, tho timber from Bussia, the doors and sashes from Norway, and even the baths and electrical fittings from Germany. The English people are waking up to the fact that they have got to protect their fawn industries and keep their men at work. Paying wages is better than paying doles. If a plebiscite were taken tomorrow in England, uncomplicated by party politics, I have little doubt that protection would easily carry the day. AN ESSENTIAL MOVE. "I regard the tariff issue in England as all important for New Zealand and our industrial future," Sir James continued., "Indeed, what are our farmers going to do, harassed as they are by the competition 1 of Europe and the Argentine, unless wo can secure a sheltered or protected position for our butter, cheese, meat, honey, and bacon? This is what I have been working for in England. I thought that I might be useful in fighting the battle of the New Zealand producer.. It may rather surprise my friends here to know that elections are being won on. this policy. I found that in working-class districts the issue of a tax on foreign goods received the closest attention, and the feeling in favour of helping the Dominions by tariff preferences is gaining strongly every day. Of course, wo must do something in return. It would be good business to divert some of the millions which we may now spend with foreign countries into British channels. This could be done without hurting our own factories in any way. Of course, the Imperial Conference was a fiasco— the politicians killed it, and a tremendous opportunity was lost."