THE PREMIERS AT HOME.

Evening Star, Issue 10340, 14 June 1897, Page 1

THE PREMIERS AT HOME.

EMPIRE LEAGUE GUESTS. TRADE RELATIONS OF BRITAIN AM) THE COLONIES. [Pei: Press Association.—Copvright.] LONDON, Junk 12. The ns - e colouial Premiers were entertained at luncheon by the United Empire Trade League. The speeches of tho guests were an embodiment of the sympathetic and loyal feeling of colouists towards Britain. Lord Halsbury, in jji-oj>osiiig the toast of the guests, said it was important that the trade ties between Britain and the colonies should be preserved, and our own )>cople employed in carrying on such trade. Sir George Turner (Victoria,, replying to the toast, said all doubt as to the loyalty of the colonies ought long since to have been removed. If England ever required assistance so far as defence was concerned the colonists would be pleased to repay Britain for the many advantages, privileges, and benefits she had conferred upon them. He urged that the colonies should supply all the food required by Britain. Victoria could not agree to Freetrade with Britain, and he doubted if England would agree to any form of Protection. Victoria was, however, prepared to treat the Mother Country preferentially, and was waiting for definite proposals in that direction. Such proposals would not be received in any huckstering spirit. Mr Seddon demanded that England should denounce commercial treaties with Germany and Belgium. Germany, he held, had violated its bargain by subsidising lines of steamers to the injury of British trade. The colonies, he said, were treated worse than foreigners with regard to the investment of trust funds. Mr Kingston (South Australia), dealing with the question of the commercial relations between Britain and the colonies, said the time had arrived for the enunciation of definite trade proposals. He hoped that Mr Chamberlain would unfold a scheme. Sir J. Forrest (West Australia; deplored the fact that Australia taxed British products, while Britain admitted Australian products free. Mr Byrnes (Queensland) advocated the claims of the Queensland sugar-growers, and urged the necessity of special legislation in order to counteract the foreign sugar bounties.