PREFERENTIAL TRADE.

Evening Star, Issue 11893, 22 May 1903, Page 6

PREFERENTIAL TRADE.

AUSTRALIAN PRESS OPINIONS. GERMANY ANXIOUS. Presa Association—By Telegraph—Copyright MELBOURNE, May 21. The 'Argus' Bays that Mr Chamberlain's speech comes with .<ome elements of surprise. He clearly regarded the colorless resolutions passed at the Premiers' London Conference in regard to preferential trade as of little practical value. The paper adds: "We can only conclude that the exi uencies of British rather than of Imperial politics have raised it to such prominence in his nfind. He wishes to distract attention from domestic mattere, which are not in a position altogether satisfactory to the Government, and to disperse it over the Empire. We can well conceive a policy of Imperial Freetrade with duties of some sort against outside nations, and we can quite understand Freetraders being prepared, under certain circumstances, to waive a narrow, technical interpretation of Freetrade which would prevent that consummation. That is the system avowedly Mr Chamberlain personally wishes to establish , but it is a system the Protectionists of the outer Empire will never consent to. What national outlook will ever inspire the chilled hearts of Australian Protectionists or widen their nan-ow horizon? They welcome with rapture Mr Chamberlain's vague utterances, but if he were to offer to translate them into Imperial Freetrade they would be the first to shriek out in alarm and dismay. But they need not be alarmed. No one knows better than Mr Chamberlain that the Empire is not yet ripe for the reception of his Imperialistic views at present. He is evidently usinsr them in the humble function of a red herring drawn across the trail of the domestic political hunt" CHEAP CABLES WANTED. "SYDNEY, May 21. Attorney-General Wise, in the course of an interview on Mr Chamberlain's speech, sa'd that while it must be remembered that trade between Great Britain and foreign countries is very much larger than trade between Great Britain and her colonies, he felt convinced that it was possible to take some steps towards the clc-ser commercial union of the Empire without either exposing ourselves to any more active hostilities on the part of foreigners than we are exposed to at present, and without making any great disturbance of British commerce, or without interfering with the risht of component parts of the Empire to preserve in- essentials their own fiscal policies. He could not help noticinj how difficult it was to discuss questions of closer union when means of communication were so needlessly difficult. Did we but spend on cable services the subsidies that we spend on'mail services we should have cable rates so reduced that Mr Chamberlain's speech would have been presented verbatim on thr> morning after it was delivered. GERMANY AND CANADA. OTTAWA. May 21. Canada has extended to September 30 the limit within which goods purchased in Germany prior to April 16 may enter the Dominion without a surtax. BERLIN, May 21. The 'Kreuz Zeitung' says that the German Government should strengthen relations with Great Britain by the rapid conclusion of commercial treaties. The 'Kolnische Zeitung' says that there are more important issues at stake than German and Canadian trade. British Imperial union is obtainable only bv the abandonment of Freetrade: Mr Chamberlain is ready to take the step, and Germany must bear with it. LONDON, May 21. Lord Cranbome, b the House of Commons, stated that a communication had passed between Great Britain and Germany regarding the duties on Canadian' goods entering Germany. LORD ROSEBERFS POSITION. LONDON, May 21. (Received May 22, at 8.55 a.m.) "The Times' declares that Lord Rosebery approaches Mr Chamherlain's speech with an open mind. He recognises that anv future cleavage would run athwart the dividing lines of party.