PREFERENTIAL TRADE.

Evening Star, Issue 11894, 23 May 1903, Page 6

PREFERENTIAL TRADE.

EMINENT LETTER-WRITERS. Preei Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, May 22. Mr Chamberlain, writing to a Birmingham constituent, says: "I am fully convinced that the prosperity of the country depends largely on trade with the colonies, which, under a wise system of mutual concessions. would increase by leaps and bounds We have been apt in the past consider too much the advantage of buying cheaply, while not paying sufficient attention to the methods whereby we may have the means of enabling us to pay at all. Increased wages are even more important to the working classes than a reduced cost of living." Sir Charles Dilke, in a letter to the 'Daily Mail,' says that there has always b->en a divergence -in Australian and Canadian opinion on fiscal issues. It is sometimes assumed from the speeches of a few leading Australians that there exists in Australia a desire for what is called closer relations, but it is difficult to rhow that any Au-tralian party have ever accepted th's standpoint. Lord Rosebery, replying to a correspondent, expresses surprise that his Burrley speech has been interprets' as supporting Mr Chamberlain. It would have- been unseemlv and injudicious, in addressing an audience divided on the question, for him to summarily d'snvss any plan, if proposed on the responsibility of the Government. to promote closer ties b"twe°n Great Britain and the colonies, especially when the idea was eminently congenial to some colonies. He adheres to hi" previous viewy that an inter-Tmperial Tariff, to be practicable, must be hist And acceptable both to the United Kingdom and the; colonic. He had previou'lv indented the ratnre of the objection, which he IHieve* to be insurmountable, to reciprocal tariffs. Mr Asqnith. in a fpeech delivered at Doneaster, said that Mr . Chamb»-UV* propo-als would have the unqualified, united oppo-iHon of Ihe Literal party, and T.ib"ral leaders wonld similarly resist th"m on the "To'ind of the past success of the policy of free markets and an open door. The ' Standard' say? that Canada is enover the 7n'lverein Mea, Ans tralia sceptical, and Oreat Britain expectant. The leaven is workins. The fiscal policy must be vind : caied by adaptability to chanein<i circumstances, and not by appeal to authority. A private meeting at Westminster tcsterdtv of members of the House of Commons who are manufacturers form°d a Tariff T-eatrue to or'a.ni'-e public opinion hv of local i committees. i<rnnrinqr partv politics, and promoting preferential trade within the Empire after the manner mentioned •in Mr Chamberlain's Birmingham speech. The trevuTv-r of the new Teairne has secured 3.000 manufacturers' signatures to a petition to rearrange the fiscal duties BRITAIN'S TRADE. THE COLOXTES' SHARE. LONDON. May 22 ■ (Received May 23. at 9.21 a.m.) The Admiralty has made a correction in its memorandum on sea power submitted to the Colonial Conference. It appear" that bullion and specie were not included in the Onstom-house abstract of the trad" of the United K'n?r*om, hut were included in the Board of Trade's colonial abstracts. Hence the total trede. of the United Kin"*om is £948.936,000. The trade of the British Dominions with foreign countries and themselves is £251 342.000. which is arrived nt by deduet : n<r £72.624.000 from the total trade of all the British Dom'nions in order to allow Cor the duplication of the reciprocal trade of the Britsh Dominions among themselves.