EMPIRE FREE TRADE

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 October 1930, Page 9

EMPIRE FREE TRADE

CONSERVATIVE DISSENSIONS . [BY CABLE —PBESB ASSN. —COPYBIGHT.] (Reed. Oct. 1, 8 a.m.) LONDON. September 30. An intriguing political situation has arisen over the South Paddington byelection. Lord Beaverbrook’s Empire Freetrade Party threatened to run its own candidate unless the prospective Conservative candidate, Sir Herbert Lidiard swallowed the whole programme. Sir Herbert was duly adopted at a lively meeting, whereat his answe rs were considered so satisfactory that there arose no question of running an Empire freetrade rival. Sir 11. Lidiard. however, has not satisfied the United Empire Party, wherewith Lord Rothermero is associated. They adopted Mrs Stewart Richardson as a candidate. Meantime, Mr Neville Chamberlain, Chairman of the Conservative Party, has written to Sir 11. Lidiard saying that his answers at the meeting appear to have gone far beyond the expression of his views at the personal interview at headquarters. Support could not be accorded unless he was prepared to support the official policy. Sir H. Lidiard replied that there was nothing ip. his policy to impair the unity of tho Conservative Party. Here the matter rests at present. Mr Baldwin has returned from his holiday. He ridiculed the suggestions of his resignation. AUSTRALIAN’S OPINION. MONTREAL, September 30. If Lord Beaverbrook were dictator, he might do something with his campaign for Empire freetrade, is the opinion of the Hon. G. T. Lansell, Australian publisher. He declared he was now more than ever impressed with the need for greater inter-im-perial preference. Lord Beaverbrook would go far with his scheme, but he (Mr Lansell) believed we should strive rather for the more easily attainable Empire preference.