SECESSION CRY

Grey River Argus, 21 April 1925, Page 5

SECESSION CRY

SOUTH AFRICAN POLICY. SM I’TS OX Tin; STI’ME. CAPETOWN, April HL General Smuts, speaking at Wur coster, vigorously attacked the Government’s fiscal policy. He said that the British preference policy, adopted two years ago, would help South Africa more than the pact Government if it remained in office ten years. Th? result ot th(- new Government's pro, posals would he that foreign countries rreeive prut rrence mi !*5 items whereas Britain would have preference only on 22 items. Britain took SO P*' l ' ••"ill, ot South Africa’s products, iiml not only gave an open market, Imt ]>i-et (•lonue over the other countries. r ! he Pact’s reply wa< to give Britain a smack in the face. “I •!" not know.” :id<h« ( | General Smuts, “all that is behind this, but 1 know this, that there i s a seces sional policy in lhe background. ” A DIFFERENT VIEW. SYDNEY, April The ex-New Zealander. Dr Chappl,*, a member of the British Parliament, is proceeding by the Maheno to New Zealand. Referring to preference, Dr Chapple says: Your people here full to realise the strong unalterable feeling in tin* British Government against uny tax that would raise tho cost of living. This is the one problem of the forty-five million people, with an enormous number with limitml incomes, and for professional people the pros pcct that ever staggers is that the cost of living should be raised without an increase in the weekly budget. When the Dominion conics with a «<cu.and that, means the British Govern ment should tax its people, it only invites the illwT.ll of the whole British nation. Preferential tariff based upon food products between Britain and Dominions, whereupon she is so dependent for supplies, is absolutely impossible. Tf now, the Baldwin Government was to pass a food products lax for the purpose of preference to the Dominions, it would ('reate so much illwill in Britain that at the next elections. the Government would bo defeated. and the incoming Government would repeal the tax. This, in turn, would create much Dominion illwill. Preference is disruptive agitation. There is no less danger of its disruptive effects ndw. should the Dominions try to tax the British working man, than there was when Britain lost the American colonics through trying to tax them. The facilities for marketing at Home and giving more Britons access to your goods are better handling, cheaper storage, and insurance more prompt, and. larger cash, advances on produce sent Home, a cheaper rate of interest on money advanced, and in addition the elimination of quite a number of unnecessary middle men. A policy along these lines wou’d give you such advantages that would be far better for your interests than any preferential tariff ”