BRITISH TARIFF

Grey River Argus, 18 February 1932, Page 5

BRITISH TARIFF

SECOND READING Weapon of Retaliation WEARCrN m TRADE WAB (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) LONDON, February 10. In the Commons, the Tariff Bill passed the second reading by 451 to 73 votes. Sir Robert Horne said he welcomed the fact* that it provided a means of retaliation against any -country which discriminated against Britain. The Bill would bring freer trade than this country had enjoyed for the last two generations. It was a basis on which could be built a scientific system, which would be formed by the proposed Advisory Committee. Dealing with the list of exempted goods, he suggested that a fair criterion to apply would be that if Britain and the Empire, Together or separately, did not produce enough to supply the needs of British manufacturers, then, prima facie at least, th’e commodity concerned should be exempt from duty. The President of the Board of Trade (Mr RuncimanJ stated the French Government had informed the British Government of its decision to exempt British coal from the imposition of the 15 per cent surtax. The question of the application of the surtax to other goods remained for further consideration.

The announcement was greeted with cheers and a Conservative member observed: “Is not this the first illustration of the result of our tariff policy? o Answering various questions, Mr Runciman said that it was the Government's intention to continue to use the powers they had under the Abnormal Importations Customs Duties Act, if it became necessary to do so, though he pould not indicate what might be included in any future order.

Mr Runciman informed Mr Pickering that 25 per cent, of British exports in 1931 were assigned to the Dominions, and 18 per cent to the rest of the Empire. Mr J. M. C. Hodgson (President of the Chamber of Commerce), speaking at Bradford said that the Board of Trade had been consulting represen- ' tatives of industries, with a view to the possibility of apportioning sections of the wool textile, and other industries to be conducted in the Dominions, leaving the remaining sections to Britain. Some progress had been made in this direction by other industries, but he had insisted that no such arrangement of the wool trade were possible. If every delegate to the Ottawa Conference sought

, the welfare of the Empire as a whole, there would be no question of bargaining to split the wool industry. IMPERIALISTIC LIQUOR. TRAFFIC. CAN BRITISR TASTE BE DICTATED.

(Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn). LONDON, February 16. Mr Philip Page, in an article in i the “Standard,” makes a plea to {“drink imperially." He says that Eimpire wines have ceased to be the sport of humourists, and he urges pur- , veyors to dispense them, proclaiming their medicinal properties. Mr Page says: “Anyone ’claiming superiority as such, for the champagne claret and Burgundy of France the port of Portugal, the sherry of Spain, or the hock of Germany, is an egregious ass, damaging the cause be is espousing. The best wines of those countries are supreme, but there is much of poor quality. On the contrary the Empire wines preserve a steady level, but do not receive fair play or trial bv the public nor by English wine trade associations, which do not recognise them. There is more snobbery in wine drinking than in any other form of gratifying the senses. Millions smack their lips over the expensive inferior European tipple a,nd sneeriugly dismiss something four times as good, because it is labelled Empire.

WILL TARIFFS MEAN QUARRELS? WHERE BRITAIN AND DOMINIONS ARE IN CONFLICT. (Received February 17 at 7 p.m.) LONDON, February 16. Speaking on the Tariff Bill in the House of Commons, Major C. R. Attlle (Labour) said: “The Dominions have not the least idea of allowing our manufactures to swamp the outputs of their own factories. In seeking for a i bargin with the Dominions, we are going up against our British agriculture.” He asked whether Britain's own agriculture was to be protected against the agricultural exports of the Dominions? “When we come down from the atmosphere of goodwill to that of bargaining with the Dominions,” he added, “we are as likely to find a quarrel as an agreement.”

WHY FREE TRADERS ARE IN CABINET. (Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn). (Received February 17 at 7 p.m.) LONDON, February 16. In the House of Commons, Rt. Hon. Sir Archibald Sinclair (National Liberal, and Secretary for Scotland) said that he and other representatives of the free trade electors who had supported the Government, had only remained in the Government in the belief that it was indispensable, in view of large issues, to continue a National Government as a symbol of unity of the nation.

THE NEWSPRINT TRI DE. Mr Samuel Storey (Conservative) said that he was a buyer of newsprint, but he was opposed to the inclusion of

newsprint in the free list. He stated that three-quarters of the local output of newsprint came from the mills that are owned by the three big newspaper groups. However, these groups used only one-third of the production of their owm mills, and the remainder was sold in the open market. Canada was capable of increasing her output of newsprint by one million tons pes year. It was, therefore, ridiculous to suggest that Britain was forced to import one hundred and twenty thousand tons of foreign newsprint. Chancellor’s Defence of Bill CARDS UP HIS SLEEVE? TO PLAY AGAINST DOMINIONS. (Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn). LONDON, February 16. . Closing the tariff debate the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt. Hon. N. Chamberlain said that the Government were satisfied with the debate. His only difficulty ? he said, was that there was' so little for him to answer. He trusted, however, that Major Attlee's views on the question of Empire trade relations were not characteristic of the Labour Party. He said that a prominent man from a Dominion had written to him after the opening of the tariff debate, saying: “A new Empire was born yesterday. Henceforth we can proceed together in harmony and unity with a hope of a satisfactorv outcome to our conversation.”

The Chancellor, proceeding said the speeches of all three of his dissentient Cabinet colleagues were now recorded, embalmed, and enshrined in “Hansard,” but unlike the mummies of the Egyptian Kings, that were unsealed, the speeches would remain available for inspection by anybody. He said he agreed with the argument that a ten per cent, tariff was hot sufficient . to check dumping. It would be necessary to adopt the method of prohibition and license, entailing a survey of the existing conventions. As regards the free list, each article thereon had had to be considered on its merits. In reference to agriculture, h c asked the House to remember that the Bill conferred definite benefits, and also that they must not throw away all their cards before they started to converse with the Dominions.