PREFERENCE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 19 June 1924, Page 5

PREFERENCE

DEBATE IN COMMONS. AUSTRALIAN NEEDS. BY CABLE—PBESB ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT 4 LONDON, June 18. Thcire were numerous Australian references in the preference debate. Sir Philip Lloyd-Graeme (Conservative) quoted the statement of Mr S. M. Bruce (Federal Prime Minister) that Empire development was dependent on men, money and markets, but said it was idle to expect Australia, to go ahead in big developments unless she could see her way to market what was produced. Unless the export trade increased the unemployment, problem could not be solved. Sir John Simon, in the chief speech from the Liberal standpoint, said: — “There is all the difference in the world between preference we are urged to grant, the Dominions and preference they granted us. The preteirence for the Dominions is preference in an already protected market, while ours means the abandonment of the principle upon which our trade has oeeu built up.”- - Sir John Simon said that, instead of promoting Imperial unity, preference would be likely to create acute discord. Mr. H. Page - Croft (Conservative said our trade with Australia was stagnating, hut with preference increased from £20,000,000 a year to £34,000,000 between 1908 and 1913, British trade was now 64 per cent, of the Australian imports. Mr Seeley, thougn * Liberal, unexpectedly made a. definite pronouncement in favour of preference. He asked what possible harm could come through any reduction in the duty on dried fruits ? Mr Seeley, speaking as an' unrepentant Freetrader, begged the House to consider long before rejecting the first four resolutions It would be the gravest rebuff to the Dominions to reject the proposals solemnly reached at the Imperial Conference, which proposed to do nothing but reduce taxation and cheapen product, just because they wanted to cling to some particular idea. An adverse vote would gravely damage Imperial relations at the moment when gratitude for all we owed to the should make us hesitate to do anything to hurt them. Mr T. Johnson (Labour) said if Britain told Greece she would exclude all products grown under sweated conditions* of labour' it would be the finest preference they could give Australia. Mr Johnson (Labour) contended that it was the business of the Labour Government to examine the qrigin of imports with a view to preserving a. higher standard of civilisation from the lower. . Mr Haydon Guest (secretary of the newly-formed Labour Commonwealth group) announced his intention of voting for the first foug resolutions. He hoped other Labourites would do so as a demonstration of their desire and intention to make the British Commonwealth of Nations more united. He believed preferences should be coupled with some kind of guarantee of the conditions of life of the working people. Mr Thomas (Colonial Secretary) quoted Mr W. M. Hughes (ex-Premier of Australia), saying that if Britain asked for a high preference Australia would not give it unless satisfied that it would be a good tiling for Australia. Dir Thomas said lie could quote numerous speeches of that kind, showing that the Dominions were compelled to do as we did, and to view these questions from the standpoint of the interests of their own people. Mr Thomas deprecated the recent tendency to" make the general question of Empire development a party issue. He said it was a mistake to assume that the Dominions’ assistance in the war was due to any material consideration. Mr Joseph Wedgwood (Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster) said the Labour Party seriously believed the lines on which they proposed to proceed'were mcjre likely to secure the permanent unity of the Empire than the Conservative policy. On Mr Wedgwood suggesting that protection in many colonies had led to corruption and graft, Mr D. M. Cowan (Liberal) asked the Speaker whether Mr Wedgwood had the right to make this insinuation against the Dominion Parliamentarians. The Speaker replied that he had heard nothing personal. Mr Wedgewood said lie certainly made no personall charge whatever. The debate was adjourned. LONDON, June 17. During the preference debate Mr J. H. Thomas (Colonial Secretary) said it was worth cockle ring whether it would not help Imperial unity and encourage confidence to invite not only the Prime Ministers of the Dominions, but also the responsible leaders of the Opposition to the Imperial Conferences. He knew the latter were reluctant, but the opinion he had consulted showed a conviction that some such change was absolutely necessary in order to make the conferences more effective and more real. It would only tend to disaster to continue with the confirmees, only to find when they ended that nothing whatever had been done. This would lead to an agitation against the conferences, and would be disastrous to everybody.