TRADE OF CANADA.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 268, 12 October 1932, Page 7

TRADE OF CANADA.

TARIFF POLICIES. ATTACK BY LIBERAL LEADER. OTTAWA, Oct. 10. The Liberal Leader, Mr Mackenzie King, brought the attack on the Government to a climax in the House of Commons to-day by moving an amendment to the Address-in-Reply to the Speech from the Throne. The amendment reads: “Whilst reserving any expression of view upon the merits of the agreements concluded at the recent Imperial Economic Conference, the House is of opinion that the tariff policies of the present administration have seriously injured the trade of Canada and have intensified the economic depression; and that the Government has wholly failed to afford a remedy for unemployment and agricultural distress as pledged by the Prime Minister.

“The House regrets that except the dole the Government has no policy in respect to the relief of unemployment. It also deplores the Government’s obvious endeavour by postponing revision of the Bank Act to avoid immediate consideration by Parliament of the allimportant subjects of banking credit and currency.” METHOD OF NEGOTIATION. Referring to the Imperial Economic Conference, Mr King said that the method of negotiation was unfortunate. “It was one of bargaining,” he said, “and I believe that bargaining on a matter of Imperial policy is all wrong. The nations of the Empire are one in kinship, race, sentiment, tradition and allegiance to • a common Crown, and methods other than those of bargaining should be adopted. The Conference was one where representatives of Empire nations met to discuss common problems.’-’ Conservative members had claimed that the Prime Minister’s position had forced Great Britain to change her fiscal policy, Mr King continued. If that were so, then the Empire was threatened with disruption. It meant that one part of the Empire could dictate the fiscal policy to any other part, for if Canada took that position _ toward others the other Empire nations must he conceded tlie r right to take the same stand toward Canada. PRIME MINISTER’S REPLY.

Replying to the Liberal Leader tonight, the Prime Minister, Mr R. B. Bennett, criticised Mr King for attempting to “depreciate the effects of the Government’s action at the Imperial Economic Conference,” and said that the Liberal Leader could not disguise his spleen that a successful conference had been held in tlie country. The discussions on the trade pacts negotiated at the Conference would be comprehensive, Mr Bennett said. He promised to table them on Wednesday, and said that if the Opposition desired the discussion would be delayed for a day or two to provide time for study and meditation. Nothing that Mr King had said showed that the Government was impotent to deal with unemployment and falling trade. Mr Bennett declared that it was sheer partisanship to say that Canada alone was affected. Psychological influences must be set to work if the depression is to lift, lie said and declared that the Government in season and out of season had done everything to restore confidence. Ho would tell the people of tlie country that the lot of Canadians was better than that of any other people in the world.