BALDWIN’S CENSURE MOTION DEFEATED

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 7168, 15 March 1930, Page 7

BALDWIN’S CENSURE MOTION DEFEATED

"Protectionist Propaganda” GOSSAMER THREADS OF UNITED EMPIRE SNOWDEN. REFUSES TO BE LED. British Official Wireless. Received Friday, 7 p.m. RUGBY, March 13. In the House of Commons, Mr Stanley Baldwin moved a vote of censure deploring the depression in trade and the increase in unemployment resulting trOm tho Government's policy and regretting the refusal of the Government uot only to extend safeguarding and Imperial preference but even to declare its intentions regarding the maintenance of tho existing .safeguarding and McKenna duties on milk eu-d key industries, thereby increasing uncertainty and distress. Mr Baldwin, in moving his vote of censure, said he regarded the situation as one of extreme gravity. “I hope the Chancellor of the Exchequer will make it quite clear,” ho said. 1 ‘ whether or not ho intends at any time, in combating the evils of unemployment, to have recourse either to any single duty or general duty as a remedy for uncmploymcm.t. Tho tendency of tho world was towards high tariffs—ho thought they were bad—but we should not cure them by pulling down our own barriers. He believed it was tho whole tendency of the economic life of Europe and we were left outside it.

In referring briefly to the Dominions question, Mr Baldwin said it was his view—and that view shared by thoughtful men of all parties in all the Dominions —that unless something could be constructed iu tho way of economic eo-operation, with a view to tho economic unity of the Empire, there was i real risk that in time the threads lhat bound tho Empire, which wcto already of gossamer, might break and with the breaking of those threads would go the hope of tho world for peace and progress. He had been unable to see any way in which economic unity could bo approached, except by ■utilising duties. Mr Snowden denounced what he described as the deliberate conspiracy of certain interests to. discredit the Gov-rnme-nt, particularly iu to his own personal responsibilities in respect of certain industries. If the latter has any influence at all, it could only be Infinitesimal as only 3 per cent of the workers were employed in safeguarded industries. In regard to the complaint that he had refused to declare the Government's intentions regarding safeguarding and the McKenna duties, Mr Snowden pointed out tnat on the first day that tho Government met .Parliament, the Prime Minister had stated that no further applications for safeguarding would bo considered, that the existing duties would expire at the appointed date and that the future policy would bo declared at the right time.

In regard to the demand made in the motion for the extension of safeguarding, Mr Snowden said there were two. questions which had been put to protectionists tens of thousands of times and no answer had ever- been given. The first was: If protection, would cure unemployment here, why had it not cured unemployment in highly-protected countries? She second question was: If protection was a good thing for the workers, ■why were wages in these highly-pro-tected countries 01115 half the wages here? When the Conservatives had answerled these questions he would continue to discuss the subject but not till then. The main purpose of the motion was to condemn him, because of his reticence regarding those duties. He would make no statement- beyond what he had already said. Mr A. M. Samuel said the Liberal party unhesitatingly supported the Government in resisting the motion. It uvas somewhat surprising that the Opposition front bench should have introduced a motion inviting the Chancellor of the Exchequer to take the almost unprecedented course of declaring in advance what duties he intended to propose. It was true the uncertainty Was affecting business but it was a (natural siequel to bringing this question of tariffs on to the floor of the jjOu.se of Commons. The members of the Liberal party were free traders, because they were convinced that policy was the best for the country in the present circumstances of the ■world. Mr Winston Churchill said this ccn- ' fcure was specially focussed upon Mr fcjnowden. Ho had said he was the ■victim of an organised conspiracy, that there was a deliberate policy of Certain interests te create unemployment in order to discredit the Government but did anyone believe it? There ■ was nothing more common than this persecution delusion but those were early days for the chancellor to show isigns of mania. If ho was in this condition three weeks before the budget, to what would he be reduced by the end of July? He ought to be fair to 'the protected trades, instead of talking mockingly about Jews' harps and : popguns. ■ - Captain Wedgwood Benn summed up ifbr the Government and the division was taken amidst noisy demonstrations by both parties. Messrs T. M. Wilford, S. M. Bruce Ifc/td Te Wa-t-sr (South Africa) were among the interested listeners to the debate. The motion was defeated by 30S ,votes to 235. 4 .