TARIFF QUESTION AT HOME

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 31 March 1930, Page 8

TARIFF QUESTION AT HOME

POLITICS IN STATE OF FLUX VIEWS OF VISITOR TO ENGLAND The political situation in Britain and the tariff question was touched upon by Mr 11. C Lane, who has recently returned from a trip to England, in an interview with a Christchurch "Times" representative. The depressed conditions in England, and the efforts being made by Lord Rothcrmero for the taxation of manufactured imported goods were the points that chiefly impressed Mr Lane. "In order to appreciate the position it must be remembered that the present Government does not represent' the majority of the voters." said Mr Lane, "and it is only with the consent of the Liberal Party that the Government is remaining in power. !n regard to the Coal Bill which litis been before the House, il is noticeable that, although Mr Lloyd George could not agree with one of the main principles of the Bill, yet, rather than risk a dissolution, he agreed to stand on one side- and not present, any further amendment. Politics, in Britain :ire in a state of (lux. a.-, is evidenced by the tariff question. tin will find freetraders in each of the three main parties. There is Winston Churchill, a freetrader, in the Baldwin Party, Lloyd George in the Liberal Party, and Mr Snowdon in the Labour Party, the last-named having expressed himself as an out-and-oul freetrader. THE TARIFF QUESTION "With regard to the tariff question, 1 understand that quite recently Mr Baldwin made sonic pronouncement which has caused Lord Beavcrbrook and Lord liothcrinci'c to reconsider their positions. There is an essential difference between Lord ftolhcrmcrc's scheme and Lord Beaverbrook's scheme. "Lord Rothermerc does not propose to place any tax on food tit all. lie proposes to pill a fairly stiff tariff on to the manufactured imported article. He does not propose to Lax food oeven raw material. 'Mi) my judgment," added Mr Lane, "that policy is perfectly feasible and will, sooner or later, be adopted. "Lord Beavcrbrook, ott the other

hand, proposed free trade within the Empire, which meant placing a tax on all imported foreign food, whether cereals or meat. There is a disadvantage, also, in that dominions like New Zealand and Australia cannot possibly forego the revenue derived from putting ti duty on imports. That is required in connection with the fiscal system in order to carry on the work of government.. EFFECT ON MANUFACTURES "Many people think that a tariff on imported manufactured .articles will stimulate British trade immensely, inasmuch as large firms will be able to increase their output. It is certain that if the policy should be adopted, new machinery will be introduced and the factories will be able to turn'out manufactured articles tit a price no highci than that of to-day. That fact can be instanced by the several trades protected by the safeguarding principle, such as the motor trade, the •glove trade, the lace trade and several other key industries. The result has been that all those industries that have been protected in a measure have had largely increased business. The success of those firms has resulted in deputations representing manufactures and Chambers ol Commerce asking Mr Snowdcn not tc discontinue the safeguarding principle but to expand it. "Manufacturers, and those engaged in the factories, see that something must be done in regard to safeguarding. They realise the cold fncls Hint under the present system, they have t< compete with the foreigner, who is paid lower wages, works longer hours, and has not such a high standard ;is tin British workman, hi the light of these facts, in my opinion, it is not possible for England to be prosperous. Depression is over the land, and .Mi Snowdcn has threatened to remove safeguarding when the term is up. Mr J. if. Thomas, Lord Privy Seal, and Minister in Charge of Employment, hie been conferring with the heads of fi large number of business firms, with the result that he is more favourable to the safeguarding principle than he was. "Personally, from what I have seen," said Mr Lane, "I think that if the principle of protecting certain industries is adopted by the Labour Partv at any election they will carry all before them." Plies and mosquitoes are disease carriers. Keep them out of your home. Spray Flytox.