THE FISCAL REFORM CAMPAIGN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12399, 12 October 1903, Page 5

THE FISCAL REFORM CAMPAIGN.

ANOTHER SPEECH BY ME. CHAMBERLAIN.

COLONIAL SENTIMENTS.

A. FEDERATED EMPIRE. By Telegraph.— Press Association.—Copyright. : London, October 9. Mr. Chamberlain, in a speech at Cupar, Fifeshire, hopefully anticipated that the workers would help in achieving the great closing object of his political life. "We must look to the colonies," he said, " to share our burdens, as hitherto they have shared the privileges of Empire. We must treat them as relatives whose ideas must be considered. The moment a man reaches Australia or Canada he exchanges his Cobden views for patriotic or what his opponents called the protectionist view."

Referring further to the colonies, Mr. Chamberlain emphasised that their strong sentiment of union must be reciprocated. "If," he said, "we recognise their ideas and give up some of our. prejudices, and even make some sacrifices for the Empire, which we all share with them, I am confident that this great sentiment will transmit itself into something stronger than a union of hearts, that it will become a union in fact, and we shall have an Empire federated, strengthened and' united if need be against the world.".

MR. CHAMBERLAIN AND HIS COLLEAGUES. ;

London, October 9. Mr. Chamberlain, in bidding farewell to his colleagues, thanked them for their zealous assistance. He said he believed that the Colonial Office's service to the Empire was more generally appreciated than formerly.

CRITICISMS BY MR. ASQUITH. London, October 9.

Mr. Asquith. replying to Mr. Chamberlain's recent speeches, said that retaliation Would be futile, and injured most the party who used it. They must fight the tariffs with free imports. Protection was not more advanced than in 1846. It would be impossible to retaliate against Russia and the United States without injuring ourselves. Mr. Asquith ridiculed Mr. Chamberlain's " hysterical dump-phobia." Great Britain's great asset of Empire ought not to be treated as an appendage of the colonies' will. Mr. Chamberlain had said that trade was stagnant. That assertion, he maintained, was based on fallacies. Mr. Chamberlain entirely ignored the Home trade, and the carrying trade had been selected in an abnormal year for comparison. The statement that the Empire would break up without preferential trade was pure assumption, : a fcalumny upon the colonies and a slur upon the Empire. Protection was an inclined plane, there being no halting until the bottom was reached. Unless preference were given to raw materials besides wool and food it would be impossible to establish a logical scheme. To attempt it would be a cause of rivalry. OTHER SPEECHES. , London, October 9. Mr. Bryce, speaking at Lancaster, said that Mr. Chamberlain's case rested upon a tissue of blunders. The edifice was utterly rotten and worthless.

Mr. Gerald Balfour, in a speech at Leeds, said that Great Britain really wanted freer trade, and not unalloyed protection.

LETTER BY MR. BENJAMIN KIDD. London, October 9. Mr. Benjamin Kidd, the wellknown sociologist and author of " Social Evolution," has published a powerful letter in the Times, exposing what he calls "free trade fallacies," and answering the critics of Mr. Chamberlain's scheme. SUPPORT FROM NATAL. (Received October 11, 9.12 a.m.) London, October 10. Sir A. H. Hime, ex-Premier of Natal, cables: —"Glasgow speech grand. Chamberlain for ever." MR. BALFOUR'S PAMPHLET. (Received October 11, 9.12 a.m.) London, October 10. One hundred thousand copies of Mr. Balfour's pamphlet, embodying his Sheffield speech, have been sold. FREE FOOD UNIONISTS. (Received October 11, 9.12 a.m.) London, October 10. The Free Food Unionists have decided to conduct an active autumn campaign. VIEWS OF THE WORKERS. London, October 9. The Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants at Peterborough resolved that Mr. Chamberlain's proposals would add to the workers' burdens and prove ineffectual to promote Imperial unity. The congress viewed with some concern any increase in import duties on"manufactures, but before any scheme of retaliation was adopted there ought to be thorough inquiry, and the industrial and commercial classes should be consulted. The Miners' Federation of Great Britain, sitting at Glasgow, by 79 votes to five, condemned Mr. Chamberlain's policy. The dissenters represented Scotch districts. CONTINENTAL OPINION. London, October 9. . The German press exhibit the greatest reserve as to Mr. Chamberlain's speech, but business men admit that a ten per cent, retaliatory duty would severely hit German industries, and especially if combined with preference to the colonies. (Received October 11, 9.12 a.m.) London, October 10. Mr. Chamberlain's scheme is regarded with coolness and suspicion on the Continent.

The Paris £ newspaper Ganlois describes Mr. Balfour as a prudent and far-seeing statesman, and states that he is opposed by, the out-and-out protectionists as 'well as by the uncompromising freetraders. ■' The newspaper ; Patrie " declares that Mr. Chamberlain is the enemy of France. He failed to make war with the cannon over the Fashoda incident, and now wishes to- make war against her with : preferential tariffs. '•.'.'/ ■ (Received October 12. 12.26 a.m.) • Vienna, October .11.

The Neue Freie Presse says that protection engenders higher protection, and suggests that Europe; and America should reply by continuous retaliation. ;; " ,; Buda Pesth, October 11. The paper Pester Lloyd says the British voter must decide whether the workmen will buy tea, coffee, and cocoa cheaper than bread and meat. --. •; ; UNITED STATES' PRESS VIEWS. (Received October 12. 12.26 a.m.) New York, October 11. The. New York Morning Journal expresses the belief that the colonies do not desire an Imperial Customs union, and declares that protection has more than doubled the .cost of living in the United States. ,|

The protectionist New York'press praises Mr. Chamberlain from the British standpoint, but is alarmed on behalf of the United States.- ~.'•'.-.

MR. CHAMBERLAIN AND THE - COLONIES. A SUGGESTION TO MR. SEDDON. [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Christchurch, Sunday. A Christchurch resident recently ; %rote to the Premier, suggesting that Mr. Chamberlain should be invited to address meetings in the colonies on the subject of preferential trade. Mr. Seddon, in his reply; v says: '"I agree with yqu that if this could be brought about very much benefit would. result to the cause he has so much at heart, especially in the colonies. You may rest assured that I will do what I can to promote; such an event, but of course Mr. Chamberlain's time, for a considerable period to come, will be very fully engaged at Home, and- 1 doubt if before the next elections he will' be able to spare time for an extended tour of the colonies." .. ■ :

EFFECT ON NEW ZEALAND TRADE. [BY TELEGRAPH.OWN CORRESPONDENT.] •CHRiSTcntracHi Sunday.

Local commercial opinion as to the effect of the preference policy, outlined in • Mr. Chamberlain's speeches, •is expressed by some remarks by Mr. A. Kaye, of a local firm of grain merchants and exporters. Speaking to a pressman, Mr. Kaye said that necessarily it would be of great advantage to the colonies to have preference to" the extent of 2s a quarter over foreign wheat, but whether it was sufficient to induce New Zealand farmers to grow more wheat than at present was a matter of considerable doubt. The preference of 2s per quarter in the case of wheat would, no doubt, on many occasions, make business practicable when without the preference it would not; be practicable. At times it will, says Mr. Kaye, be of immense benefit, whilst at others it will be no use whatever. As to the proposed .5 per cent, preference with regard to frozen.meat, Mr. Kaye said that anything that would give New Zealand producers an advantage over the Argentine producers Was desirable. The latter were able to obtain lower freights, and in many other respects more favourable shipping conditions than New Zealand shippers, owing to their proximity to the English market, and the preferential duty would be a decided advantage. At present the Argentine producers have every advantage, except that their meat is hot of such good quality as that from New Zealand. The frozen meat trade and the dairy • produce trade were, established, and the whole of the preferential"* duty would be advantageously felt. • • ■