MR. RAMSAY MACDONALD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13303, 9 October 1906, Page 5

MR. RAMSAY MACDONALD.

—«» ARRIVES IN AUSTRALIA.

' VIEWS ON THE FISCAL QUESTION,, . - *By Telegraph.—Prec'a Association Copyright • Beisbakk, October 8. Mr." Ramsay MacDoxald, M.P., has arrived here, and, in an interview, said. the Labour party in England would not countenance any on aof fiscal protection. The argument that it would provide more work and higher wages to the British artisan was unsound. He did not know what preference Australia wanted. If she wished Great Britain to take her products, he could say that she wao taking , all that could be sent, so that preference would not benefit her. If Australia wanted the prices raised, that meant that the British people would have an increased cost of living. The goods that Australia stint were not competing with those of the Home producers, but if a tariff on agricultural products were imposed the English producer would demand that it be made sufficiently, high to protect him. There would then be protection right away, and that his party could not accept. The members of the Labour party felt that, economically, the basis of preference-was unsound, and would not give the results, either commercially or politically, the Australians desired. "' ' ■■■■■. . ■* From a political point of view,; he: said preference was only run by Mr. Chamber-' lain and liis friends to make party capital, and, on the other side, while they mouthed*, about Empire, what they wanted was an aristocratic Government. Those men simply Used the Empire as a counter in th« party game, and the Labour party opposed that. ' Dealing with. English labour questions, MV. Mac Donald said he considered the decision of the Miners' Federation, not to instruct its representatives to join the organised Labour party in the House the heaviest blow the Liberal section of the trades union movement had ever received. Referring to the recent cablegram, in which it was repotted that Mr. Richard Bell had protested against the railway men joining the party of the Labour Representation Committee, and had made allegations against Mr. Snowdon and himself (Mr. MacDonald), he.said Mr. Bell had beer now wiped out, and was now of no consequence. His speech was only a personal attack., He denied that he (Mr. Mac Donald) had ever represented two Liberal newspapers, and he . did not at present represent any newspaper, but one Liberal newspaper had offered to take anything he cared to send. He believed, he added, that if there was a freer interchange of information, and if the cable news were " in honest hands," a great deal of good would accrue. At the present time there was nothing bad enough for the cables to say about Australia. Mr. MacDonlad finally explained his visit as only half official, and partly on account of health. .