AUSTRALIA'S PREFERENTIAL BILL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13305, 11 October 1906, Page 5

AUSTRALIA'S PREFERENTIAL BILL.

"WHITE" AMENDMENT IMPOSSIBLE. I- - " ~ - CABLEGRAM FROM HOME GOVERNMENT.' it By ;Telegraph.— Association.—Copyright. e (Received October 11, 1.5 a.m.) a s ■ Melbourne, October 10. t The House of Representatives was proceeds ing to-day to consider the Senate's prov posal that the provision forbidding prefer--2 ence excepting on goods carried in British s ships manned by white crews should not come into operation till August 31 £ next, when Mr. Deakin announced a. sensa- ,. tional development. He had, he said, rej ceived a cablegram informing him that the British Board of Trade had discovered that l the proposed discrimination in regard to j British ships was forbidden under a num--3 ber of treaties, some of which were bindl ing on Australia. These provided that , the ships of one nation should not receive f preference over "those of another. There was no record of such treaties in the Customs Department. They were all drawn in general terms, to be determined ,by 3 the Foreign Office, and circum- . stances had not arisen to 5 cause. . them to be communicated to Australia. j. Such treaties" had been accepted before federation. In the circumstances he was 3 not able to ask the House to make the alteration suggested, by the Senate. The . matter could be dealt with at the forth: I coming Imperial Conference. In the meantime there was no alternative but to i remove the whole proposal. He then P moved that the provision giving preference to British. ships be omitted. * • This was carried, and the Bill now reads simply that preference shall be on dutiable , I goods, the produce or manufacture of the United Kingdom.