EMPIRE PREFERENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17881, 8 September 1921, Page 4

EMPIRE PREFERENCE.

The Tariff Commission has completed its labours, and in due course its recommendations will take Parliamentary form. It is desirable that before the riew tariff is presented there should be some public consideration of the principles by which it is to be shaped. In the absence of such discussion it iB probable Parliament will swallow the rule-of-thumb amendments framed by departmental experts." The question of reciprocity with Australia is one of those which call for something more than a departmental improvisation New Zealand extends a preferential list to the whole British Empire. There is no proposal to withdraw this concession from the United Kingdom; indeed, roost people will sympathise with Mr. Massey's suggestion that it should be extended. The case of the Dominions is different. They are not free trade countries like the United Kingdom, and none of them has given us the preference we extend to them. The negotiation of a reciprocal arrangement with Australia is under consideration, but obviously New Zealand would commence such negotiations under the handicap of her existing preference. If we start off by remitting duties against Australia under our Empire preference scheme we will probably end up by giving Australia a greater degree of preference than wd give the United Kingdom and by making a bargain which stereotypes the advantage Australia gained initially through our Empire preference. If we are going to establish reciprocal tariffs, as we have with South Africa, let us start on the same level as the Dominions, and we may be more successful than we have been in onr earlier efforts to frame an Australian list which would command popular favour. If a request were made to each Dominion to give us the preference it accords to the United Kingdom we should at least know whether Empire preference was to be entirely one-sided. If the Dominions refused to meet us on our level w e could then meet them on theirs.