SAFEGUARDING DUTIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20111, 23 November 1928, Page 13

SAFEGUARDING DUTIES.

POLICY OF CONSERVATIVES:

MANDATE FROM THE PEOPLE. BENEFITS TO INDUSTRIES. (Received November 22, .5.5 p.m.) British Wireless. RUGBY, Nov. 21. Lord Arnold of Halo, in the House of Lords to-day, raised the question of the safeguarding of industries. He submitted a motion demanding from tho Government a clear and .unequivocal declaration of its programme in this respect. Tho Earl of Plymouth, in replying for tho Government, said the declared policy of tho Labour Party was to prohibit tho importation of goods produced under sweated conditions. That was a form of protection infinitely moro clumsy than the procedure now being applied by tho Government. The safeguarding duties had justified themselves. They had increased employment and production in I lie industries to which they had been applied. Lord Plymouth gave a pledge that the Government would not tax food. The policy of tho Government in regard to safeguarding had been entirely consistent and logical from tho beginning. It had no intention of introducing protection "through tho back door" of tho safeguarding duties.

It was perfectly clear that at the general election of 1924 tho Government had received a very definite mandate to proceed with these duties. It intended to continue its policy on the same general lines as in tho past..