LABOUR AND THE EMPIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20621, 21 July 1930, Page 12

LABOUR AND THE EMPIRE.

Sir, May I be allowed to express appreciation of tho tone of vour subleader in Friday's Herai.d ? * You epitomise fairly, forcefullv and very truly tho hopelessly blunt and bitter attitude of ilr. Snowden in his refusal to discuss the fiscal question at tho forthcoming Imperial Conference. Mr. Snowden gained sonic kudos on the reparation question, and there may bo a tendency on the part ot many to unduly givo sympathetic consideration to other views lie. may advance. Mr. Snowden—as every other person—lias a perfect right to his personal views on the fiscal question; but this right involves the absolute necessity of giving reasonable consideration to opposing views, and so makes the matter one for serious and careful argument between tho various sections of tho. Empire. Rut Mr. Snowden—as you point out—refuses to argue the matter. I have known Mr. Snowden for many years, and have followed closely his career. Ho is beyond question an able man, but cold-blooded, and bitter beyond belief. I defy anyone to point to any speech of Mr. Snowden \s in which he has attempted to argue in defence of his rigid free-trade principles. Facts and figures advanced by those who do not agree with his view are always treated with perfect indifference. He "is so bitter on the question that he simply refuses to admit that it is worth argument. Whenever he is compelled to refer to the question in Parliament, lie invariably repeats again and again that '"it can be proved that safeguarding lias not benefited any industry in England" or similar statements. To attempt to prove such a statement is seemingly not necessary to Mr. Snowden. In Friday's cabled nff.s he is reported as repeating tho same sort of tiling. May I bo allowed to give facts and figures of one instance only as showing that Mr. Snowden's statements are not worth considering on the fiscal question. "In England a duty of 33 1-3 per cent, was put upon the importation of motor vehicles under the Safeguarding of Industries Act. of 1911. Tho result was remarkable. The Austin Motor Com pany. under the confidence given by the security of the market, increased it; tun: over six times; increased its workers' earnings, taking the average figure, from UOC to £247: increased its employees four and a-quarter times; decreased its selling price to consumer? 62 per cent. : ift creased export sales five times. A man who refuses most emphatically to deal with this and numerous other tacts is, to sav the least of it, not n statesman. JJ,