THE BRITISH TARIFF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21099, 5 February 1932, Page 9

THE BRITISH TARIFF.

INTRODUCTION TO-DAY. MR. CHAMBERLAIN'S ROLE. REALISING FATHER'S IDEAL, IMMENSE PUBLIC INTEREST. COUNTRY'S FOOD SUPPLIES. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received February 5, 12.15 a.m.) LONDON. Feb. 4. In view of the fact that, the Government's tariff proposals are to be announced to-day in the House of Commons. the Board of Trade Journal publishes special tables of some of Britain's food imports in 1931. They are as follows : WHEAT. Chief Suppliers. CwtPanada .. . 29.595.000 Russia . . . . 29.426.000 Australia . . . . 23.059.000 Argentina . . . . 20.948.000 United States . . 8.932.000 Total Imports . - 119.374,000 BTHTERChief Suppliers. Cvrt. Denmark .. . . 2.448.000 New Zealand . - . - 1.905.000. Australia . . • • 1.558.000 TTussia - . • • • • 409.000 Ireland 531.000 Argentina . - -- o/5,000 Total Imports . . -8.071.000 The political stage is set for to-day s drama at Westminster. The Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mr. Neville Chamberlain, spent a portion of yesterday in seclusion preparing his speech. He is deeply impressed with the importance of the occasion and is not unmindful that he will be bringing; to fruition the policy in the advocacv of which his father, the late Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, sacrificed bis health and life. The House will be packed Thousands of applications for seats have been rejected. It is expected that two days will elapse before the first division is taken. • DIVIDED CABINET. AGREEMENT TO DIFFER. LABOUR'S CENSURE MOTION. (Received Febmary 4-, 6.5 p.m.? British Wireless. ."RUGBY. Feb. 3. The House of Commons on Monday will debate a vote of censure on the Government, to be moved hy Ilie Labour exposition. regarding the Cabinet s " agreement to differ" on the tariff proposals. The motion describes the Cabinet's action ss a " of an established constitutional principle." EMERGENCY DUTIES. BENEFITS IN BRITAIN. APPROVAL BY COMMONS. LONDON, Feb. 3. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade, Mr. I- Hore-Belisha. in the House of Commons to-day moved that the House approve the emergency duties imposed on December 1/. He said the result had been that many factories in Manchester. Bradford, Nottingham and Leicester were working overtime, while in the past six weeks applications had been received from 250 foreign firms desiring to establish factories in Britain. Twenty such factories were already operating. The emergency duties!, with only a temporary purpose of reducing the abnormal imports and forestalling a general tariff, had succeeded beyond expectations. Above all, they had shown the public that the tariS experiment should be regarded not in accordance with abstractions and theories, but aa actual practice. He hoped that, when Parliament was asked to-morrow to change the fiscal system of the past 85 years, the proposals would be treated in a practical and scientific and not in a speculative, spirit. Mr. J. T. O'Connor (Conservative — Nottingham) : The emergency duties have had an electrical effect in restoring confidence and reducing unemployment in the Nottingham lace trade. Mr. J. H. Lockwood (ConservativeShipley) : The new duties hare already reduced unemployment at- Bradford by 50 per cent. The motion was carried by 275 votes to 44. It is learned thai the forecast published in the Daily Express of the Government's tariff proposals is correct m principle. However, there probably will be some modifying clause placing the Dominions on a better footing than for--5 signers, but not so favourable as colonies.