The New Zealand Times. SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 1925. IMPERIAL CO-OPERATION

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12093, 21 March 1925, Page 4

The New Zealand Times. SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 1925. IMPERIAL CO-OPERATION

The first meeting in London of the "Imperial Economic Committee” represents the 'fulfilment of a promise. (The British Government at last session of Parliament promised to set up this committee to arrange and develop co-operation within the Empire for trade purposes. The promise stood for of the British share of the Imperial Preference policy started some years ago by the Oversea Dominions. The first meeting of the committee thus promised, tells us that the 'Government has lost no time in getting to work. At the. outset the airj has been cleared by an opportune announcement. In this the chairman explained to the committee, the oversea representatives on that body being present, that the committee is “an experiment in Empire co-operation, not an attempt at Empire government.” Thus all possibility of misunderstanding is obviated. The fact, is .prominent that the essence of this Imperial movement is Imperial cooperation. The principle is affirmed by Imperial Preference, and its application over the whole Empire is to be brought about by co-operation. ' The importance of this movement, now fairly launched, for the development of Imperial resources and mutual trade cannot be overstated. While the world at large ia striving hard to restore the old commercial position, and not succeeding either too well or too quickly, the Empire is turning in earnest practical fashion to exploit ite own resources for the furtherance of its own great clommercial interests. The period of affirmation by generalities is over. The perio3 of active cooperative work has begun. The Dominion inaugurated that period for themselves some years ago with their policy of Imperial Preference. The senior partner has now come into line, in active ' co-operation. Certain things he promised to do to reciprocate this action. One of these was the organisation through a representative committee of the necessary co-operation of all the partners in the Empire. As a praotical contribution the chairman made an offer which, in view of the years of free trade policy, is very' remarkable, because such a thing has long been thought impos-' 6ible. The chairman preceded his offer with the statement that the chief competitor with whom the committee is concerned is not the Home producer, bub the foreign supplier. By the use of the term “foreign supplier” he did not mean to include the Imperial oversea produoer. The committee therefore, he said, would endeavour to secure that the foodstuffs supplementary of Britain would come as far as possible from within the Empire. The offer is almost startling. It is an offer of Imperial Preference to all the productions of the overseas dominions. The possibility of such preference has indeed been mentioned' with bated breath. • Nay, more, any d'eßire for such preference had been expressly repudiated by many oversea representative men. But here it is, the first thing offered to the committee of Imperial trade co-operation. Behind.the offer to “secure” that Imperial Preference, stands the majority behind the Government in the House of Commons. The very making of the offer of preference implies that the Government will use its majority to further the pro-

ject. It is virtually an announcement of Ministerial policy. To speculate on details of how that preference can be secured is useless at the present stage. Enough that the promise has been given. What ia more, the policy has a good chances of success. On the same day that the chairman was as above making contributions of the Government to the preference co-operation, a motion was being considered in the House of Commons for the protection of labour against sweating. The motion was for protection of workers by tariff against goods, the product of foreign sweated labour. An amendment was moved affirming that tariff protection was futile, and favouring preference to some system of international arrangement. The amendment opposed the possible for the sake of the impossible, according to the usual tactics of free trade. It was thrown out by a huge majority. Now not very long ago that amendment, futile as it is on the face of it, would have passed with l flying colours and patriotic if not humanist cheers. Its summary rejection is a good augury for the success of the new policy, which will help the co-operative system of Empire development very materially. The granting of preference to 1 the foodstuffs of the dominions—the vast majority of our exports—ia within easily measured distance.