PREFERENTIAL TRADE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13207, 14 February 1905, Page 5

PREFERENTIAL TRADE.

JOHN BUMS ON MR CHAMBERLAIN'S POLICY. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. MELBOURNE, February 13. (Received Feb. 13, at 10.30 a.m.) The Freelrade Association has received a reply from Mr John Burns regretting his inability to lecture in Australia on iisenlisin. l'eferring to Mr Chamberlain's scheme he says: " This is -only a diverting subterfuge to cow up his disastrous South African war, his foolish Sugar Convention policy, and :his monstrous revival of slavery by allowing alien mine-owners to displace British and Australian labour by Chinese coolies. He is somewhat surprised 'that a few responsible Australians should have been fascinated by his fallacies, and that some Labour legislators were too simple to see through his Home electoral devices. But the. only effect of liis revival of Protection will be to disrupt the forces of reactionary Imperialism, whose 10 years of extravagant, government lias seriously imperilled our financial, commercial, military, and naval position." "I suspect," he adds, "that some of your politicians ere this are sorry they identified themselves, even in sentiment, with the most costly, dangerous, and ruinous policy ever projected against the well-being of the British people by a statesman who has never been their guide, philosopher, and friend."