THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1923. IMPERIAL PREFERENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18991, 12 October 1923, Page 6

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1923. IMPERIAL PREFERENCE.

Up to a point at least the Home Government is manifesting in a practical way its desire to fall in with the wishes of the representatives of other parts of the Empire in respect of an extended application of the principle of Imperial preference. Mr Bruce’s speech at the Economic Conference, in which he dealt with the whole question from the point of view of the dominions, or, to be strictly correct, from an Australian point of view, seems to have embodied proposals of a comprehensive nature in consonance with his argument that the keynote of every question to be considered by conference is the establishment of markets for the dominions. The speech, to which only brief reference has been made in the cablegrams, may have been an excellent piece of special pleading, and it is quite possible, as has been suggested, that the farreaching character of the views which Mr Bruce has been elaborating has taken most of the newspapers by surprise. He has disclaimed any desire to persuade the ■ British people to change their tariff

policy against their wishes and their interests, bnt it is likely that the Westminster Gazette expresses the truth when it states that all his alternative suggestions would have ‘•ho same effect — that of raising the price of food in the Old Country. This is the fundamental difficulty which obtrudes itself immediately British preference to dominion products on a large and important scale is seriously mooted. Possibly Mr Bruce’s suggestion that a Royal Commission should be set up to examine the whole question will commend itself to the conference and the British Government. In the meantime, however, the dominions will not go empty-handed away. Their dried fruits, if they export any, will be accorded the preference which some of them would like to see extended to their meat and dairy produce. According to Sir Philip LloydGreame’s statement, such dried fruits as are subject to a duty at the present time, with a preference to the extent oi one-sixth of the rate for Empire products, are still to be dutiable when they are imported from foreign countries, but there is to be free admission for the products of the dominions. This at least is not going to place any burden on the British consumers, since, if they desire the dutiable goods, they will pay no more for them than previously. In respect of dried fruits on the nondutiable list no alteration will be mauV as regards Empire products, but a duty will oe imposed upon the foreign article Moreover, all foreign preserved fruit will bear a duty, while the products of the Empire will be admitted to Britain free. This will have the effect of rais ing the price of certain imported fruit l on the British market, and to that extent must impose a tax on the British public. There is further a proposal, of no doubt quite a favourable kind, by the British Government in respect tc Empire-grown tobacco. The represeu tatives of the dominions seem to havt expressed a good deal of appreciatioi of the Home Government’s proposals and Mr Massey is credited with having predicted that considerable benefit would accrue to the fruit-growing Indus tiy in New Zealand. Taken in theii full range, from New Zealand to Aus tralia, from the West Indies to Soutl Africa, possibly these preferential proposals will be of some value to the trad of the Empire at large, but they an to be regarded at most as merely touch ing the fringe of the whole question a issue, and they represent a measure o preference that is in no way comparabh with that which has been advocated. Ti the words of the Westminster Gazette “the Government’s proposals are a ver; pale ghost o f the scheme which Mi Bruce outlined.” While these proposal are evidently designed to afford conces sions which shall operate as innocuous! as possible, the acceptance by the Gov eminent of the principle involved ir them is clearly regarded as of first class significance. Already there an symptoms of party and controversy restiveness. The real question of pre ference will come to the forefront whei the Home Government proposes, if il has any intention of so doing, to impos duties cn food products—meat, dair; produce, wheat, and other necessaries o life—coming from foreign countries, ii order that the dominions may reap r preferential benefit. It may be sur mised that the British public will b somewhat inclined to the view expresseby Mr Arthur Henderson, that at thpresent time Imperial preference in it 1 full significance is “a fantastic folly.”