INTERESTING DINNERS AND LUNCHEONS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19196, 12 June 1924, Page 2

INTERESTING DINNERS AND LUNCHEONS.

DOMINIONS AND PHEFEIiENGE. EMPIRE TRADE POLICY. IFbom Our Own Goehespondsnt.) I-ONDON, May 6. A round table discussion on the development of Empire "(rade, opened by Mr F. L. M’Dougall, chief adviser to tho Prime Minister of Australia, at .the reecnt Economic <,'onfronce. took place at last night’s dinner of the Imperial Industries Club, at tho Hyde Park Hotel. Sir James Allen, who presided, incidentally mentioned that this was the twenty-first anniversary of tno foundation of the club. One of the objects of that meet in" was to have a round-table discussion on Empire trade. Mr ALDoiigall, referring to the preference question, stated that during the war British paper-makers lost the Australian market, and on their urgent; representation tho Australian Parliament granted a £3 per ton preference to British printing paper, with the result that Australia became Britain's principal market for paper. Now owing to the unfortunate aftermath to the Imperial Economic Conference. Australia would probably have to extend the British paper preference to Canada. Paper, cotton, vvoollens, and dyes well illustrated the deliberate shelter from foreign competition given In British trade by Australia by granting "reference. At the present time the preference given by Australia, New Zealand. South Africa. Canada, and the West Indies was many times <u« valuable to tho employment of British labour, skill, and capital as the M.'Kernn duties. What of tile future? / Would Britain encourage the dominions to continue to shelter British trade,? Would she assist them to help her to-solve the great unemployment problem by taking migrants for the produce of whose bands Britain would find a market ? Tho answer to these questions depended upon the way in. which Empire policy was nut, before the people of this country ’Britain was intensely proud of the British Commonwealth of free peoples. If Empire development was to be safe in the hands of British democracy, it was essential that it should he made clear that Imperial policy was never imperious, and that no one aimed at a self-contained Em,nice: that the ideals of the Empires of Spain, or Portugal with their prohibitions of trade to all foreigners, were dead, and could never bo revived; and that wo did not even moan to follow the ICO per cent, discrimination against foreigners that the United States of America and Japan now employed in their dependencies. Sir Joseph Cook said Australia and New Zealand took up this position—they begged for nothing, they could and would look after themselves, as they wore able to do. but they were conscious that it was not in the interests of the Empire that tbev should have to betake themselves to the course that now remained open to them. They felt that, if this Empire was good enough to fight for and make sacrifices for. it was good enough to trade with. If Great Britain was going to push _ matters to the extreme and say the dom boons were to be treated as any outsider wns treated, il would be worse for her than it would be for them. Trade might go to America and Japan, which were much nearer Australia than was Great Britain. BUSINESS OF BOARD OF TRADE. Immediately following the visit of the King and Queen to tho British Industries Fair at the White City yesterday, a distinguished company, including representatives of the dominions, and almost every foreign nation, was entertained at luncheon by the Government. Mr Sidney Wobb, the I‘residenl of the Board of Trade, presided. su James Allen was present. Air Webb said it was the business*of the Board of Trade to jjromote in every way British industries. Some times tne board was apt to bo looked upon too much as a policeman, lie alluded to the many complaints which were made to the effect tuat British manufacturers were finding themselves undersold by foreigners, and that their lenders were not accepted. He reminded them that last year tue export of British goods to other countries in tiie face of the fiercest competition amounted to nearly £tX)G.OOC,OOO. and advised them that it was better to lay stress on the magnitude of the orders we had rather than on those we had not got. It was because the goods were not going to the. other shop, and because he did not want them to go to the other shop, (hat he was so pleased to propose success to British industries. Kir Adolph Tuck asked Mr Webb to convey to the Chancellor of the Exchequer the request not only of the whole of the business community, but of the whole country, that he should boldly revert to penny postage and halfpenny postage for postcards. Mr William Lunn, M.P. (Parliamentary Secretary of the Department of Overseas Trade) claimed that there had been no Government in this country which wm more interested in and more anxious to give encouragement and to render every assistance possible to the traders in tins country than the present Government The’ Spanish Ambassador expressed admiration of the super-finance of the British Exchequer. The world war came, and its consequences had to be mot, either at home or in helping less happy nations. Governments came and tvent, but the surplus flowed on for over;' Just as the Empire would not exist without British industries, so British industries would not flourish without the British Eraprc. Sir James Allen said the dominions were only too willing to further any enterprise of that kind which would help British industry. DORSET MEN IN LONDON. Air H. S. Moore was a Now Zealand “Dorset man” who attended last night’s annual banquet of the Society of Dorset Man in London, and he was one of those who responded to the toast, “Dorset Alen Athirst the Seas.” The Right Hon. Winston Churchill was the guest of the evenin'and Contain the Right Hon. F. E. Guest, D.5.0./M.F., was in the chair. The following telegram was despatched to the King: ’'Co His Majesty th’ King,— VTom thcasem mceten o’ Darset Men vrom all earners o’ th’ earth, voregather’d in Lon’on vor their Yearly Yeast, now taken nammet at the Holbom Restaurant, alive wi’ happy mem’ries, loyally call j'or Grachus Majesty’s neame wi’ tunevul vaices jayvul hearts, an’ wish ee long life an’ happiness.—l d’ hide, a/, avoretime. an’ vor all time, Thy Vaithvul Sarvint. Frederick Guest President o’ Darset Alen in Lon’on.” It was not long before a reply came from the king’s private secretary. Next year tho society will come of ago, and the chairman hoped that they would bo Ic 1 o celebrate that great event by bringing up their ranks from 930 to at least 10CO. Mr Churchill announced that it was only the accident of the fact that the Royalists lost the Civil War in the seventeenth century that, led to the great Duke of Marlborough being born in Devon instead of Dorset. His father, Sir Winston Churchill, was on the losing side in the struggle, and was deprived of all his property. Luckily, he had a mother-in-law— (laughter) —who was well in with the Labour Government of that day —(laughter)—and whose house in consequence was not confiscated by the Administration that came into power. It was under the roof of tins venerable lady m Dorset that the great Duke was born.