NEW PARTY IN BRITAIN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20958, 22 February 1930, Page 13

NEW PARTY IN BRITAIN.

MUCH INTEREST CREATED. ! prospects of Movement. NOT TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY. (British Official Wireless.) (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph-Copyright.) . RUBY, February 20; (Received Feb. 21, at 5.5 p.m.) Much interest is being displayed in political, circles in Tuesday’s announcement by Lord Beaverbrook, the wellknown newspaper proprietor, that those who are responsible for conducting the campaign In favour of Empire Freetrade have decided to form a new political party. The. newspapers state that in the lobbies of the House of Commons the project was freely discussed yesterday, but the Times says that there is no tendency at present to treat the new movement very seriously. It points out that the £c\ Conservative members who have publicly sympathised with Lord Beaverbrook’s ideas have been equally emphatic in declaring their loyalty to the Conservative Party. “ They have 'no present intention of inviting open conflict with the group whose professions agree -ery largely with their own, but they aro certainly not disposed to secede from their old allegiance.".

Lord Beaverbrook states that he has been inundated with messages of good wishes for the new party, which intends to proceed at once to organisation by local centres, ■

The Daily Herald suggests ’the possibility of a new policy being advanced by the Conservative Party, whose pronouncement against food taxes in the interests of agriculture is regarded by the Empire Preetrade Party as precluding the development of the Empire as an economic unit on the lines advocated by them. The Herald suggests that the Conservatives, While adhering to their decision not to tax foodstuffs, might undertake to produce legislation prescribing that all bread sold In Britain should' contain a proportion of, British-grown flour. The Herald believes'that this would placate the leader of the Empire Party. POLICY OP THE PARTY. THE CONSERVATIVE VIEW. RUGBY, February 20. - 1 (Received Peb. 21, at 6.C p.m.) Sir Austen Chamberlain, addrepsing the Women’s Conservative Conference at Birmingham, referred to the announcement made by Lord Beaverbrook of the formation of the -new“ United Empire ” Party in favour of Preetrade within the Empire. Sir Austen moved a resolution assuring Hr Baldwin; of loyal support of his leadership, and expressing hearty approval of the policy he had laid before the country recently. He said that while he viewed Lord Beaverbrook’s movement with much sympathy, he did not think its policy a practicable o; e at the present time; “If u were possible by any act of burs to secure that economic unity of Empire and to treat tho Empire as one within which no tariff barriers or protective dues should interfere, with the free course of Imperial trade, there is no sacrifice I would not think well given in return for so great a boon to our‘country and in our Imperial Interests. It iSi however, idle to pretend that such an ideal is realisable or near the possibility of realisation.”