EMPIRE TRADE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21199, 3 December 1930, Page 9

EMPIRE TRADE

THE CANADIAN PROPOSAL. MR THOMAS’S CONDEMNATION. SPEECH CAUSES RESENTMENT. (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON, December 1. „ (Received Dec. 2, at 5.5 p.m.) Mr Thomas condemned beyond' the possibility of further discussion, and m language deeply resented by the Government, Canada’s proposal, which I made in a sincere desire to meet our individual and common needs,” says Mr R. B. Bennett (Prime Minister) in a statement referring to Mr Thomas's speech in the House tit Commons* Mr Bennett declares that Thomas used terms which were injnrious to the proposal, which he believed contained the best solution of the urgent problem of closer Empire economic association. He adds; “ I refrained from making earlier allusion to the speech in the hope and expectation that the farreaching consequences which must inevitably attach to the statement would have* compelled its ‘ denunciation by the British Government,- whose failure to do so must be construed as an endorsement thereof.”

Mr Bennett emphasises that the delecates separated in the earnest desire and hope that the Ottawa Conference would 'enable the discovery of some means of common acceptability for an Empire economic association. He adds: Mr Thomas must bd taken as having condemned he principle of preferences, which all ;he dominions approved, a specific illustration of which- was advanced when a move was made .to. remove the debates from purposeless and unprofitable. generalities. Mr Thomas condemned it, despite resolutions which the conference had passed, despite his own Government’s statement of policy, and despite the fact that the (conference had not seriously discussed either the principle of preferences or my own plans to make them operative. He also condemned it without offering a positive alternative proposal. 1 regret to refer to-his-statement, but there is no other course in justice to Canada and the cause of Empire economic unity, tor if the statement indieates the British attitude towards Ottawa I have little hope that any agreement that Canada may teach with the dominions will include the iUiuted Kingdom., Time is running against , ns, and if Canada’s proposal la to be thus contemptuously rejected Canadians can only embrace other means at hand of further strengthening their economic position.

In a speech in the House of Commons Mr Thomas said ■ Britain was asked to put a tax. on foodstuffs, and in ’ return Canada was prepared to increase preference, but not to remove any tax. He referred to the offer made by Canada ®s “ humbug.”

." A CRUSHING STATEMENT.”

DAILY TELEGRAPH’S COMMENT.

LONDON, December 2. (Received Dec. 3, at 1 a.m.) Tbc Daily Telegraph describes Mr Bennett’s statement as “ crushing and such as has never been published during the history of the relations between Britain the, dominipns, in spite of periods of '■ transient disagreement. Fortunately, Mr Thomas's speech binds only the Government, which is tottering for a fall and: has been dealt a fatal blow by this revelation.” '