PREFERENTIAL TRADE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10830, 24 November 1906, Page 3

PREFERENTIAL TRADE.

(Press Assn. — By Telegraph — Copyright.) (Received November 24, 9.11 a.m.) MELBOURNE, November 24. Mr Deakin, referring to the cabled summary of the British Tariff Commission's report, says it luid simply studied the British situation from the British point of view m the interests of British producers, and had arrived at the conclusions probably without taking into account the reciprocal benefits that Mere ceitain to accrue from tariff requirements of the kind here suggested. It was liighly satisfactory to see that men of business on the other side of the world, thinking only of their own and locul interests, should have arrived at conclusions which! if adopted, would b.e beneficial to all the great agricultural dominions, such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The findings of the Commission were certaiu to liave great weight with the thoughtful openminded electors of the Motlierlund. Mr Ramsay Macdonald declared that the Tariff Commission's findings would have no influence and excite no interest. A duty on colonial wheat would inevitably mean n dearer loaf, the only people bene, filing being the English landlords. Britain would have first of all to protect her own farmers, and the latter wero not going to allow New Zealand, Australian, and Canadian farmers to cut them out of their nmrket. No preference was required to encourage the frozen meat trade, for instance. So far as he could see, it would only increase the profits of the Australian landowner and consequently liis political power. The Labor party, ho was sure, was not going to authorise any such thing here to injure the party's prospects.