BRITAIN’S POLICY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19098, 20 August 1936, Page 14

BRITAIN’S POLICY

FAIRNESS QUESTIONED TREATMENT OF DOMINIONS SLR J. FARR’S OPINION The fairness of the policy by which Great Britain treats her high-tariff and low-tariff Dominions alike is questioned by the High Commissioner for New Zealand in London, Sir James Parr, in an article in the special New Zealand supplement published by the Daily Telegraph, London, last month. Sir .Tames expresses the opinion that with bilateral pacts inter-Empire trade would increase. ‘•As foreign nations pursue a policy of excessive economic nationalism, as foreign country after country endeavours to become self-sufficient by rearing tariffs as high as the heavens against us,” writes Sir James, “it surely becomes increasingly evident that the true interests of the British Empire are to be found in cultivating the closest economic relations one country with the other. Such, indeed, is the trend of policy nowadays, and l prophesy that with bilateral pacts this inter-Empire trade will increase. “At present, under the Ottawa agreement, all Dominions are treated equally by the Mother Country. For example. Great Britain, while taxing foreign imports, treats New Zealand, Australian, South African and Canadian produce on the same level, that is, it all enters Great Britain free of tariff duty. ‘ ‘ I think there is a weakness in this system, inasmuch as Great Britain does not differentiate between the hightariff and low-tariff Dominions. The result is that while one Dominion may have a low tariff against British goods, and another Dominion an exceedingly high tariff, nevertheless each of them is placed on the same level, their goods all coming into Britain free. “Is this quite fair?” asks Sir James. “Is there to be no reward or extra concession to the Dominion which deals most liberally with Britain on tariff matters? For instance, New Zealand’s tariff is a very low one, but Australia has a tariff 300 per cent higher, and Canada’s is nearly as high as Australia’s, against most British goods. With no desire to be invidious on to hurt anyone’s feelings, I hope I may be pardoned if I question the equity of such a position.”