Imperial Trade Preference

Southland Times, Issue 19132, 24 August 1903, Page 3

Imperial Trade Preference

The question of pi'efei'ential tariffs is one that should be settled bj' tho experience of business men, and it would be well if they would imitate the example of Sir J. Blundell Maple, who addressed his supporters at Penge on the subject. His views are wholly opposed to those of Mr Ritchie. He gave scone instances showing the folly of regarding a free-im-port system as Free Trade. Perhajps the most telling passage in his speech was that in which he described hew he had beeii forced to set up works in France owing to the duties at French ports. All the work which is being done for the firm in France l»y Frenchmen represents so much lost to the British workman. Sir Bli.ndell sees quite plainly that there is a Vast market at home and in the colonies iiovr supplied by the foreigner, which the Briton might supply for himself. : Whiat preference Vvould mean may be illustrated by the case of West Australia, where the German settlei'S have, as Mr Haviland has .shovfrn-in: the Daily Chronicle, created an ever-increasingt demand for German goods. A- tariff in Britain's favour would alter all that. In Canada, preference., as. Mr H. W. Wilson rightly explains in the Daily Mail, has turned a falling market for British -goods intc< a rising one.. The business. 'of Empire has> never yet been properly . understood- by the British people.— Public Opinion.