FREE TRADE

Southland Times, Issue 20015, 1 November 1926, Page 7

FREE TRADE

A DISCOEDAIfT NOTE IMPERIAL PREFERENCE CONDEMNED SPEECH BY MR RUNCIMAN (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) London, October 29. “We do not regard Imperial preference as a faith which must not be tampered with,” declared the Rf. Hon. Walter Runciman at the Free Trade Union luncheon. “We regard it as business made by the Government for the benefit of certain " business men. It is rtfbbish to talk about trade between Britain and Australia. It is not countries that trade, but individuals. Preference must be given to individuals at the expense of the general taxpayer, who has enough to bear without subsidising the Antipodes. Mr Bruce appeals for plain words, so I will say Australian tariffs are created to help Australian manufacturers against ours. Mr Bruce talks of a gift of £8,000,000. There is no gift in that. The less the Australian representatives talk of gifts the better. There is no distinction between the purchaser of British goods happening to live in the dominions and the foreign purchaser. Foreigners absorb three-fifths of British exports. European trade is equally as important as Empire trade, and we must not injure the larger for the sake of the smaller. The only method by which our politicians can foster Empire trade is by lowering and ultimately abolishing Empire tariffs. We have taken toll of the world’s resources for three generations, and nothing less than the world will satisfy us now.— A. and N.Z.