BRITISH CONSERVATIVES

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 85, 26 June 1930, Page 8

BRITISH CONSERVATIVES

UNITY IN THE PARTY Mil BALDWIN'B DECISION KUGBY, June 24. Mr Baldwin, Conservative leader, made a pronouncement to-day regarding his party policy at a meeting of about -.11.10 Conservative members of Parliament and candidates. The meeting had been convened in order finally to define the party's Lmpire policy, notably in regard to the question of taxation of foreign foodstuffs.

Mr Baldwin said he stood as he had always stood, for gross economic unity of the Knipire, with reciprocal preference. That policy might, and probably would involve before it was complete, what were known as food taxes and there had been a division of opinion in tlie party on that subject. Mr Baldwin recalled that it was Lord Beaverbrook, newspaper proprietor, who had proposed, in order to meet this difficulty, that if such taxes should be found to be necesary a referendum should be taken before they were adopted as part of the party's policy at the general election. Me had accepted that proposal because it secured the unity of the party. And it, had another advantage, in that it would procure a national and not a party verdict on the subject of food taxes. Lord Beaverbrook had since changed his mind and he and his newspapers and his allied newspapers were denouncing him (Mr Baldwin) because he had not changed his mind. Mr Baldwin continued: "The referendum, as I have said, was designed primarily to achieve unity. If it is given up, one of two things must happen. You either go back to the position which existed before our adopting the referendum and that would not be unit}- in the party, or you have a free hand, which means in practical politi.es, food taxes on the platform and at the election in which case again you would not have achieved unity in the party. I have no fresh evidence to make me alter the decision to which I came some months ago, and that is that a policy of food taxation without a referendum at the present day would load to our defeat at the polls. Therefore, in the light of the present circumstances, I stand where I did."

•Sir Gervais Rentoul moved an official resolution supporting the policy dec'ared by Mr Baldwin and approving the retention of- the referendum in the party's programme.

Colonel Gretton moved an amendment that there should be no referendum and that the Conservative Government should go into the Imperial Conference with a free hand to make arrangements with the Dominions.

The amendment was defeated and the official resolution adopted.