“EMPIRE CRUSADERS”

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 805, 28 October 1929, Page 10

“EMPIRE CRUSADERS”

FREE TRADE MANIFESTO ISSUED BRITAIN’S FOOD SUPPLY (United P.A. —By Telegraph — Copyright) VANCOUVER, Saturday. Mr. Carl J. Ketchum, foreign correspondent of Lord Beaverbrook’s papers, made public today the manifesto of the “Empire Crusaders,” headed by Lord Beaverbrook, which reads in part as follows: The Empire Crusaders demand that food from the Empire shall enter Britain absolutely free and unhampered of any tax or involved in any clumsy system of rebates. They claim that the Empire is already virtually seift-supporting, and there should be free trade through every part. But to achieve this there must be an inducement to the farmers of the Empire to expand their output. The best inducement is the guarantee of a steady demand. It is proposed to give such a guarantee by imposing a tax on foreign wheat and meat, if in return the Dominions will allow our claim for the free entry of British goods. The changed conditions of the last quarter of a century have done away with the old cry, “Your food will cost you more.” While advocating the creation of a single free trade Empire unit, the manifesto emphasises that it is not, and never can be, part of its author’s policy to destroy any industry nowexisting in any part of the Empire. Any talk of making Britain the workshop of the Empire is dangerous folly.

FOSTERING INDUSTRIES It is the belief of the Crusaders at to foster the key industries in the Dominions is of vital importance, ior this reason a measure of protection for certain industries may well prove desirable, even against imports trom other portions of the Empire, at the outset of the scheme. There are. morever, in many parts of the Empire import duties levied impurely revenue purposes. It is not a part of the proposals that these should be repealed. Security of revenue must be maintained, and a still higher duty imposed against foreign imports.

FOOD QUESTION Regarding food, the manifesto savs that already 70 per cent, of Britain’s wheat imports are Empire-grown; and Canada and Australia could more than satisfy the remaining needs from the surplus they now export. Of the mutton eaten in Britain S 4 per cent, is raised in the Empire, and 5d per cent, of the beef. These figures could be easily and rapidly increased by stimulating agriculture and bv perfecting the methods of chilling beef so that it would remain fresh on tile long voyage from Australia. There are enough cattle now in Australia to supply Britain with all her beef, hut at present Australian beef has to be frozen instead of chilled and therefore, it is of inferior quality to the South American product.