The Te Aroha News Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Mornings. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1923 FINDING MARKETS

Te Aroha News, Volume XLI, Issue 6408, 30 October 1923, Page 4

The Te Aroha News Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Mornings. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1923 FINDING MARKETS

THE recognition of the Imperial Government of the principle of Imperial Preference will probably bring about a political controversy of the first magnitude. There are already many mutterings that indicate a rising storm. The Liberal hosts have been called upon to prepare for battle. Mr Asquith has intimated that the citadel of Free Trade is endangered. The Liberal press is full of misgivings and hints that the day of trial is near. On the other hand the Conservative leaders have made striking pronouncements indicating a new policy, a great campaign and even an early election appeal on the subject of Imperial. Preference. The Daily Express referring to arecent speech by the British Prime Minister in which he touched upon a new tariff scheme, says that the impression, afterwards, was that Mr Baldwin, while purposely vague, had hoisted the signal for a great autumn protectionist campaign, related especially to unemployment and designed to lead to a general election on this issue. No doubt the wordy v warfare will be far resounding, but the issue could not be much longer delayed. Mr Bruce, the Commonwealth Prime Minister, in a speech delivered some months ago at Sydney emphasised the urgent necessity of a new policy on the part of Britain. He said “Australia has already granted a measure of preference to Great Britain and now it asks that Great Britain should reciprocate and place our trade relations upon a definite basis. Unless this is done the schemes of Empire migration and settlement devised to keep Great Britain’s sons within the Empire must fail, through lack of markets for the goods they produce.” This speech was noted for its blunt avowal of the

true position. “I propose,” he said, to tell Britain exactly where we say the present position is absolutely unsatisfactory- For the year 1920-21 we gave Britain a preference to our markets amounting to £8,750,000. Britain gave us a preference into her markets amounting to £45,000. Gentlemen, that position is not and it is not reasonable that we should continue as we stand to-day. . . . We have a duty to Australia and Australia’s future and we have got to find the market for out surplus supplies.” These are strong, significant words and no doubt their import was noted at the time by the British Government. The picture which Mr Bruce drew in the speech was of true Chamberlain type—an Empire growing by means of “a great common Imperial trade policy” into “the greatest and strongest economic Empire that the world has ever seen or has ever dreamt of.”