FREETRADE CONGRESS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13666, 7 August 1908, Page 5

FREETRADE CONGRESS.

Press Associatioii-By Talegrapli-Copyri'gh*, BRITISH PREMIER'S VIEWS. LONDON, Aug. 6. Ail the- Freetrada Congress, speeches were made by American, French, and German delegates who congratulated Britain's fidelity to free trade. Tlie key note of all speeches was .the intimate connection betwen freeirade arid peace. .'V Mr: Asquitli, speaking at the Cobdeiv Club banquet at tile 1 Hotel 'Cecil; insisted that- f reetrade was an; economic- necessity for B.riltai n. " This," lie : said "is owing ffco our inability to produce at Home l , even under the shelVer of the highest and most' in superable ' Itarift' pi'oteiitiou could design either food for our people-or raw material.' We cain only maintain* our industries •and find eniploymeptf .for sjir, people by receiving the goods of i'oreigiienv, and send in exchange onr' own." Mr. Asquith emphasiised that absolute freetrade already prevailed over a large part of the industrial globe,, citing:- the?.-. UnitedV States where, over.three million square- miles, in-, ternal .protection -was l an 1 impossibility. Referring to- out' enormous - dependence on foreign sources for , food'-supply, -Mi". Asquith■■staled' that .our net -imports of raw wool increased in- fifty years from 90,000,0001bs to over 350,000,0001b5. He - admitted that/ the tariffs of -protectionist countries inflicted substantial' .injury • on . "British trade, but said t-hait the best, weapon with which to fight, such a tariff was | free imports. He ridiculed the statements with reference to the : impending bankruptcy bf freetrade finance. : Personally he saw no cause .for the. counsels of despair. On the contrary s he felt confident that .freetrade finance was capable, of- bearing the strain 1 of any reasonable- programme «>f social reform. On the internal tional side freetrade wasr bound up with pea'ce "and friendship among the peoples. M. Guyot, the well-known French political writer, declared,- that;- England is teaching the naitions a great- lesson'-" • He was confident that the English would resist the attractions of Mr Chamberlain's programme.

COMMERCE AND DEVELOPMENT. ; EFFECTS AMONG NATIONS. COLONIAL ' PREFERENCE. Received 10.15 p.m., August-6th. • LONDON, 1 August .6: ■ r The Congress- discussed the effect of a commercial policy upon industrial and agricultural developments,- after listening to the historical retrospects contributed by the representatives of Italy, •' Germany, Holland, Denmark, Belguim,- France, the United States and Britain. ■ Mr Russell, a Commoner, said:, that the action of the colonies had .killed .any enthusiasm for • colonial preference; - The.had given England to understand! that preference or not they meant to continue to develop protectionist tariffs on the narrowest., colonial- lines;v . They show- - ed; that they regarded- Imperial preference not'i.Js giving them an opportunity of advancing in the direction of freetrade withinl the Empire, but as presenting an occasion for increasing .their duties on foreign goods.