BRITISH TARIFF POLICY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17169, 12 October 1923, Page 4

BRITISH TARIFF POLICY.

MR BRUCE’S SPEECH. j Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright , Australian and N.Z. Cable AssociationJ LONDON, October 11. 1 The “Morning Post.” in a leading ar tide headed. “The Walls of Jericho,” says: “ A great pare of the British Press maintains what might almost be called a pained silence concerning the great issues raised at the Economic Conference, but in this silence, which can be felt, Air Bruce’s great speech rings out all the more clearly. We might compare ib with the blast from the trumpets which brought down the walls of Jericho. Mr Bruce’s is the biggest attack on the free trade system since the passing oi Air Joseph Chamberlain.” The journal proceeds to summarise Air Bruce’s proposals, and concludes: | “It j'm on broad grounds such as these that Air Bruce’s speech will appeal to tho workers in Britain. Its effect on the Conference lias been immediate. The committee will no doubt report to tho present Conference. Thus inside and outside of Whitehall reverberations have been started which, we hope, will result in a total transformation of the ; The* Central News Agency’s political I correspondent says: “Mr Bruce's t speech excited both admiration and the ground that it does not guarantee the ability of Australia to maintain th? existence of preference to British goods.” The “ Westminster Gazette” says: “ Air Bruce is quite frank about the tariff policy, for which we may be ’ grateful to him. There is no pretence ; ct being satisfied with duties on peaches., apples and plums, which our Government offers as a sop to colonial . wishes. Air Bruce is out for a. whole hog tariff, and scarcely veils his threat that if he does not get what he seeks , from us he will carry his goods else--5 where. Yet his whole scheme is one of shifting troubles from the shoulders of i the dominions’ producer to those of tho > British consumer, who is already carry I ’*»g a weight of taxation unequalled in the world.” li The “Daily Telegraph’’ says: “The t Government proposals take no account b of the increasingly important win© 5 trade with Australia and South Africa. . There is a general hope that this matte: s r w be given further consideration, fc The decision to appoint a committee of i, inquiry into Mr Bruce’s proposals will 5 he generally approved. This old. welt | settled country, with its high prestige, ‘•an co-operate with the younger nations to their advantage as well as its own.”