TARIFF REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 170, 11 April 1908, Page 5

TARIFF REFORM.

LORD CURZON. 1 ENDORSES MR. BALFOUR'S POLICY. CHANGE INEVITABLE. BT TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT. (Rec. April 10, 10.51 p.m.) London, April 10. Lord Curzon, presiding at a Unionist mass meoting at Basingstoko, Hampshire, said that a decade had passed sinco ho had addressed any political gathering in England. Mr. Balfour's fiscal platform was ono on which all sections of the Unionist party could well unite, and on which their ultimate reunion, besides being possible, was certain. • Ho did not envy either the common sense of tho political foresight of a man who declared that no cliango in fiscal policy was required, or was likely to occur. Cliango. of some sort was necessary and inevitable. Possibly it would not tako precisely the shape the authors of the movement anticipated, and perhaps it would not fulfil, all the ambitious desires of tho warmest partisans. He disclaimed tho possession of sufficient knowledge of the , subject to enable him -to dogmatiso upon it. Sinco Lord Curzon has re-entered Parliament in tho Unionist interest, much interest lias attached (o his attitude to tariff reform. When lie, with some trouble, obtained a seat in tho Houso of Lords, Liberal critics declared that-lio had avoided an attempt to enter tho House of Commons because his "'free trade convictions" were not welcome to tlio tariff reform section of the Unionists, who havo figured so successfully in recent by-elections.-