COLLEGE DEBATING SOCIETY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 925, 19 September 1910, Page 2

COLLEGE DEBATING SOCIETY.

■■'};• INTERESTING^/SUBJECT;;,;;;/|;. : ,: On.Saturday'night thei>Victoria,CoUe'gß.';. 'Beb'atiug.lSociety:'discussed ;the,! motion:, j'.: "That. it'is in the best'interests of/the// British Empire .that the ■United Kingdom ■■;. :.' should ; adopt: a;/.systehi; of:;preferential- ■:/; trade;with- her .depehdencies." : ;-:This. was ;>•/ moved by,--. Mr. .E; ■ Watson,^seconded /■.by i.'c : Mr; M. M./Oratn,and/opposed by Mr. A./■•';,'' ■Ji ■ Luke, "seconded by Mr.-: F.; Hall-Jones.,;; / The.-;movers .urged that .conditions: of'■".■'-.'.; •trade . had .changed immensely.. since the /r----tihie of /Bright'and : Cpbden; and that'.' ■these free /trade doctrinaires-had advp. '.;;■;-. i-ated such ;a policy:.believing:that other;;':/ nations, would: speeiV'ly adopt/a similar. // . course/ !But they : had: not. done so,"/and/ /: . how Britain was hard put'to it, to ind/a' '/ market for ; her. goods.,!. Colonial prefer.', -■ ehco had ■/ enabled her to maintain her /,- trade iu the colonies,;but,.to;.ensure the:/.:; permanency of: this; advantage; colonial ,' preference must develop.; into /Imperial /. preference. /The; cost;of food in Britain would not be -materially/increased; and,' even if it-were) it were, far better that '••-•-.: food should .be dearer and all men able to purchase./it,'than that ..the/ present/;/ system/which produced, along'with; cheap ~ food,.absolute.poverty,: should./continue./ ;.. Moreover;'•': owing' 'to; the "' great ./develop?...•'.;'■■ meht of the colonies,' which' would as- /■/ 6ure'd!y follow from the adoption-of pre-/ ference, the Dominions would speedily ba//; settled, and :hence be enabled to- supply ■-'.'/:, all the. grain and meat required.- .-'-.:/:■ ."■' .In reply, it:' was -urged :thdt..Cobden;. : and Bright, though they_ might have ex- .':>".- pected'' that other nations would '.'follow '~'■'; the lead of Britain, always'believed that, ,!/ in spite of:'what'- bther nations did,' Free- /' trade: was the best /policy'/ for. Britain,. ;•'■'. Though they could hot sell: as freely/as ;/ they wished,: that was no reason why! they :.',-.' should not buy,as cheaply as they could.';'/; Imperial "preference diji not help/to solve-/•; the real.problems which beset. our Im'-s.: ■ perialists, viz.,: how to ensure! even con-. : . ; ' tributions towards Imperial services,/and •/-..; the problem of /-Imperial.--Government.'!'-."•'-; •This being so; it: was clear that' th« ; '..■; colonies were justified, in pursuing the ■.: trade policy which'suited, them best, because, in so doing, they would best fit themselves to be'a strength to. the whole ".- Empire. Even; if British ■, manufactures /;/ were declining, there was.no reason why the colonies should weaken, themselves by buying: inferior, and dearer, goods. With regard to the price, of food in Britain, ■ ;■■ it was recognised that the effect would' /■■;.' in/ reality be comparatively/small, ■' but .-' the effect .was there, nevertheless,. and'// of all the causes which might tend ; to-'./. increase' the price of food, the Imperial ;-.";.' preferential' tax on foreign grain and / meat would-be the. most'.' obvious. The., result would be that in Britain there would grow up—what does not exist at .' ' present—a powerful section' ■■. of "'.'■ public. • opinion which would view the! colonies /; .;■ with hatred and jealousy as'being the'./.; reason why, in their opinions, they were / compelled to pay more for .the necessi-'-•' ties of; life;. • ;■.;•-'■■'■:■ ■.:/.. The'motion was losti,, Mr. Hanhan, M.P.,''.wlio judged; besides-giving-foriie /; excellent advice on public . speakih.i?, placed' the live best speakers in the ■ fol-; lowing order of merit:—Messrs.:A; Luke,, * . W. J. M'Eldowney, A. Fair, R. .Kennedy,. and-M; H. Oram; . v::'''''!■ •'•';'■■':!■, : The next debate,' which, as usual, will / , be open to the public,' will be held in the. / College Gymnasium: oh Saturday,:Septcm-".; '. ber'24, at ;7.'45 n!m., the debate being on Hit- motion: "That the standard : of the /. Press, is the outcome. of the' Irishes andj ■/ culture of its. readers.".... /•/.:/.<:!: