TRADE AFTER WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2961, 27 December 1916, Page 8

TRADE AFTER WAR

A PLEA FOR PROTECTION

Mr. George Terrell, M.P., who presided at tlio first animal meeting of the British Manufacturers' Association held in London recently, announced that at a council meeting held that morning -it had been decided to concentrate on three of the objects for which the association had been formed. Tho first of these was the protection of the British manufacturing trade by a tariff. (Cheers.) Some of the members of that. association were of opinion before the war that a tariff was necessary. (Hear, hear.) Some of them now thought it was necessary as a consequence of the . war. (Hear, hear.) But whatever the period at which'- they arrived, at their present opinion, they wero now all united in their conviction that under the circumstances as they existed to-day a tariff on manufactured imports was a national necessity. (Cheers.) They were not going to put up with any new-fangled doctrine of prohibition of enemy imports. (Cheers.) That was not ,a business proposition. The members of that association were all manufacturers —not merchants or agents or financiers—and they were outlor business, and wero going to insist upon a tariff, and nothing but _a tariff, for the protection of the British manufacturer. (Cheers.) The second object they intended to press upon the country was the establishment of preferential trade jwithin the Empire. (Cheers.) They looked upon that policy not only as being in our own interests, but in the interests o'F the dominions and colonies. _ (Hear, hear.) There was not tho slightest doubt that our dominions were in agreement among themselves in insisting upon the adoption of preferential trade as a national and Imperial policy. (Hear, hear.)

improved Relations With Labour. Tlie third proposition in. their programme—a better understanding with Labour—"was of a rather nioro difficult character. It meant that they were not going topush their tariff proposals to the detriment of th'o. workers. (Cheers.) They were not going to exploit tho workers to bring about a protective tariff, and then leave them in the lurch. (Heai'j hear.) There was no more hopeful sign of the times than the present-day attitudo of the political loaders of tho Labour Party. Not long ago tho manufacturers were inclined to look upon tho trado union leaders as their natural enemies, bnfcno moro remarkablo. ohango had been effected by the war than the chango in tho relations of the manufacturers and tho trade union leaders. (Hear, hear.) Many of tlioso leaders had dropped their aggressive Socialism, w'hilo on the other hand tlie omployers had learnt to recognise that there was a good deal of truth in the contentions that were put forward by tho Trade .Union leaders, which, as stated by thein to-day, practically amounted to a policy • of live-and-let-live. (Hear, hear.) He had been particularly impressed the other day by the declaration of Mr. 6. H. Roberts, one of\the chief spokesmen of Labour in this country, that the timo was ripe for a better understanding botween Capital and Labour. (Cheers.) This association's proposal for the adoption of a minimum wage and a system of profit-sharing showed! a practical desire on their part for a better understanding witlif their employees. (Hpar, hear.) That association was prepared to discuss measures for securing just and generous terms for the remuneration of their employees. (Cheers.) Thero were other objects which tho association had' in view, one of which was to secure a larger representation of tho British manufacturing interests in tho House of Commons. (Hear, hear.) Paris Conference Resolutions. Another matter which he thought this a.- favourable opportunity to draw attention to was the result of tho Paris Conferonco on trade. The resolutions adopted at that conference had been referred to a committee of which Lord Balfour of Burleigh was chairman, but ho was afraid that tho committee was moving far too slowly. (Hear, hear.) Its members were all at sixes.and sevens. The Board 1 of Trade officials were, lie understood, still clinging to tho old policy of imports. They did not seem to have noticed the war— (laughter)—or to have realised the' changes that had! been effected in our lives and businesses by tho war. But whatever the Board of Trado officials might think, it was necessary that something should be done—and done in good time —to check tho great German "dump" that would .follow the conclusion of the war. (Cheers.) Provision should also be made to create a reserve of work to tide our workers over tho period botween tho stoppage of the munition output and the resumption of our foreign trade. (Cheers.) Unless that association, and those who were in sympathy with its objects, began to movo speedily andt vigorously in the direction of tho achievement of tlioso objects the old policy of "wait and see" wduld. prevail. (Cheers.) It was announced that the membership of the association included 700 firms, employing about one million hands.