COMING TRADE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3193, 18 September 1917, Page 6

COMING TRADE WAR

AFTER THE PRESENT CONFLICT

DISCUSSION BY CHAMBER OF

COMMERCE

Mr. C. M. Luke (president) occupied ho chair at a special meeting of the .'entral Chamber of Commerce held'yesenlay afternoon to discuss certain after the war" proposals regarding rade questions brought before the ,'haraber in the form of a motion at its ast meeting by Mr. L. Aehcroft Edrards. Tho motion was as follows:— "That this chamber, realising the exromo gravity of (lie Dominion's po.siion relating to eneuiy trade .after the rar, endorses tho recommendations set iut hereuhdor, and pledges its support o the same:—(l) Ministry of Comnerce: To establish a Ministry of Comnerce unrler a. Cabinet Minister adised by board of commercial and labourU" men. (2) To establish compulsory echnical education. CI) Inaugurate lusiness and labour men's educational nestings, (i) Impose heavy taxation on ■nemy goods and on all enemy trado atalogues and enemy commercial repreentatives if tho principle prove cconomw ally sound. (5) Country of Origin! ill foreign articles, where practicable, o bo branded with the country ot origin, irinting on cases or packages being- conidered insufficient. (6) Confiscation ot ■oods where .same prove to be under- : alued. (7) Preference to Britain and ier Allies: It ehould be .compulsory for mblio bodies and Government Departuents to fill their requirements ironi Britain and her Allies. A 10 per cent. imit could be imposed if thought deen,blo. (8) Enemy Trading in the Doninion: Special tax ehould be imposed .n all enemy subjects if allowed to trade n this country. ?w a , cer | ) }") p ?f'° d ■.resent enemy subjects should be allow - id to accept employment only upon pro,uring special licence from .the Govern. neiit. (9) Preferential Freight/;: Lcgi»ation should be passed making it unawful for enemy goods to be cariea nant ships at lower rates than similar British or Allied Roods. (10) Enemy ;hips should pay «"^ u^fn,f b r i certain period after the. war. .(11) Sußidy. Where any manufacturers or ship,ing companies receive special Mibs.dy or competitive purposes it should bo awful for; the Government to impose ■hrotigh the Cuetoms special taxation as ;eUff against such subsidies. Mr. Edwards, in bringing _ these promsnk down, gave emphasis to ma " nion that absolutely nothing waste; liß done to prepare for tho great trade ar which las to follow the greatest 111 of ill times. "What was the price Minpreparednese? He asked the j council o remember the case of Lord Eoberts, "ho had been smiled at as: bemp:«.«.«« ndividual with a. quaint Lord Inldane actually apologised to Germany or Lord Boberts's statements, ami it ■Tas «°™eied that his pension should ,e withdrawn. Yet idmiralSir Percy Scott's ? ar«««rton .he coming importance of tle sntona•ine as the great sea arm of the fntpre. Tad any notice been taken of the warn n* they would not perhaps see that me of thousands of tons of shipping ™ c, in k every week,,and at least they onld have been more prepared to meet \::l menace. He Bussed the pom at here was never a time in the hlsto '-> ,f the world when chambers of comer 10. should be more crowed yet so Sio^^^^K minrl thp-table conferences with the rorkers and show then, that maclunery ae no opposed to their interests, and if' gathered the reports of the Condon of Commerce that it was tno Mr W: Smith: You have it hcie-prc "rte for inefficiency and so cause ■enoral dissatisfaction. ■ ■.. Mr W.. Smith seconded the, motion, ~t raid tliat tho preferential tariff IMr A iSgh Hunt briefly rev ewed the lifferent headings m tho resoWon H« avoured tho motion on the whole, point n* out that (ome of the questions had , Mr Edvards's proposals were axiomtic and he did not think the motion hould be allowed to go out as original, rhon the commercial community had St with so many of "the proposals f Mr. Edwards could tell them how auch farther they could go, they wculd "inVffirtid that these maters had been discussed elsewhere bu Ten they went on to the Associated Jhambor.of Commerce they came to a l!> Mr George Winder spoke of the "milton growing all round whilst we arc 'henq asked to eat frozen mutton. He ,1» talked of the awful rise in the cost if livin", and the shocking rise in reiehts, that were allowed to. take p.ace nthout auythin? being dono in the raaier Tf the chamber Mould pay more atention to local affairs, they would have letter attendances of business men at hoir meetings. Mr Podgers said that he tnoußttt a •reat many of these matters would hnve o be left until the end of the war, foi he simple reasou that manv of the nues.ions would be settled in the terms ol "W Thomas Forsyth spoke on wlial he recent Technical Schools' Conference iad recommended in the course of a ycrj ■alnaWe report. Many children did no! rish to "0 to technical schools, tnejs niffht wish to attend a secondary •school ,Ir. Forsyth also spoke of the valuable fork that, wns being dono by the U or* rs' Education Commitccu. Mr C M. Luke said that nine-tenth! if tho questions had been Juiraiued: ii ho chambers and at conferences.. Iw •arious chambers had sent remits t< he conference en nearly every mibieet nd he wished to say that, the Associater Chamber was not a "dead end. Ohosi emits had been forwarded to the Government and to the London Chamber o: Jommerce, and had conip beforft poopli t Home, and also at the meeting o , liambers nj: Paris. . . In reply, Mr. Edwards said he was no atisfied 'with the renmnnation of thi emits year after year. Ho panted ti :now what had been u.-.-r..;. He thouglr t was supremely ridieiilous to leave fuel uestions until Hie end of the war. I infas not the view of tho London Uianibe: if He did not wish his io :olution made a remit to tlio Aesociate< Chambers of Commevep. Ho would rathe: ;hat the chamber should assist him u formiii" a committee for the purpos, jf or»anisinir meetings of business nion n Drder to get fomething done. ._ The resolution was passed, with om dissentient, and on the motion of Mi' Forsvtli, seconded by Mr. H. Leigh Hunt it vas decided to niake the resolution : remit to the Associated Chambers. Mr Edwards dissented, and said that ho dii not feel himself bound by the action o the chamber.