THAT “OFFER”

Evening Star, Issue 21748, 16 June 1934, Page 26

THAT “OFFER”

A BRITISH COMMENT The Parliamentary Correspondent of the London 1 Spectator ’ writes to its issue of May 11 ; Economic policy gave rise during the week-to one of the few live debates of the present House of Commons. The nominal vent was the Government’s rejection of an alleged oiler from New Zealand of reciprocal Ereetracle, and the fancy of members was tickled by the prospect of seeing Sir Herbert Samuel in alliance with Lord Beaverbrook. This whimsical hope was disappointed, because Sir Herbert Samuel left out that half" of Lord Beaverbrook’s pabulum which consists of high tariffs against anyone outside the Empire. Since he made the same destructive omission from bis own pabulum of an alliance between lowtariff countries, the effect of bis constructive criticism was not great, and the C|ticstion what ho would do if efficient producers were made bankrupt remained unanswered. He tried to answer it by arguing for the expansion of demand as an alternative to the regulation of supplies, but the House, every section of which is equally devoted to the theory of greater demand, failed to learn bow it is to be stimulated except on the basis of remembering that producers are also consumers. Sir Herbert Samuel was witty enough to keep Iris audience, but the critic from the opposite pole—Mr Amery—failed to do so, even though he indulged in a personal attack upon Mr Runciman. Since Mr Runciman had just announced a pretty drastic scheme to lessen Japanese, competition in Great Britain and the colonies, members were not inclined to favour Mr Amery’s views that no Conservative could trust him. In these circumstances the honours of the debate went to Mr J; H. Thomas, who. dealing with the New Zealand “ offer,” pointed out that it could not be an “ offer ” at all from a country which could not lose its tariff revenue to a_ country which could »<it allow selectively uncontrolled imports, and which would min its own agriculture by uncontrolled imports from all the dominions.