TARIFF PREFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 12 July 1924, Page 1

TARIFF PREFERENCE

RECENT CO. MAIUXICATIOXS,

TELEGRAMS BETWEEN BRITISH AND XF.W ZEALAND PREAUERS.

llilhorto secret correspondeneo between the Xew Zealand Government and the iiritish Government on the preference question was read in the House hv the Prime Minister last night as follows: Mr MacDonald to Air Massey: "The position in regard to the proposal of tariff preference in this country which were placed before the imperial Economic Conference at its meetings last year iias been receiving the consideration of Cabinet. Although iinal decisjun on till the points can only be taken in conneeiion with the Budget which will shortly be presented to Parliament. Cabinet has meanwhile asked me to inform you and the other Prime Alinisiers, of our general attitude towards these larilf preference proposals. THE COXSI DERATIONS.

‘•This attitude will he determined liy the under-men tinned coltsiilerat ions : •■i I) The many declarations made oil behalf of the ‘Labour Party on this subject makes it impossible for this Government to [impose any new or increased iaxation of food. ” “) \\’e will coniiuno to observe, as regards the exist ing taxes mi food, the principle of Imperial preference on the present statutory basis so long its those taxes remain. \Yc wish to make it clear that this policy is without prejudice to the retention of absolute freedom to propose to Parliament the removal of 'axes on lootl ii and when we deem this expedient from the point of general and financial policy. •■<;{) AVi'h regard to the proposal to stabilise at about one halfpenny per poll ml the preference on sugar, we feel bound m say that we cannot admit the right of any Government to hind future Governments and Parliament, lint we should he uiiluig ii' conferniitv with the ohservat ions made under paragraph >2) above to adhere to preference on the present statutory basis so long as a duty is retained on sugar. "A de-patch summarising the position on the oilier resolutions of the Economic Conference, wbieli we endorse with the exception ol that regarding the establishment of the Economic Committee, is being forwarded by the Secretary of State for the Colonies." Ail! .MASSEY’S AIESSAGE. Air .Massey to Air liamsav MacDonald:-- ”1 presume from your message of March 2mh that you iuiciid In submit the recommendations of the Imperial Economic Conference regarding tarilf preference to the Ilnusc. of Commons its non-party questions without any Government support. I do not deny, of course, that His .Majesty’s Government has a perfect right to deal with these recommendations as it may thiol: proper, hut to liritish countries overseas there seems little doubt that a course of actmn such as you suggest will be verv disappointing, ""‘1 "'ll not bo regarded by those countries at in the best interests of the Empire ns a whole. The dominions have never tailed in their duly to the Empire, and 1 li cm 1 v believe they never will. hut I cannot help thinking and saying that the treatment which your telegram for,•-hadows is mil what they expect-

THE KEELING HERE ‘‘Tn her Customs tarilf New Zealand eives preference on -12 d articles imported from Great Britain. At present Great Britain gives pretereiiee to notliink imported from New Zealand. he feeliim of this country is that this is inconsistent with the true Empire spirit, and that it is not likel? to encourage, liritish citizens at Home and in the dominions in their work townids the attainment of a sell-support mg Empire. The extent of the recommendations of the Imperial Economic Conference on this subject is but a small instalment of what many people who retain vivid recollections of the .situation at the outbreak of the Groat \Yar would like to see. It was brought ] l( )m(i to us forcibly at that time (hat we had been depending a great- deal too much upon enemy countries for » large tiumber of the commodities essential to our everyday life. which would have been produced within our own Empire. INIMICAL TO EAll’lßE INTEREST'S “It seems so to us in this country inimical to the Empire’s interests that liritish money in large sums should go to foreign countries for the purclia.se of goods that can be produced ill abunlaiue by British people on the unoccupied lands of our Empire. If the prosperity of Britain is to be completely restored, wo believe that the overseas countries of the Empire must buy more from tlio I'nilcd Kingdom, and the Edited Kingdom buy more from the dominions and Crown colonies than is the ease at present. Alv strong conviction is that our unoccupied lands will not he peopled nor the industrial supremacy of the Empire he maintained. by a policy which permits the purchase in foreign countries of a large proportion of our requirements. It- has frequently been said. and. in my opinion. correctly, that wo should think less of the welfare of the inhabitants of foreign countries and more ol loose of the Empire in which we live. We may not—you and I—regard all political questions from the same viewpoint hut. I hope, as I believe, that we are at one in our desire to work for the benefit of the Empire and its |K?ople, and while 1 freely acknowledge the right of the Parliament of Great Britain to manage its affairs in its own way. I have, nevertheless, considered it to be my duty to present to you in this telegram the views of the great majority of the people ol this Dominion. views which, F believe, are shared by millions of citizens in other parts of the British Empire.” “I was in hopes,” added Mr Afa a sey. “that the telegrams would have inllueme l the British Government, but. unfortunately they have not. Anyhow T still have hopes, and the indications are better now than previously ”