EMPIRE FREE TRADE

Hokitika Guardian, 24 June 1930, Page 7

EMPIRE FREE TRADE

BY-ELECTION ISSUE,

SOCIALIST SEAT CAPTURED

LONDON, May 16

It is everywhere conceded that the verdict of the West Fulham h.v-election is a triumph of a great idea—Empire Free Trade. This was the eighth byelection since the General Election, and the first Government defeat. The figures were:— Sir Cyril CJobb (Conservative

and Empire Free Trade) 16,223 Mr .T. W. Ban field (Soc) ... 15,983

Majority

At the general election the figures W ere:—Or Spero (Socialist), 16,190 Sir Cyril Cobb (Conservative), 13,979 Air G. A. Gale 'Liberal), 5920. This time there was no Liberal candidates. It was a straight ' fight between an Empire Free Trader and a Free Importer. Mr Gale advised his friends to vote for Empire Free Trade. After the result was declared at midnight, the candidates made the following statements: —

Sir Cyril Cobb: “Empire Free Trade has appealed to the electorate of West Fulham as it will appeal to the electorate of the country at the next General Election. There has never been within my memory such enthusiasm and interest in any election in West Fulham. This must mean something. The result shows what it meant, Our victory has been largely due to Lord Beaverbrook and outside supportei s, but that does not detract from the magnificent work done by our own people in the constituency since the defeat last year.” Mr Banfield: “The fight was hard clean, and close. We placed the policy of the Government before the people. It is true that Free Trade versus Protection. became the dominant issue, and it is evident that many of our Liberal friends abstained from voting because of their anti-Socialist convictions. The only cause for my defeat has been tne apathy of my own people. We shall continue to fight, however, and when tire next election comes we will once move regain the seat.”

THE NEWS IN THE HOUSE

The result of the election arrived on the tape within a few minuteos of the rising of the Commons. So much anxiety was felt about it that many members remained. The result was a vast disappointment to the Socialists, who had' laid odds all the evening on tire victory of their candidate. They put their majority of about 700. They were in a very depressed state. The Conservative members were naturally elated, especially those who bad from the first desired that the lenders of the Party should take a more decided line on the Empire focal question. There have been complaints

all through the election that the Conservative Central Office has given very little assistance to Sir Cecil Cobb because be is a whole hogger on the tariff question.

“DAILY EXPRESS” JUBILANT.

“We admit with all frankness,” says the “Daily Express,”in a leading article, “that had the tide gone against Empire Free Trade, we would have regarded it with an unavoidable sense of momentary discouragement. Not that the return of the Socialist would have stopped in any way the energy or the determination of the Empire Crusaders, but it would have shown the distance yet to be travelled before this country would rise to meet its Imperial destiny.

“Happily the trust placed in the electorate has been bountifully justified. The parrot cry of ‘stomach tax’ the ineptitude of the Liberal leaders in thinking they could direct their followers from oustide the constituency, the combined opposition of London’* Liberal, and Labour Press, U'e aloofness of those who might have helped—none of these factors could hold back the torrent of victory.

“The Empire across the seas will receive the news with jubilation. This is a great day in the history of the British family of nations. But in the midst of the rejoicings let us all remember that it is not the first battle of a campaign (she issue—but tbe last. We can fall out by the roadside for an hour and enjoy a wellearned respite, but to-morrow we must, resume the advance on the Hindenburg Line.”

ANOTHER BY-ELECTION.

Political correspondents understand that Sir Albert Bennett, M.P,, for Central Nottingham, is about to apply for the Chiltern Hundreds, A contest in the city will be of special interest, for the safeguarding duties on lace expire in July, and the Socialist Government has declined to renew them, in spite of urgent representations from employers and workmen. The latter have petitioned the Houses, sought interviews, which have been refused, with the’President of the Board of Trade and 'the Chaincellor of the- Exchequer, and* have held mass demonstrations —all to ;no purpose. ' > . .. ..

The adopted candidate is Mr T. J. O’Connor,‘K.G.;. .who sat for Lutton in the last Parliament, and was defeated by a majority., of more than 3000 by the Liberal candidate. In an address before the Royal Empire Society, Mr O’Connor warmly advocated the establishment at once of an Imperial Economic general staff, sitting permanently in London, composed of the best business brains of the Motherland and of the Dominions. Its business would be to bring under review every economic fact or development which affected the component parts of the Empire. It would be . a clearing house for Imperial information of tradej of movements of .population and vital statistics. It would be charged with the duty of reviewing from the comprehensive point of view of the

whole Empire, legislation in the component parts of the Empire; impartial and authoritative information would emanate from it. . . . It would be

too much to hope for two results. They might get into tbe habit of looking at Imperial economic legislation from an Imperial point of view, getting away from the sectional viewpoint, and seeing things as a whole and accurately. In the course of time, the component units of the Empire would begin to seek the advice of this organisation as to the merits and Imperial reactions of projected legislation in different parts of the Empire. Its functions would of course, be purely advisory: the economic automony of the different parts of the Empire can never be questioned. But at present there was no means by which economic information concerning the Empire can be speedily collected and authoritatively disseminated.

Mr O’Connor thought a constructiv Imperial policy involved some caution in tbe use, of the fiscal weapon. The value of tbe recent newspaper campaign was considerable in having awakened public consciousness to the possibilities of the Empre, and to the need for a coherent economic policy for tbe whole but he saw grave dangers in its undue insistence on the methods of tariffs.