IN THE COMMONS

Hokitika Guardian, 29 October 1930, Page 5

IN THE COMMONS

(Official Wireless.)

l-Received this day at 1.5 p.in.) RUGBY, October 28.

Referring to the work of tile Imperial Conference the Prime Minister in the Commons said although the economic side of the work was receiving more public attention, he was not sure whether the more important work was not that whereby a definite meaning was being put into various phrases and declaratons of the 1926 Conference, relating to constitutional and political relations of the various Dominions. Very rapid progiess had been made with that work, which was approaching an end. Tremendous keenness was ibeing shown by all members of the Conference to help Great Britain within the limits of their ability. There would be far more British goods exported to countries overseas if our manufacturers took full advantage of every opportunity, than if the Dominions increased their preferences by five per cent or ten per cent in favour of Great Britain. Two tilings emerged from the Conference. One was Empire Free Trade was an absolute fraud, the second was that the only tariff Great Britain could impose, that was worth anything to the Dominions in exchange for allowing a wider field for preferences, was a tariff on food. You can ask them how I can help you to get more of your products into our markets and the very first thing every Prime IN [mister says is, tax wheat. We cannot do it. There are other ways than that of tariffs helping Dominion trade and these will be carefully explored.