BRITAIN'S FISCAL SYSTEM.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 527, 18 December 1912, Page 5

BRITAIN'S FISCAL SYSTEM.

- <s>»»<» SPEECH BY RON Alt LAW.

(!y THocr.xuh. Prcv Copyriclil, Received December 17, 8.25 p.m. London, Tuesday.

Mr Bonar Law, speaking at Ashtou-Dnder-Lnye, said the greatest problem statesmen faced was how to obtain a fairer method of distributing industrial wealth. He believed the remedy lay in co-operation assisted by a fair fiscal system. K the Unionists were entrusted with power it. was not intended to impose food fa;c>-s without first convening a colonial conference to consider the. whole question of prolerential trade. The question of food duties could only arise after deliberation by such an confer; once. That was why he objected to submit proposals to the rolercmiuni. In dealing with the food duties an essential condition would be ; that Urn burdens of the poorer classes would not be increased. The ideal policy was free trade within the empire. It was impossible to get it now with the colonies though the system of prelerence would tend nllimatley to end m that direction. They could have free trado with India to-morrow. India. feared not competition with Britain but with Japan. The whole experience of the civilised world was hostile to British fiscal system. Our colonies abandoned it and no serioun politician in any country proposes to return thereto.