EMPIRE FIRST

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 121, 14 January 1932, Page 5

EMPIRE FIRST

(press. Assn.—

j ottawa conference CANADlAN ' LIBERAt LEADER APPEALS FOR BROADER | OUTLOOK ■ GOVT. POLICY CRITICISED

-By Telegraph — Copyrlght).

Rec. Jan. 13, 8.10 p.m. : . OTTAWA, Tuesdaly. Referring to the Empire Economic Conference to be held here, Mr. W.. .Mackenzie King, the Federal Liberal leader, in an address at Manitoba,. on Tuesday criticising the fiscal and trade policies of the Dominion Government, asserted that the Prime Minister, Mr. R. B. Bennett, must modify his attitude 011 tariff matters, change his poliey of "Canada first" and adopt a more concillatory attitude, if the next meeting is not to be the fiasco the last one was. Mr. Mackenzie King asserted that the Liberal Party wished the eeononiic conference to be a success, consequently they wished to see the ^narrow spirit of either petty or blustering. argument abandoned. He asked the Conservative members of Parliament to turn their attention to securing the modification of the Government's extreme position on the question of tariffs so that the conference would be a success. He indicated that the efforts of the Liberals, when returned to power, would be to bring down tariffs to the level of those prevailing prior to the change of Government. Dealing with the wheat quota, he asked why Canada had been denied it for two years. It was proposed at the 1931 conference and the British Government was prepared to consider it favourably then, and a great opportunity had been lost for two years, he said. He warned the public against the substitution of the cry of "Canada first" for that'of "Empire first." Canada must apply to become a "subsidiary unit of an Imperial holding company," and trading relations must be organised on a world-wide basis.