FISCAL UNITY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 208, 18 September 1903, Page 2

FISCAL UNITY.

OOMHBHTB ON MR BA.LFOCBB. i lI4NIMJSTO. HB TOBSB ASSOCIATION. London, Septemtjer If. In the course of hU notes co his eolleagUte, Mr BsMoOT-dedww:—" lam in harmony with the trqe, spirit ef free trade, and am asking for freedom to negotiate In of exchange may bo increased." The Westminster, GtmtU declarer that Mr Balfour's absolute* Silence upon the question r>f colonial preference i» no proof of its abandonment. Th»/ country is entitled to believe that th» ! Cabinet is etickirig to iti Mandate for protection witMn the limitß of their own discretion. CJearly Mr Balfour it not strong enough to demand Mr Chamberlain's resignation or the withdrawal of his policy. St. James* Gazette say* that though Mr Bilrour and Mr Chamberlain are> advancing towards the same goal on converging lines it is .regrettable that Mr Balfour's pamphlet doea not emphasize the importance of preference l . for the colonies. The policy will fail ■unless preference is conceded to Osmdian oura and Australasian meat. The limes srys Mr Balfour's aotfvt sympithiei are with Mr Chafaberhin'e >, po'ioy. Ic is hardly possible to suppoao th tt he will not m«et Ftrliameat and defend these principles. If vacancies occur doubtless they will be filled. The Standard declares'thit Mr Balfour's cardinal idea is potential retaliation. He has pissf d the stage of an open mind to the fixed belief that the* ' principle of a tariff for eiflmflvely revenue purposes must no longtr dominate our policy, l but be doe* not indicate the specific st°ps. The Daily-Mail says Mr Balfouri manffeafo is a> gr*at poKttod 'surpriseT He points to the origin, of the decline of trade, but does not mention food. 'axes.'

BRrTIBQ SXPOBX& ••- Louse*, Septdkber 19. Another Blue Book b-.it been issued covering 500 pages' It shows-that between 1890 and iBO2 British export! of manufaotured and partly manufao* tnred article* to Germanv, Belgium, Holland, Fro.Loe, Russia, United State* «nd Ttaly fall from £83,629,000 to £69,837,000, while the exports to all foreign countries (ell fr0m£149,651,000 to £131,688,000. The exports t . British possessions i« the same period ro.e iron £78,154,000 to £95,969,000. THE OHKOK ON BHITIoH EXPORTS. WAGES IN KKGLWD IBfb GIRMAKT. Rsostved 14,146 p.m. Loxdox, September 17". The Blue Book oohtains a memorandum declaring it is an established feet that OonHnental lift AtferKsa Uriffls haveohecked British exports, etpeciaUr of, manufactured articles, ana that tar excess of imports over export* tends to* increase. Since the year 1850 the proportion of exports to protected markets ha* fallen from 56 to 42, while those tounprotected markets have risen from 44 to 48. The chapter on food shows that German workman during the past fire years were able to make 100* marks go as far as 112 did 20 years previously, while the corresponding figures in England are 100 and 140; but it is stated the statistics cannot determine the comparative welfare of the workers in the different countries owing to thw differences in their wants and tasks. Since 1881 Germany is the country I showing the greatest rise in the rat* of wages.

IBEOIPRCPAX VRSraRBNCi ADVOOATBD.

CRITICISM BY FOREIGN PKH39L Itaoeive-i 17, U 3GjMn. Losdon, September 17. The report of the Tariff Committer of the Birmingham Chamber of Uod# merce favours preference with the colonics on the basis of reciprocity, and moderate duties oa Britain'* foreign produote, exclusive of raw materials. Pabis, September 17. The newspaper Is Tempi, oomv menting on Mr Balfom'a ntani* fesfco, cays the fear of seeing Mr Chamberlain resign keeps the Cabinet on the brink of irreparable (jutrrele. Mr. Balfour treits Mm with circumepention, but finally adops his opinion. Mr. Chamberlain has become Britain'* first politician, and practically the* Empire's pastor under the new incur* netion. If Mr. Chamberlain shatter* the Unionist party in order to become | Premier, Mr. Balfour will hive wished, it. Loudon, September 16. German ne<vepaper oommoat fr gingerly and rautious. American newspaper* declare that the manifesto is a State«ina&U#e doooment, setting forth a faitsnethod of owuwrvlDg the national interests,