The Daily News. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1903. FISCAL REFORM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 20, 21 September 1903, Page 2

The Daily News. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1903. FISCAL REFORM.

The newg published in our last issue of the split in the British Cabinet, and the resignation of three of its leading members, including Mr Joseph Chamberlain, is perhaps the mosi important political news which has reached the colony for many years. To some extent the cablegrams, of the previous few days, made it clear that aoma im portant development were at hand, and Mr Chamberlain's resignation was even referred to as probable, but most people in the colony thought the Ministry would hold together till the general election. The tension was evidently greater than the cables revealed, and reached the breaking point on Friday. It is difficult to predict just exactly what is likely to follow, It is cleat that Mr Chamberlain is going to make a big fight on the question of preferential trade, believing, as he doe?, that the future welfare and unity of the Empire depends on tha British Government being armed with a weapon wherewith to meet, on equal terms, their commercial rivals. Naturally the sympathisers of the people throughout the colonies will be with Mr Chamberlain in tha great light which is .before bim, out of which we believe he will eventually tmerge triumphant and go back to the ministerial benches as Premier. It would, however, be a grand thing if, before tha real fighting begins, Mr Chambarlain could see his way to visit the Australian States and New Zealand, returning home by way of Canada. He would then ba ble to ascertain the trua feeliog t' tho people in these colonies aud bo better able to deal with the question of flswd reform so as to promote true Imperial unity, lbe people of the colonies aro curiously mixed in their ideas. Whilo ready to shout Rule Britannia and shed their blood in defence of the Empire (and spend money for that object too) are inclined to resent interference with their! Customs tariff, and so far aa has beea j seen are not prepared to forego revenus! for the benefit: of the Empire. They are, however, quite prepared to shed j the blood of foreigners and their! imparts if Great Bii'ain will treat the 1 foreigners tho situe W'y. The people at Home naturally faar that this will mean a great rise in prices, particularly of food stuffs, and hence the " dear loaf cry iw tho greatest difficulty in the way of Imperial preferential trade. If this difficulty could be got; over and free trade within the Empiro be established, it would bab, great boon, the Empire would soon be tho most prosperous and self contained nation on the face of the esrth. A visit from Mr Chamberlain would do mora to bring this about than anything we know of. In bhe meantime we must wait and hope.