CABLE NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 212, 3 October 1903, Page 3

CABLE NEWS

FISCAL REFORrfI. !

BY. BLKOTBIO TBLEQRAPH—OOPyBIQPI. :

A CONFERENCE AT SHEFFIELD. EXPERIMENT WITH THE TELEPHONE. PER PRKBS ASSOCIATION. Loudon, October 1. Lord Darby has opened a conference oo Fiscal questions at Sheffield. Sir J. E. Dorington, M.P. for Tewesbury, moved an official resolution welcoming Mr Bilfour's policy. Mr Chaplain moves in favour of preferential tariffs. A telephone receiver is to be phced in front of Mr Balfour to-night when delivering his speech embodied in the recently WBued pamphlet and it is hoped he will be audible in London. MR CHAMBERLAIN VINDICATES HIS POLTOY. London, October 1. Mr Chamberlain, in a preface to a pamphlet on Imperial reciprocity, consisting of articles published in the Daily Telegraph, vehemently assails his opponents for representing that food was heretofore free, and deliberately ignoring the fact that a large part of the revenue is derived from food and drink, the bulk thereof consumed by workers. He declares thit the danger in the future will no' be a rise in prices owing to taxation but a failure to supply, due to natural causes or combinations, similar to the wheat corner engineered by J seph Loiter, an American speculator, some time ago. He adds: " And a policy that dev-lops new markets and iccrea* a fcoj producing areas will tend to cheapness and stability of price. Any duty to secure preferential trade with the colonies will be small and probably wholly, cert i inly partly, paid by foreigners. Any ad itional cost to the worker will be met by equivalent reductions on other equally necessary articles of fcod. The change would provide more employment for our people, a greater demand for labour, a rise of wages, full work, and fair prices." THE SHEFFIELD CONFERENCE. REKi.BE ABLE ENTHUSIASM. POPULARITY OF MR CHAMBERLAIN AND HIS PARTY. Received 2,10.45 p.m. ■ London, October 2. The National Union Conference at Sheffield was the largest and most influential ever held. It was noticeable that whenever Mr Chamberlain's name and policy were mentioned tha audience, except a compact of free traders under W. J. Galloway, one of the members for Manchester, cheered itself hoarse with enthusiasm.

The official resolution was moved by Sir John Dorington, welcoming Mr Balfour's policy which favoured a're-' consideration of the fiscal system and the recovery of fiscal freedom to negotiate.

Mr Chaplin moved a rider impressing thanks to Mr Chamberlain and satisfaction at h ; s patriotic endeavour to arouse attention to the seed cf such reconsideration, and to the importance of Mr Bilfour's policy, adding that tbe Conference, while reserving its final judgment until Mr Chamberlain's proposals are mora fully developed, approves any practical scheme for promoting the closer union of the colonies with the Motherland.

The voting was deferred until today to enable the' cooference to consider Mr Balfour'* speech; Ma BALFOUR'S EPEKOH. Received 2,11.31 p.m. London, October 2. Mr Bilfour addressed a gathering of 5000 at the Drill Hall, Sheffield. The Earl of Derby presided, Mr Balfour received a tremendous ovation and made an 80 minutes speech, exclusively dealing with tariff reform. He said thn subject was no* oew, but its exceptional prominence at this nnment was due to a great speech by a great man, (Cheers) There ware many contributory cmses, and the war had brought as into closer and mire conscious touch with our great c lonial Empire. The colonial Premiers had categorically and explicitly emphasised the question, and all parties w-re growingly uneasy as to the condition of trade, as the speeches, pamphlets', articles, and technical education prioi to Mr Chamberlain'* Birmingham speech had proved. That speech fell

on ground already prepared. Germany's attempt to penalise Canada had intensified the feeling of our helplessness in nego'iations, strengthening the conviction that tariff attacks can only be met by tariff replies. The past 60 years had killed the reputation cf the Cobdenite prophecies. Cobden'd ideal contained the great elements of mobility, but instead of the world being commercially one without artificial barriers, the sentiment of nationality received assertion and B'rength which nobody in Cobden's time could have dreamed of. We have been dreamers while the wall of tariffs grew, dividing nation from nation. O >r coloaies, our own flesh and blood,

the very sinews of tbe Empire that i to be, building one vested vested interest after another under a system of protection which, when it reach?d a l)gical conclusion, makes it as hard for the Motherland to export thither as to foreign countries. The only attempt made to hinder that s- ate of things was a successful treaty with France. GobJen and Gladstone then utilised certain taxes which, at the time, were quite ready otherwise for repeal on the merits, for the purpose of obtaining concessions from Franc. I have found that there is no economical dissection between retaining, for diplomatic purposes, a tax you would otherwisa repeal, than putting on, for the fame purpose, a tsx otherwise unimposed. (Ooears). The ivil of the high tariffers has been allowed togrov by us and the colouies to a point probably excluding complete solution. Any attempted solution, a3 far as he was able to see, would invoice the tajratipn of frqd. His' remedy was incomplete, ev;n if tried in its integrity, bu~ id cannot thus be tiied because the country will

cot tolerate a tax on foo* 1 - Ntverthe less, a pallintivo w?uld s> engthtn the Ministry's and ti3 foreigner would be greatly helped to do u? justice if he kcew that, behind our request for f lir treatment, was a method of ervXfngik. 4s regards retaliation on ot.e •, t. begin whh, high tirifii would g .able reductions to be made. We miuht b j gin at the other end, with low special duties—something to give foreigners which they would value—something to take away they would regret. Received 3, 0.50 a.m. Loxdoh, October 2. jtfr Balfour continued may

not'gefc the great c.uimeici.l nations Io abandon prelection and I fear you will not get the great self-governing colonies to retrace those steps which we, without re monstrance, permitted them to tnke. They have, and must always retain fiscal autonomy. I have described the evils and em asked for the remedy. As it is my duty to advise the pxrty whereof, for the moment, I am chief, I will answer that I know of I no cure, inasmuch as the evil has gene too far ; but I know a palliative which I am here to reeommond." j At this point of his speech Mr Balfour warmed to his subject, and his utterances beciHoe more strenuous. He was cheered wheu expre?siDg a determination to give his party an unmistnkeable lead. On an interruption of " What about Joe Chambsrhiirj V the cheering broke out agein. Mr Bilfour, continuing, siid : —"I am asking facilities for better bargaining, and my fundamental request; is that the country shall give the Government, from whatever party it is drawn, freedom to negotiate with other nations —that equality of freedom whereof they have been deprived, by no force of circumstances or foreign pressure, but by our own pedantry and concei', Mr Balfour's corollary that he did not think public opinion was ripe for the taxation of f od was received with deep silence, in striking contrast with the loud approval expressed of his succeeding words, " but I believe the evils of taxation of food within narrow limits have been exaggerated beyond anything that reason or logic can justify." He added, emphatically, that as one bound to advise bis great party regarding an official policy, tax \\ ion of food is not at present within the limits of practical politics. Received 3,1.20 a.m. Mr Balfour continuing said: " I desice to revors? the fiscal tradition prLvalent for the la«t two generations and ask to delete the doctrine thit taxation must be for revenue alone." Addreseicg an overflow meeting he said the Mo herland's bonds with the colonies must be real aud substantial as well as sentimental. He had been content to leave the question open, but neither his colleagues in the Government, nor the Commons, nor the country would tolerate tint view. They wore determined ha should give the lead and he gave i*, even itwasun-l worthy leadership he tried to lead and he meant to do it, PRESS COMMENTS. ' Received 3,1.20 a.m. London, October 2. The Times says the enthusiasm will increase in ex<ct propor'ion to the approximation tf Mr Balfour's attitude to Mr Chamberlain's. Other journils say there are indications that he would be supported the whole way.

The Financial Times states that the next election will turn on the whi la question not on V alf of it. | The /Standard ccmplains of the 'vagueness cf the Lngu ge which is, apparently, a theoretical approval of preference, Bdding tba* it ought t > bn known whethfr Mr Balfour f.nd Mr Chamberlain are tctiog «n conve ging line".

The Daily News siys there ate indications tha- the cause of free traie will rest with the Liberals alone.

Mr Ritchie had informed the Daily Chronicle tint he w; s unaware of Mr Chamberlain's resignation until two days after sending in h»s own,