CABLE NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 227, 22 October 1903, Page 3

CABLE NEWS

BY BLKOTIUO TELEGRAPH— J FISCAL REFORM. MR CHAMBERLAIN AT NEWCASTLE. PKR J'JIESS ASSOCIATION. Received 21, 11.6 p.m London, October 21. Mr Chamberlain rtceivrfd an ovation on his aaiival at Newcastle. Ho nddaessed 5000 at the Olympian Hall, snd an equal num'ofr at St. George's Hall, The s<pp'ie.tions for tickets of admission exceeded by five-f >ld the capacity of the hi?'dings. Ear! Grey pre 1 a^. After thu tro. v iclous cheering had subsided, Mr Chitnbi>rlain si 1 ha wis am zed than one whose efforts were those of the sr-cdled eiectione'eriog quacks bfid exciter! so much interest. Despite GoachenV, Fowler's Asquith's and Rosbbory's heavy artillery the execution hid not bsen terribk'. B<itmn had not retained th« posi ion of supremacy which she enjoyed in the ' qu.rior of a century »fter Oobden, nud was now exporting more coal and itop>rtine mo'e foreign manuf*c-, tuns. H*r whole prosperity depended on maictiining and iucre sing her colonial tr*de, and 'his could only be dene by ace ptit.g the offer of reciprocal prefe ence. Th- vast majority in the colonies were prepared to give more thin to receive. The proposal from 11 millions of our fellow citizens was better worth considering than the views of a host of politicians. " Without their strong hands ani loyal hearts," said Mr Chamberlain, "we cannot hope to keep the Empire; neither would it be good taste or wisdom to refuse consideration of tbeir effer, which was unselfish and patriotic, as well as recognising that, united with the Motherland, they would make an Empire such as the world had never seen "

" I am prepared to make some sacrifice to ensure permanence. I do not ask my countrymen to submit to additional burdens, but or.ly to transfer taxation from one article to another. It does not matter to the consumer a brass farthing if sixpence a week lor taxation comes out of the waistcoast or the tail pocket." The transfer of taxation from tea to bread would benefit our colonial kinsmen who are customers, brother-helpers, and the buttresses of the Empire. The colonies are not called upon to make sacrifices. They are asked to give preference over foreigners, and to sea if, without injuring their manufactures, they are able to revise their tariffs so as to opeD their markets to us more widely. We, in return, are to take more of their productions, They also benefit by emigrants, and every interest is enlarged and improved. They, H.t any rate, were willing to negotiate respecting a policy designed for the well-being of the Empire, by means of bonds of increased affection, Ihe appeals of Mr Morley and others to the prosperity under Free Trade wpre beside th" question. Some j of his opponents declared that 13 millions in the United Kingdom wf-ra on the vprge of starvation, ar.d though, doubtle-s, on examination there was yet a vaster number undpr-fed, it was not because oirn was not ch-ap, but because employment was scarce. Admitting thrit the ccuctry was prosperous under free imports, yet protective ci untries wore advancing still more quickly. Even admi'tjng that in the United Satts the circumstances were exceptional, what abou*; Germiny, France, s-.nd Sweden ? Men who were unable to see the difference between th i pr<-(-ent "tats of tb r gs <>nd sh. se of 36 ago, 'ught not call themselves Liberals), bu*. trogloiytes, and should liv«i« caves.

He challenged Lord Goschea's contention that th« whnle on bread and m«*t would bo p<id by the con somr. The economists had not eupportfd tfcat 'contention. It wan no* certain thas the consumers would not pay any of these small taxes, What the workmen bad o tear was the shortage of moplies, no* the duty en corn. The only remedy was to increase the sources tf supply, calling on the colonies to redress the balance. For very li.tle encouragement they would give a never failing supply. He was convinced the consumer would not pay more than half the new taxes, so that workmen would probably gain to tb.9 extent of two pence or three pence a week, besides having more constant employment, and helping to weld the Empire. Received 22 1 a.m. London, October 21. Mr Chamberlain continued :—" Our prosperity w due to our great indus-tri-1 stork, railway construction, and discoveries, not to free trade. The more backward protective countries took 30 yours to come up, but now were much hrger exporters of manufactures to U3 than we are to them, though they ough* to be in the depths of despair. In. 40 vears our irapons of foreign manufacture', "hich could just as well have been made here, had increased by 86 millions, while the total exports had decreased six milliors, so that 80 millions of trade we might have done here had gone to the foreigners. We losl: 46 millions a year io was'B, which wnuld have employed 600,000 men at 30s a week, providing subsistence for three millions." The opponents of the proposals had offfrfd no aUerna'ives. It was only po s ; ble to weld •he Kmpire by means vf Fomo form rf o mm r peial union, and an linp.iri.il Cow cil of ImperW defe- ee must', follow fi'ieVi closf " ci il r'ations. T - * " . i:nnitn.-r----t.'- * v -i'-d dwln-fi

; • -""»•'• is iota tittL> of p, w f i W of the anmig as " rri, D , t,! »t""thp.-r.f e pprcew fisl hhnbeunHblH <> keep the Empire tos-th.r H, faan thH J aKßertion h'Wf :.t. Leedn in 1888, awl now ruiia Hw , v !vfeus , ; of -Or. e ri:fflonlti 3 0r Home p iJskK. -Lti we," Mr Chambeilain, nnwiso, unpatriotic, and untsue to ™y tbat I am trying to bribe the colo nue. In th« sam? breach we are told •bat I am the colonies a benefit *hich will ruin Britain, «nd in the n»xt brrath that the advan'agn is so sm«!l thfl colon k will d«hti»--e it. I never due'. ar irwHiite disrupioD, out I beiieve w- cannot k-ep together exnepfc on th« linn- of cotum°*cial agreement ad»p'e.: by the United Statpsand Grm.m, On' Empire was greater, mo'-e pop .louh, mo> e. universal in product", more homogt*'- n us in regard to its white pnpula* : 0I) with 11 its growth, bffore, »V, e f oroaT ! y rf. v oii! ag r G M ltiD,, ' co the rarol ° f such a p y wou, yj e jj greater results in the

I appealed to the nation not ro be di'miyed at 'he bogies of dear food, foreign retaliation, or the consequences of a poli"V which every other country found profitable. A resolution was carried, almost unanimously, supporting Mr Chamberlain and Mr Balfour,