BRITAIN'S FISCAL POLICY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 23 November 1907, Page 5

BRITAIN'S FISCAL POLICY.

FREETRADE Oil PROTECTION. WEIGHTY .SPEECH BY LORD CROMER. Received 22nd, 10 p.m. London, November 22Lord George Hamilton, presiding at a dinner to Lord Cromer, late ConsulGeneral of Egypt, by the L'nionist Frectrade Cub, said that he was glad wiser counsels had prevailed at the Birmingham dinner, and that court-martial exclusions were to be discontinued, litis showed that the Unionists were returning to sanity. It was now clear that Mr Balfour was not a protectionist. He adhered to free trade in the abstract. Lord Cromer said that one result of the revision of policy might be that Britain, who had for so many years grown and prospered, would' quicken into life, whatever more or less dormant Anglophobia existed throughout the world. Once the passions which protection or preference would evoke were let loose, our present naval estal>lishments would be insufficient to maintain the security of our vast possessions. One of the main reasons for which we were enabled to do good workin Egypt ,and why Europe acquiesced in the continuance of this work, was the rigid application to Egypt of the principles of freetrade. Once depart from these principles, and onr occupation would be viewed in a very different light.