BRITAIN'S POLICY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 72, 14 March 1908, Page 2

BRITAIN'S POLICY.

I'IIKETIiALK t,,K WUttlJB AM) THE EMPIRE. VK-iUItOUS UJW ROSE- - Received .March is, 0,30 ))m London, March la. Lord Losebery, ex-Premier, presiding at a meeting of the Literal Club, su id He was /or friendly relations with not one but all the Great Powers „f E uropc . Ihat, lie said, should be the foundation principle 0/ liritaiii's j>olicy; but that did not (Jo ;i way with the necessity /or ei>nstant vigilanco for tlie maintenance of Britain a vast Kuperiority at aea ami <'onstant readiness ami vigilance regard"jj? the anna merits on lurul. if they allowed armaments to sink below a eer- '! ille luitioji would be liable to unvvm'tT "J 111 SoUlt ' tini< -' s absurd panics ttoitliy ~{ , v g „.i lt naUou , Ml(| Jrtn „ 01 . (Cliee'i's ) A (1 ' V T rt the El "l,ire.UV), A second reason for maintaming Imperialism was that it™ ", necessary to hold big], that Hag, keeping SZel h ' llng.I Ing . P rot<!e tion us a o«isii», sees jh protection the sure*f guaiantees of the Empire. "I speak" 10 proceeded, ''with great respect of tha self-governing colonies, and I do not C J!,,' ac . l tariffs, which from their ton °'n ° " ,c . (r Em P il ' <! satisfneho»;v«■ „"! '! ntfSj it . si,ems to '»<■'> i 110 1111 llss ' s tanee, but impediments to the union of the Empire for one will never consent, . » ],resaure o£ over P°wering ».it}, to a new and more universal tariff springing / roui thc c(mt f , Empire."

Received March 13, 10.0 p.m. London, March 13. Uli'd Losebery continued: "Such a tariff would add a great element to disunion, and have a grave disadvantage or peril, making it to the interest of oY\LrtvT T V fa , Voring tJle existence ot heetradc throughout the Empire to. dueiy anil break up the Empire when t opposes the rampart 0 f tariff to the; lest of the world.' (Cheers.) Social reform, he said, was of meat importance, but it was useless unless cou ? tl 'y was kept safe from external aggression. The verdict of the nation made lreetrade safe for a long period to come, but he warned the Legislature of three contingencies which might drive Britain from freetrade firstly, the enormous and perhaps increasing prej. sure of direct taxation compelling them to shift the burden to another source of supply; secondly, the possible necessity of a greatly and suddenly increasing cost of armaments compelling the nation to temporarily forsake freetrade; thirdly, if it came to choice, which he trusted it never would, between socialism and protection, he would unhesitatingly prefer protection.

Keceived .March 13, 10.40 p.m. London, .March 13. Protection, said Lord Rosebery, was a great evil, a great tyranny, and a great source of corruption, but socialism ended all things—the Umpire, religion, faith, freedom, and property. To these socialism was a deathblow. (CheersJ. ; What would become of freetrade, lie asked, if socialism were predominant? Protection, besides being a national benefit, would then be a national necessity. When all the means of production and manufacture and land were the property of the State, the latter would! only be protecting its own without tiio risks protection entails at present. He concluded by defending the existence of the second Chamber, but recommending its reform, and urging the League to rally around the programme enunciated. including hostility to the Iris'* parliament.