THE DOMINION'S TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 127, 26 June 1909, Page 6

THE DOMINION'S TRADE.

1 '' * " ' ■'" J j. AMD IMPERIAL ERGBLEMS. !>' )i | SPEECH B¥ MINISTER FOR AQBI* •"• ! CULTURE. ■ - I —*•..'■ A PERNICIOUS SYSTEM. ■Speaking at the Dairy Conference in , Palmerston North on Wednesday, the , Hon. T. Mackenzie, Minister for Agfi- ' culture, speaking of the causes operating against the rise in the value of oar iiuzen meat, said:—"A Cause Wl«,, ' doubted] y is the pernicious sys- : fciu of assessing alleged da«l" ... nge to moat—(applause)—which, ac- ,'- cording to a telegram which appeared ' the other day, is causing the undcrwrltits to intimate that unless the Homo ' (iovcrnment enforces a better system' of • bundling they will bo compelled to di*- , . continue underwriting altogether or' , raise the rates to such an extent atl-to , ,£ make 'business impossible. This, is a '■■ J subject' with 'which I bad experience ,-, some years ago, and one that, if tint permitted, I would go very fully into fa '■, order to show how injurious are theft'- '.'£ methods and what disastrous effects ?t -J; has on the prices of our meat in I/OS- -•>'. don markets. The other aspect of the ' < low prices' is undoubtedly the depressed • • condition of trade in the Old Country. The fact stares one in tile face that -' Great Britain is not holding the MBit ;! .\ percentage of trade which foreign conn-' ' tries that she has hithrrCo enjoyed. The -• position resolves itself into this: that many of the orders which formerly ~- ' went to our British -workmen are being ',"-'< executed in other countries, and unfor- ': '■; Innately that is what is becoming of an ''':," increasing number of orders from thli ;':,s Dominion. SERIOUSLY' AFFECTED. If this practice of taking goods from ..\{ nations that prevent our 'products cb> ''""" tcring their territory is further develop* .ii ed, and that instead of taking what we . . require from our own British workmen, . , it follows that it must seriously affect '•■ the Home market to which we can send - our perishable goods. France, from '"•'■ whom one might have expected some . : & consideration, lias, owing to the low ' '■'. price at which mutton hot) fallen in.Bri* tain, insisted upon increasing the duly on moat from 23. kilos, to 50 kilos.—' equal to 2d per lb. Germany entirely . precludes our meat on account of e0n...; 'i dilions imposed which are impossible to ' 'i| comply with, Wc hear a great de*J '7 about patriotism, but when one reme'mburs that the moneys so spent by y» .- in foreign countries' may bo utfed for \ tho equipment of armaments for the de- 'A .■iniction of our commerce and the hn> '* miliation of our flag, one is constrained 'X' to advocate a policy »uch as was adopt-' .' ii ed in Canada—"British preference for "? British goods in British markets." I .;■ think the time has arrived for a complete chnnge in fiscal policy, (Applause). ! Of course wp hear that that ii) the be- .' -i ginning of a policy of protection, tut ''¥ after all free trade is not a princlph) . « bnt an expedient. - Vj NEW PROBLEMS DAILY. i , v'i New problems are confronting us evMy ■> doy. Political economy is a changing ■V s science, and nations have to adapt them- "t*£ selves to altered conditions. Statesmen, '"*■ imbued with the commercial capacity A arc wanted in connection with our -3 politics in order to obtain the best re-' <M suits for the Empire. These consider- >' otions' bring me to an important point,' ? At the present moment' our discussion* *$ have largely been centred around the> i ; presentation of a Dreadnought to th» '■' l British Navy. To my mind the question *S of defence is the question of questions i< at the present time. (To .whit purpose X docs all our industry and comnierpa '■ prevail if the highway to our markets % be not clear, or if our markets) be not" •;'! available? The question far transcends., party politics, and I ain glad to say A! that all classes of political opinion". , agreed that tho' Government had done "7* right in offering u Dreadnought, al- -- though opinion was divided as to -whs. 1 thw our Prime Minister should have, ii adjourned (Parliament to attend the In> *? pcrial Parliament. Personally, I think ~4 he was right. The cry for political .' rest has been heard for years. '■?}

A GREAT COUNCIL. "$ I believe the Defence Conference, nay --= form the nucleus of a truly Imperii ;-'i Council to .which shall be referred »B -V questions of foreign policy, national "''-1 treaties and defence, and matters of '?■ trade mu\ commerce. Were such * council established the various depend- ■'"■■ ciices of the Empire and the Hotter .'2 UMintry herself would send represent* : -? tives m .proportion to their lateretfs. \ population and contributions to th« * -Navy. One wonders whether the dav ' will bring forth the atateaaim endowed - a with wisdom sulflcicnt to devise a eon- ,-i , stitution which will be sufficiently ela», H tie to allow the development of ths -.8 irttals niul nspirntioas of each oonstlto- Ji em jinrt anil «t the Mime time be enough to hold together: this vast-jXS''V. $ I'm. of ours. I believe the *caTta,' ■ >\ Mil, produce the man, an 4 "dfi tj'k'ng part in the $ nse and carry out the pioposal, wWeli ■* will mark u, great ora> the history $ yxTn Mr. Foreman's motion a very V'M hearty vote of thanks' was WrrM-&-$-*? the Minister 'oy' toa Times, ; 'jii