The Daily News. MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 1914. IMPERIAL TARIFF UNION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 165, 12 January 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 1914. IMPERIAL TARIFF UNION.

Our cable messages of Friday last contained two English items that appear to mark the beginning of the end of the agitation for tariff reform. The first of thees despatches announcedltlie contemplated retirement of the Hon. Joseph Chamberlain; the other stated that a Unionist Tariff Reform Protest League has been formed. It lias for a long time been feared that Mr Chamberlain's illness would incapacitate him for active political work; for years 'be has l>een but "the shadow of a great name,'' and now his retirement means that his influence as a political force will henceforward be nil. With his disappearance from the public stage there will come an almost entire absence of enthusiasm for tiirill' reform. It was his strong personality, bis fervid Imperialism, and his knowledge of the overseas Dominions that kept the tariff reform .movement go-

ing; and it is significant to find, coincident with his announced intention to retire, that there is an organised movement among Unionists to drop tlie fiscal issue. Whether or not this means a split in the Conservative. Partjy it is hard to s;vy. The probability is that this difference of opinion will not be allowed to produce cleavage. The party as a whole will probably agree that tariff reform should be dropped as an election issue. The British public are too much attached to free-trade principles to entertain the idea of protcctivo tariffs, even against the dated rival Germany. They prefer tha cheap loaf to Imperial preference. Pocket comes before patriotism. Therefore, tariff reform, as an-election cry, catches no votes. Tariff reformers will, of course, deplore this apparent deathblow to their hopes. It is no doubt a sad disappointment to them, after so many years of effort, to find that no impression luis been made on the stolid stay-at-home British people. New Zealand, however, will lose nothing by the abandonment of the tariff reform movement; and we need not blame the poeple of England for failing to adopt tariff reform. If our workers were as close to

» Starvation Point as millions of their brethren in the Old Country chronically | are, they, too, would think less about the Umpire and more about the purchasing , power of a sovereign. This great mass of humanity can afford to take no risks, There, is no donl>t that despite the as surance.s to the contrary of Mr Josepl Clutniberlain and the other protagonist of the movement, the adoption of tarii reform would have involved a seriou risk of levying duty on foodstuffThe Colonials are, comparatively speak ing, much better off in the matter o this world's goods than are the masse of Britain, and are getting along ver comfortably indeed without Britain e.\ tending preference, to them. In fact they don't expect special troirtnieiit froii Britain, for the simple reason that the; are not prepared to return the faror. I is true that New Zealand gives prefer ence. to British-made goods, but the ef fort costs us nothing, for we but in crea.se by ]fi per cent, the duty 01 foreign goods, leaving British-made a the old rate. To give real preference w. should sacrifice something, but vc ar not, and -have never been, prepared to di that, even for the Motherland. Afte all, it doesn't require tariff preference ti Mud the Colonics to Britain. Alread; it is recognised, nowhere more than ii the Colonies, tiiat we are dependent fo our very existence as free and indeuen dent countries upon the supremacy o the British Navy, and the contemplatioi of that consideration is enough in itsel to .bind us closely to the Motherland Tltere are, of course, sentimental tie between children and mother that re quire no cementing; they are as stroiij as they are real and durable; but llr first law of nature, self-preservation, wil do more for the promotion of Impcria unity than any commercial zollrereii could possibly do. Britain is considerci a. conservative, slow-going old country hut in regard to fiscal matters she i eminently wise, recognising decades aga fact that many other countries ar only just awakening to, that restrictioi of trade by tho imposition of tariffs i more harmful to the country levying th duties than to the exporting countries Tariff reform, so far as Britain is con ccrned, is quite, dead. It would neve have gained any force but for the mas terful personality and ability of Mi • loseph Chamberlain. Its demise will no l;e greatly regretted by even the strong est Imperialists at Home or in the Colo uies.