TARIFF BATTLE.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 August 1922, Page 5

TARIFF BATTLE.

BRITISH DUTY ON GLOVES. DEBATE IN THE COMMONS. TWO SCHOOLS DIFFER. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received Aug. 1, 5.5 p.m. London, July 31. The eagerly awaited debate on fabric gloves attracted a full attendance. Owing to the decision of the Wee Frees to oppose tlie imposition of an import duty at every stage an all-night sitting is planned. The Government is prepared with relays of speakers working to a pre-arranged time schedule. The president of the Board of Trade (Mr. S. Baldwin), submitting the motion imposing the duty, described Lancashire’s case against the duty as very weak, and only affecting a few hundred spinners. He declared it was his duty to attend to safeguarding industries, not He suggested that the opposition to the duty was more due to the free traders’ desire to defeat the Government than to traders’ fears. Sir H. Norman (Coalition-Liberal) led the rebellious Coalition-Liberal attack, moving an amendment excluding fabric gloves from the order, on the ground that the motion struck a blow at fiscal principles, which were vital to the whole coua try’s prosperity. Germany could not pay reparations without fore-gn trade, and she must sell her own specialists’ manufactures, whether they competed with British or any other goods. Mr. 11. H. Asquith (Leader of the Libe r al Party), in a full-blooded defence of free trade principles, described the various antidumping orders as an insignificant litter of mice and costly, obstructive and disastrous interferences with the freedom of trade.

Mr. Bonar Law (Coalition-Unionist), supporting the motion, reminded Mr. Asquith of the Paris economic resolutions, which Mr. Asquith at that time defended on the ground that the country must be protected against dumping and unfair competiiton. That was all the order intended. He believed Mr. Asquith had come to regard free trade as a religion and a question _>f faith and morals. Mr. Bonar Law asserted that anti-dumping orders on individual articles did not involve the whole issue of free trade against protection. At 11.30 p.m. Mr. Baldwin unexpectedly moved the closure, which was carried by 307 votes to 78. Sir H. Norman’s amendment was defeated by 277 votes to 113. Mr. William (Edge resigned from the office of Government Whip owing to his inability to support the Government on the fabric glove issue. Several Coalitionists, Liberals and Conservatives, including Lord Robert Cecil and Lord Eustace Percy, voted against the Government. After the gloves debate the House debated other clauses, several amendments being moved, but the guillotine was applied twice, the Government maintaining substantial majorities. When the Laborites supported an amendment against a duty on domestic glassware Sir W. Mitchell-Thomson (Coalition-Unionist) twitted them with adopting an attitude injurious to an important British industry. After the closure, which was vigorously opposed, the order was finally’ voted by 152 votes to 47.—Aus.-NuZ. Cable Assn.