"CRUMBLING AWAY."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10244, 22 May 1911, Page 7

"CRUMBLING AWAY."

AMERICAN TARIFF WALLS

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.

(Received May 20, 8 a.m.)

LONDON, May 19. In the House of Lords the Earl of Selborne raised a debate upon the American - Canadian Reciprocity Agreement. He said it was the first time a part of the Empire had obtained better terms from a foreign coun-

try than Britain and the rest of the

Empire. The precedent was capable of large extension, and if it became general it was difficult to see how the Imperial system was going to work. His lordship criticised the British Government's supineness in the matter, and said the only escape from the difficulties ahead was by the adoption lof a system of Imperial preference (with joint Imperial negotiations with I foreign countries. I Lord Lucas, Colonial Under-Seere-I tary, replied that the Government was not alarmed at the crumbling of the American-Canadian tariff wall. It was impossible for Britain to interfere without infringing Canada's fiscal lib- J erty. He agreed that Britain was entitled to the same treatment as Can- [ ada, and said that the British Foreign Office did not accept the American intreprejtation of the most-favoured-na-ti'on clause. Viscount Haldano, Secretary for War, said the enlarging of Canada's trade with the United States would increase the markets for British goods. He added : "We regard preference an , an utterly unscientific policy." {