THE COMMONWEALTH.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10253, 1 June 1911, Page 6

THE COMMONWEALTH.

REQUESTS OF MANUFACTURERS. United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph— Copyright, (Received May 31, 9.5 a.m.) MELBOURNE, May 31. The resolutions of the Conference of the Associated Chambers of Manufacturers, held in Launceston in March, were the subject of a deputation to Mr Hughes. The demands included : increased preference for Australian manufactured articles for Government undertakings ; The appointment of a permanent non-political Tariff Board; Preferential trade with self-govern-ing portions of the Empire, particularly with reference to British goods carried in British ships; The extension of the immigration policy to embrace approved immigrants of white races other than British ; Prohibition of dangerous and indecent drugs; A uniform railway gauge in Australia.

Mr Hughes admitted that there were a few tariff anomalies, but generally the tariff had not prevented a state of unparalleled prosperity. The Government was there to see that the public did not pay too much for goods made in Australia. He asked if protection were needed to safeguard industries or swell profits. He was not opposed to a Tariff Board, but he desired to see the tariff effective, and he desired local prefernce, but he was not regardless of the Cost. He would be glad of suggestions as to what would be a reasonable margin of profit. The question of immigration was a matter for the States. The Commonwealth had taken effective steps to encourage the people by laws which he believed would alter the proportions by which land was held. He did not think they should look outside Britain for immigrants ; and disagreed with a speaker who said that German immigrants were more skilled than British. He considered the former were less desirable as far as we wore concerned.