The Waikato Argus GEORGE EDGECUMBE, Proprietor. THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 1899.

Waikato Argus, Volume VI, Issue 407, 9 March 1899, Page 2

The Waikato Argus GEORGE EDGECUMBE, Proprietor. THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 1899.

The Cobden Club, whiob was established in 1866, and has embraced in its membership many men of note in the political world, has, in the first plaee persistently advocated free trade, and in tho second, has shown strong opposition to the spread of the Empire by the acquisition of new territory. Judging by a memorandum signed by Lord Farrer, the Club has, or is about to make, a new departure. The document points out that the relations of the Great Powers of the world have been completely altered by tho policy of territorial expansion, and in consequence that the time has arrived to recousider tho attitude of reserve and reticence with regard to foreign affairs that the Club has hitherto maintained. Up to a recent date the adoption of free trade was a purely domestic question, with which

nobody had a right to interfere. The policy of expansion gives a new complexion to this question. In connection with the acquirement of " derelict" countries, if adventurers belonging to difforent nations, acquire commercial interests in a country hitherto unoccupied by a civilized power, whon such a Power takes possession, the commercial policy of the country ought not to be determined ex> clusively by tho commercial interests of the acquiring Power. The memorandum then lays down [ a policy as follows :

" Now it has never been part, nor Ought it ever to be part, of the declared policy of this country in relation fto foreign countries to maintain that they have less capacity than we have to govern countries that they may acquire and in which both they and we may have interests. Our attitude towards them has ofteu, no doubt, been tinged and corrupted by a spirit of suspicion and jealousy. But on. the whole the saDor policy has prevailed that there is room in the world for all the peoples of the world, without the need of quarrelling as to the limits of the sphere of each." We make another extract: —

" The civilized world is at this moment, in consequence of the Czar's appeal, considering the question of general peace and disarmament; If the views which have just been expressed have any truth or substance in them, then no consideration of this question can produce any permanent or satisfactory result unless some understanding is first arrived at on the question of commercial policy. Nor without this understanding it is easy to see that international arbitration, which is the necessary instrument of peace, can ever have any large or real scope of operation. But once establish a community of interest in trade and commerce—and it is obvious that no world-wide community of interest can be established on lines of protection—and you have a common principle of action, a law, by reference to which a field of interests more prolific of international disputes than any other, except perhaps that of religion, will be brought within the limits of possible adjudication, and peace will come nearer to the world.

Accepting the position as defined by the memorandum, it is impossible but to recognise that the general dootrine of free trade has little favour throughout the world, in fact less than when the Cobden Club was established in 1866, and predicted that it would carry the world by moral suasion. The present generation of members have brought themselves to admit the necessity of taking other measures to secure fair treatment for British merchants and maufaoturers. We may ask—if the moral suasion business had been strictly acted upon, how many markets would the trade of Britain be now shut out from ? The reason why Imperial expansion has been forced upon us, is, that when we do not control the newly populated countries other nations have almost invariably established their authority, and British commercial interests been placed at disadvantage. As we pointed out recently, the greatest security to the peace of the world would be universal free trade ; until this commercial question is settled on an equitable basis there is no hope whatever that the movement of the Czar will make progress. The Cobdenites tell us that no such community of interest can be established on the lines of protection, and as tho fiscal policies of the large majority of nations are based on protection, there is a vast amount of proselyting to be done by the Cobden Club and those who think with its members.