The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-07

federation of the empire to which they all looked as a brilliant possibility. He wished to repeat explicitly that he did not wish to tax raw maretfals used in British manufactures. There 1t was evident that if they wanted to prevent separation there must be a preferential tax on food. That was the great cry of his opponents, and 1t was true, but 1t was only half the truth, because those op. ponents forgot to add his explanation that nothing he proposed would add one rarthing to the cost of living of any working man.
 His Plan in Bri.f.
 With regard to his plan he would state 1t briefly: He proposed to put low duty, not exceeding two shillings (iS cents) a quarter on foreign corn. but none on corn from British possessions. He proposed no tax on maize, partly because it formed the food of some of the very poorest among the population and partly because It was raw material as feeding stun. He proposed corresponding tax un flour and he would give special preference to the miller with the object of re-es;abllshing one of Englend's ancient industries and of preventing rush from the country to the town and also of placing corn, offal and feeding stuffs more cheaply within the possession of the farmer.
 A snal tax of about per cent. on foreign meat and dairy products would be imposed. excluding bacon, which was the food of so many of the poorest pop ulation. Lastly, he proposed to give a substantial preference to the colonies on wines and fruits.
 Against these increases he proposed some great remissions He proposed to take of three-quarters of the duty on tea. half the duty on sugar, with cor responding reductions upon cocoa and coffee. The net result of these imposi- tions and remissions would be that the town artisans food would, according to the most elaborate calculations, cost him two pence half-penny 6 cents) less per week than 1t does at present, while that of the agricultural laborer would cost him two pence N cents) less, but if as he believed, a great part of the tax on food would be paid by the foreigner, there would be a reduction in the cost of food both for the artisan and the agricultural laborer.
 Loss to be Made Up.
 The loss to the exchequer he estimated at 2,S00,0O0 pounds sterling. but that and more he proposed to find in another branch of the policy of fiscal reform which was sometimes called retaliatory and sometimes reciprocity. He hoped for one thing, that the other countries would
 
 might not come upon them, but he thought that Great Britain would also have to raise hers. moderate duty of 10 per cent. on manufactured goods. va rying according to the amount of labor in them would give the exchequer 5000, 900 pounds a year. and if he were Chancellor of the Exchequer he would make use of that sum for the remission of taxation.
 The question was: What would the col onies say? He believed they would treat generously any offer Great Britain might make.
 MT. Chamberlain concluded: "It is be- cause I sympathize with their object and appreciate the generosity of their offer, it is for these things and for no personal ambition that I have given up the office was so proud to hold and that now when I might. think, fairly claim pe- riod of rest, have taken up new burdens and come before you as missionary of the empire, to urge you again, as in old times, when I protested against d disrup- | ton of the United Kingdom, once again | to warn you. to urge you, to implore you | to do nothing that will tend towards the | disintegration of the Empire not to re- | fuse to sacrifice futile superstitious and | inept prejudice and thereby to lose the l result of centuries of noble effort and | patriotic endeavor."