The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-12-17
CHAMBERLAIN AT LEEDS.
LAST SPEECHES OF HIS CAM.
 PAIGN FOR THIS FEAR.

Greeted by Tremendous Enthusiasm-
 springs New Plan 10 Clear Away the
 DimcuI,ies in Way of Fiscal Reform. Is Organizing Committee to niake In- 1 quIriss Among Trade at Home aud 1 Abroad.
 Leeds. Dec. 16.-Joseph Chamberlain addressed two immense audiences here tonight, making the last speeches of his fiscal campaign for the present year. l From the moment of Mr. Chamberlain's arrival in Leeds the enthusiasm was tremendous, and many demonstrations were made in the streets. The appear l ance of Mir. Chamberlain on the plat form, accompanied by Mrs. Chamber l lain and number of the north country i gentry and members of the House of Commons, was the signal for an ova- 1 tion which continued for many minutes. 1 The first speech was made in the Coli I scum and was listened to by $500 per- sons, and similar number attended the overflow meeting held afterwards in the town hall, which was altogether inadequate to accommodate the great crowd seeking admission.
 I The feature of MT. Chamberlain's I speech at the Coliseum was his am I l1ounceinent of the fact that he had been engaged in getting together a committee to make inquiries among the 1 various branches of trade at home and
 abroad. the work of which committee he expected, he said, will result in clearing away many difficulties. This committee will consist of about thirty business men of the highest standing,
 who will begin their work in the near I future. It will be composed of men from all centers of industry both in the United Kingdom and in the colonies.
 Subcommittee will be formed to deal | with each branch of trade and to take
 exhaustive evidence, meeting twice l weekly until their work is finished.
 When the reports are completed MT.
 Chamberlain said he expected to be in
 position to formulate tariff bill, &C., ceptable to the country, which will not only foster imperial trade, but which
 will enable Great Britain to give trade
 advantages to those who are prepared
 to render her similar favors. Continu- ing, Mir. Chamberlain sad:
 We have gone a long way in the
 direction of forming commission, not
 an official commission, but a non-polit- ical commission of experts, to consider the present condition of imperial trade and to find remedies for it's defects. This commission will comprise the lead ing representatives of every principal industry and every group of industries, It will consist of representatives from | India, the crown colonies and the great self-governing colonies. It will invite before it witnesses from every trade
 and industry, and after hearing all of
 them this commission will frame a
 model tariff measure. When the gov ernment is ripe for action a tariff bill
 will be presented on which the public
 will have every opportunity of express
 ing it's opinion"
 The rest of MT. Chamberlain's speech was largely repetition of his former arguments He said he had been blam- ed for saying that preferential trade l with the colonies would not mean an addition to the cost of living. In an- swer to this MT. Chamberlain quoted a letter from Charles Booth of the firm os Alfred Booth & Co.,. Liverpool. in l which Mr. Booth said that he did not think MT. Chamberlain's proposals
 would add to the cost of living, but that even if the did, that fact would not, ir MT. Booths opinion, detract from the merits of the said proposals which Ii carried out with reasonable prudence
 would undoubtedly conduce to the na- tional and imperial prosperity. He said the country was now at the parting of the ways and posterity would never forgive the government if it lost the T slightest chance of securing what was actually needed by the nation. It was
 not question of party policy, he said and while it was not free trade 1t was
 a near approach to it. MT. Chamberlain
 spoke sarcastically of the free fooders
 who, he said. had gone to the bottom
 of an inclined plane with the home rulers and the little Englanders and he
 wished them joy in their company.
 Referring to yesterdays elections ir
 Lewisham and Dulwich, MT. Chamber. lain said that even the Duke of Devon,
 shire's encyclica1 did not possess ponti.
 fieial authority. He said that ever
 Former Chancellor of the Excheouel
 Ritchie was not entitled to more author.
 ity than was to be derived from the fac l (Continued on Eighth Page.)
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