The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-07
ENGLAND'S ONE HOPE.
Continued from First Page

ters, electorally speaking, will have the
intelligence to see that they must wake
up, that they must meet the new con-
ditions with an altogether new policy.
The vast majority of the wOrkmen in
the colonies are protectionists, and l
am disinclined to accept the easy ex-
PLANTATION that they are all fools.
Cited United States.
1.-The countries to which I have re-
ferred are in different stages of the
protective process. In the United
States the process is completed. She
produces everything and excludes ev-
erything. There is no trade to be done
with her for a paltry six shillings per
head.
Canada has been protective a long
! time The principal industries are
there and you can never get rid of
! them, but the secondary industries
have not yet been created and there is
an immense trade still open to you to
maintain and increase. Australasia is
less developed and takes more than
| Canada. In the Cape there are prac-
tically no industries.
I'VE can intervene now, but 1t is
now doubtful whether we would inter-
vene twenty years hence" He pro-
| ceeded:
America is the strictest of the pro-
tective nations. 1t has a tariff which
to me is an abomination, it is so i'm
moderate, unreasonable and unneces-
sary, and although America has
profited enormously 1 think it has been
carried to excessive lengths and l be-
lieve that a great number of intelli-
gent Americans would gladly negotiate
with us for its reduction.
Were we to lose the colonial, as we
have lost our foreign trade, we should
have arrived at the parting Of the
ways. If the opportunity is not seized
now it will not recur.'
Faith in the Colonies.
Mr.. Chamberlain said he believed
that the colonies ARE prepared to
meet us in return for a very mode
rate preference. They would reserve
to us the trade we already enjoy and
would also arrange their tariffs in
the future in order not to start in
dustries in competition with these al
ready in existence in the mother coun-
try and not only would they enable
us to retain our trade with them, but
they would give us preference on all
trade done with them by our foreign
competitors"
The colonial trade thus secured, said
the speaker, would be sufficient to af-
ford employment to $4,000 workmen
at 30 shilling per week and calculat-
ing their families, to give subsistence
to 3,075,00 persons.
He had spoken with many colonists
who believed that the present colonial
relations could not be permanent. They
must either be drawn closer together
or they would drift apart-an opinion
shared by Lord Rosebery, statesman
whose instincts were always right
though his actions often Jagged be-
hind his instincts.
He believed that it was only a COM
mercial union and reciprocal preference
that they could lay the foundations Of
a federation of the empire to which
they all looked as a brilliant pos
sibility.
Is for a Food Tax.
He wished to repeat explicitly that
he did not wish to tax raw materials
used in British manufactures. There
fore. it 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 it was only half the
truth, because those opponents forgot
to add the explanation that nothing he
proposed would add one farthing to the
cost of living of any working man or
of any family in the country.
With regard to his plan. he would
state ii briefly. He proposed to put
a low duty, not exceeding two shillings
CAS- cents) a quarter on foreign corn,
but none on corn from the British pos
sessions. 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 stuff
He proposed corresponding tax on
flour and he would give special prefer
ence to the miller with the object of
re-establishing one of our ancient In
dustries, and of preventing a 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 small tax of about per cent. on
foreign meat and dairy produce would
be imposed, excluding bacon, which
was the food of so many of the poor
est population. Lastly, he proposed to
give a substantial preference to the col
onies on wines and fruits.
Remissions Proposed.
Against these increases, he proposed
some great remissions. He proposed
to take off three-quarters of the duty
on tea, half the duty on sugar, with
corresponding reductions on cocoa and
coffee. The net result of these imposi-
lions and remissions would be that the
town artisans food would, according to
most elaborate calculation, cost him