The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-11-02
England Is Pro.
teciOniiSt Country
British Free Trade Has Gone to
Pieces Under the Searching Test
Of War Conditions
BY John Steele


mercial nations c,ung obstinately in
time OF peace has gone to pieces I'M
der the searching test of war, and
she has courageously cast aside any
semblance of preserving the Free
Trade principle and gone in frankly
for Protection.
was introduced in Parliament recent
ly by Reginald McKenna, the Chan
cellor of the Exchequer, the list of
dutiable articles is short, but the i'm.
portant feature of the new budget is
that the new taxes are purely Pro.
tectionist. Mr.. McKenna announc.
es that his primary object is to
check the importation of the arti.
c'es scheduled, and 1t Is clear that
any revenue which may be brought
in is a secondary consideration. No
more Protectionist speech was ever
made than that in which this form
er Free Trade minister introduced
the Tariff section of the budget.
This is the first time in the his
tory of English taxation since the
days Of the late Mr.. Golden that an
important tax has been imposed with
out at the same time the imposition
Of an equalizing excise tax on the
competitive domestic goods. Thus
when imported tobacco is taxed an
equal excise duty is placed on the
home grown leaf. When a customs
tax is imposed on imported sugar,
home grown beet sugar has to pay
an equal duty to the excise man and
when foreign brandy Is taxed, home
made whiskey comes equally under
the impost. This time there is no
attempt to rob the home manufactur-
er of the advantages of the Tariff and
1t is especially significant that every
one Of the items on the short list Is
one which was being seriously AFFECT
ed by foreign competition, and the
manufacturers of which were clamor-
ing for Protection. Here is the list
of articles on which fiat rate OF
33 1-3 per cent is imposed:
Motorcars, motorcycles and parts
thereof, cinema films, plate glass,
clocks, watches, musical instruments.
aats. The case of motor cars and
cycles is especially interesting to
Americans as 1t is chiefly American
goods which will be affected. In all
but the cheapest grades of cars the
British manufacturers before the war
were able to hold their own against
al corners, and there was only one
make of American motorcycle eX-
tensively sold in this market. lmme-
diately after war began the govern
ment Communicated for war pur-
poses the whole production or a
number of the best known British
makers of cars and cycles, and
little later most of the others were
employed in making shells and 9TH
er munitions Of war. or course this
meant that they had to drop out OF
the market, and advantage of this
fact was Immediately taken by Am
erican manufacturers, who began to
pour their goods over here. The
goods are excellent, and little
cheaper than English machines OF
corresponding class, and the British
manufacturers at once saw that un'
less something was done they stood
to lose not only their immediate
trade but their good Will In the fu'
ture. Strong representations were
made to the government, and the
33 1.3 per cent tax is the result. 1t
will more than equalize the Ameri'
can advantage after the war, and
there is very little chance that 1t
will be taken off Or lowered for many
years to come. The imports of mo-
torcars and cycles and parts there
of into this country in tae first eight
months of this year (nearly all from
America) were $26,666,600.
The duty on cinema films, of which
S4,22O,525 worth were imported In
the first eight months of the year
is also directed chiefly at America
Most of our imported films come
from the United States, and domes
tic producers aave been very marc
hit by their competition. America
will also be affected to some extern
by the duty on clocks and watches
NJ which the imports amounted tC
s4,7S5 O65 in the first eight months
of this year. Roughly, about nan
OF these goods come from Americs
and the other half from Switzerland
ad English makers have been com
pelled for years past to watch the''
trade dwindling almost to vanishing
point, ~ ,
The tax on musical instruments II
directly Protective and Is also tn'
first move in the trade war on Ger