Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-03-28
TARIFF DOCTRINE
IS GAINING HOLD
IN BRITISH isles.
cITADELs OF FREE TRADE ARE
BEGINNING TO LEAN
TOWARD PROTECTION.

London, March IL correspondence
OF The Associated PreSs) Free trade.
the very cornerstone of the British
fiscal policy. is going through the
greatest trial 1t has had since the
historic days Of Golden and Bright.
and greater far than the upheaval a
dozen years ago when Joseph Chamber
lain threw the bomb of protection. The
latter agitation was political with thes
picturesque personality of Chamber
lain behind 1t, but this new movement
Is spontaneous with the people and
great business organizations, and Il
gaining strength as 1t proceeds. 1t be-
gan In the group OF great commercial
cit1es-Manchester. Birmingham, Shef.
field and Bradford linked together as
enc community and Is sweeping
through the country. rivalling even the
war as a topic of heated discussion,
and taking a, firm hold of the governs.
ment itself.
Manchester, the citadel OF free trade
and the home OF Golden. has taken tho
most drastic action in rejecting the
traditional doctrine on which good
deal OF its fame rests. The board of
directors Of its chamber of commences,
being men inheritfng the old Golden,
spirit, sought to reassert the traditions
OF the city by reiterating the Man
chester doctrine of free trade. BY
unanimous vote OF thirty out of thirty
three directors present, they adopted
the following resolution
The Manchester chamber adher0s
to the policySof free trade, not mere
doctrinaire free trade, but free trade
for the purpose Of admitting imports
at the lowest possible cost, especially
raw materials and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
articles, which are practically the raw
materials of various trades; and the
chamber resists proposals of pro-.
tective tariffs seeing that these
bolster UP artifically inefficient In
dustry at the expense Of the com.
mounty."
This resolution brought on storm
such as Manchester has not seen since
the war began. It was at once chal-s
lenged by the new protective element
of the body, and a vote called for by
the full chamber. On the vote, the
directors were overwhelmed, two to-
one, 1888 to SGT, majority OF 461
against them and their free trade
pronouncement. The position of the
directors at once became untenable.i
and the thirty who had passed the
resolution submitted their designations.
These were accepted with thanks and
cheers. and new board not commit
ted to free trade is being chosen.
Following the Manchester agitation;
the London Spectator one of the most
solid organs Of conservative public
opinion, posed the question, Why not
general tariff" 1t answered Its own
query by declaring: I'm our opinion
the time has come when the govern
ment should impose general tariff. III
1t went on to say that the new tarifi
should take the form Of general ad
valorem duties Of 10 per cent on AL
goods entering the country. the all
valorem being settled by board Ut
appraisers without appeal similar t0
the American system. When the war
lis over, 1t added, special commercial
treatment might be given to the allied
nations. such as France. Italy and Rus
eia and to neutrals who have played
the game" this latter apparently aps
plying to the United States In case It's
policy on the blockade and armed
merchantmen did not become too
onerous for the allies. 1t declared
, that the need Of general tarif waes
now universally admitted: that income
taxes had now reached maximum,
and should not be further increased.i
and that India and Egypt we're already
applying an ad valorem tariff system
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