The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-03-27
ENGLAND WILL
ABIlD0NIFRE
TRADE , |. POLICY [. D .||G|. |
British Manufa cturers Are
Demanding Straight
Out Tariff.
MOVE AGAINST GERMANY.
1ndicat ors Are That Great
War VIII 3 e, + followed by
Economic Struggle. I

I0NDOENySS tnhIEu u W. tS9FS1ttA17
dsnce 81 The Associated Pressy The
recent revolt % Manchester, the home
OF Golden, against the cherished Bit
ish tradition OF open markets for the.
Goods of all the world, was only the
start IN d movement which has gone
asend1 FL forward in the great industrial
cenders Of the country, Birmingham,
Shefhelds Edinburgh, Leeds, anu pra-
ticaIly ali Of the important trade CEN
ters joining in the move for a straight
out taTtt law. It Is not a political
movement, as tariff controversies in
fiie United States have been: This
IS essentially an economic movement,
spontaneousStns trade and agricultural
quarters, witt the war and the feeling
aeainst German competition as tue
Chef incentive to a change
~ ut has reached the point" said an
American official FW.io has b1cn clcSf'-
III studying tile movement, "that anv
OPPONENT OF tarih is now denounced
Is q German sympathizer, SO that the
old Golden men and free Traders
are Obliged to keep silent for lear
sot tosing their reputation by being
cipsseds as Germans. )"
Ali the large commercial cities with
out exceptio came out definitely for
q fafiff az 3theS recent gathering here
q commercial bodies from all parts Of
HE Kingdom. Manchester, the second
7scity lii the country had already shown
fts pctition byFretiring lis board of
directors who proposed Free Trade
resolution and sought to send Froe,
Trade Delegates to London So Man
chester was not frepresented at the
london Conference, for the 'signtti-
cant reason that 1t had refused 10 a;'-
PROVE the presence of Free Trade dele
gates But Birmingh an, Sheffield and
alt the other great Scenters were rep
resented in an impressive gathering
oil the 1nenswhoi run the big industr!cs
oil tho eountry;sa gathering Of had
headed nsiness men, each one Of them
looking like the typica1, JOHN Bull, and
III of them inbned with the idea that
the Old tradi tionimust go and new tariff
law take its place. The resolutions
OF these, different cities show the va:"v-
ing shade Of view, but all in the same
General direction of a tariff
Bifmtnghamts$re resolution asked that
ahe government inquire into the de-
STABILITY Of fostering and safeguard
inK British Industries which have auf
fered from foreign competition mainly
from Germany. AS originally drawn
the Birmingham Tesolution had boldly
nsed the word protection" and the
nrogfam headed THE Birmingham res
ofufion with the title: Protection aid
DeveIo OF Industries" But con-
servatism prevailed on the lse of
words ction being new and
strange word In q country Of Free
Trade raditions-and the fostering
and safeguardingn OF British indus
tries was finally lift upon and adopted
as o phrase less EARRING to the old
IDEAS
Sheffield resolution was even fra.
en- and declared: THAT forthwith
there should be put in hand tho neces-
safy inquiry for raising very sub.
stanttats portionso of the revenue by i'm
mort duties Sheffield also proposed:
That ENCOURAGEMENT, and, If neal be,
financial aid must be accorded to the
development in these realms Of such
trades as are necessary for national
snfety and are ispensable to the due
Develop ent OF other industries which
have Hitherto been the monopoly of
Lien enemy countries"
Edinburghss resolution declared that
l. discriminating custom tariff is
AlI1BS119ft14tG anu 4Sn4OLlk4 pC RlSP0AVA
forthwith e Edinburgh also declared
that British trade policy should rem
der this country ind dependent OF sup.
plies from those countries in active
OF latent hostility to us"
Leeds proposition stated: 1T is de-
Bifabte To- institute a three-fold tariff
namely. LA British Empire tariff; 2.
An allied nation tariff; 8, A general
tariff 70 begapplied with probable dis
criminal ionsto neutral and enemy coun-
tries. That each of the tariffs should
be d maximum tariff, and that tariff
No. should be higher than the 9TH
Norwich proposed. "That a maxi
sns'Sp snd minimum British tariff on
imported manufactured goods should
be aee up With isur-tax on goods from
enemy Countries IA reduction to be
allowed To allies and neutral countries
in returti orlEspecial reciprocal adj
yantagea
Liverpool, Leicester, Derby, Brad.
ford md many other great seats of
industry had similar resolutions. DIFF
fering only In eology, showing a
practically universal sentiment for a
tarim law which would revolutlonze
the established economic system. Man
ciiesterts resolu tom sent in before its
hoard Of directors had been over
thrown because they adhered to Free
Trade. voiced their view thus: 1T Is
highly undesirable at the present time
20 be comtnitte ted Ito any such farreach-
ing decision as the mod LITIGATION of.our
present fiscal system But this res
o1ution-the only Repression for adj
herring to The old poll cy--was with
drawn, as Mancheste itself had re:
versed this policy and was choosing
ccinmerciaI directors fayoring a tariff.
All Of thesei wing shades OF tariff \
iry were finally incorpo In two
sesoiutiohs, by Birming ham, aud Lon
don. the ffrst for q tarif n law foster,
L. Ii ftsElr.if iaka indnakrl