The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-04-06
TRADE POLICY
AT TEST IN BRITAIN
selief Growing That Govern
ment Will Be Forced to
Adopt Protective Tariff.

London, (by mail.)-Free trade. the
: very cornerstone Of the British fiscal
poilcy, 1s going through The greatest
trial it has had since the historic DAYS
of Golden and Bright, ana greater far
than the upheaval a dozen years g
when Joseph Chamberlain threw The
bomb of protection. The latter agita-
t1on was political with the picturesque
personality of Chamberlain behind it,
oHt this new movement is spontaneous
with the people n great business or
CARNATIONS and is gaining strength
as 1t proceeds. 1t began in the group
or great commercial cities-Manches-
ter, Birmingham, Sheffield and Brad
iord-linked together as one commun-
1ty, and is sweeping through the coun-
Try, riValhng even the war as a topic
or heated discussion, and TALKING a firm
mold of the government itself.
Manchester, the citadel of free trade
and the home of Golden has taken the
most drastic action in rejecting the
traditiQnal doctrine on which a good
deal of its fame rests. The board of Ill
%rlectors of it's chamber of commerce, be-
ms men inheriting the Old Golden
CT the city by reiterating the Manches-
ter doctrine of free trade. BY unani-
nous vote of 80 u of 33 directors
presenS, they adopted the following
~reSphItion:
The Manchester chamber adheres to
RNiASs VI LEG lLdtlt, .llQ d IlSTC
d~ocrinaire free trade, but free rad
Ior the purpose of admitting imports at
the lowest possible cost, especially paw
materials and northumberland ar
tlcles, which are practically the raw
materials of various trades; and the
chamber ~resists proposals for protec-
ave Tariffs, seeing that these bolster
Up artificially inefficient INDUSTRY at
the expense of the community"
Manchester Reused.
This resolution brought on a storm
such as Manchester has not seen since
the war began. 1t was at once chal-
lenged by the new protective element
81 rile body, and a vote called for by
1he full chamber. On the vote. the di-
rectprs We're overwhelmed, 2 to l, 9SS
TO 52i, a majority of 461 against them
ana their free trade pronouncement.
Ihe position of the directors at once
became untenable, and the so who had
passed the resolution submitted their
resignatlons These were accepted
with thanks and cheers, and a new
board not committed to free trade is
oelng chosen. The men who resigned
parliament, Mr.. Needham and Mr..
MIDI, and many OF the solid old figures
OF Manchester life. But it was not so
much the action itself, but the symp-
tom 1T showed Of a deep change of SEN
tlment at h home of the Old free trade
AAfNAtS. 4 llcto Jig EllSe-
hest here and throughout the
n
Birmingham and tie other Industrial
communities have spoken along similar
lines, but without the sensational exit
of the staid free trade directors. Bir-
Ininglam's resolution calls for the APP
point1nent of business men to formu-
late business policies, particularly the
formation of a general tariff system.
Ihls is recognized as part of the same
n rrn / k1.- 49, ~.,n ,a-l "a
icy. and against the intellectuals and
large lawyer clement in public life
which support the Old policies.
Following the Manchester agitation,
the London Spectator, n of the most
solid organ of conservative public
a general tariff" 1t answered it's own
query by declaring: "In orr opinion
the time has come when the govern
ment should impose a general tariff"
should take the form of general ad
Valcrem duties of 10 per cent on all
goods entering the country. and the
ad valorem being settled by a board of
appraisers without appeal similar to
the American system. Wien the war
treatment might be- given to the allied
nations, such as Fcance. Italy and Rus
STA, and to neutrals who have played
the game" this latter apparently APP
plying To TIC OIlCeu States IN case It's
policy on the blockade and armed ner-
did not become too onerous
for the allies. 1t declared that the need
of a general tariff was now universally
that income taxes had now
reached a maximum and should not be
further increased, and that India and
were already applying an ad
valorem tariff system.
Lord Cromer, who applied the ad
valorem tariff to Egypt, was one of the
Of the important personalities to
the proposal for h same sys-
tenn in England. A an old and con-
WINGED free trader" he wrote, II should
like to say that I agree generally with
view expressed in why not a gen
tariff / nave for long thought
the government should lave intro
duced such a tariff at an early period
Of the a The imposition of indirect
taxes for revenue purposes is in no way
opposed to free trade principles"
The free trade element is standing
1