Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-04-05
TRADE POLICY
AT TEST IN BRITAIN
Belief Growing That Govern
ment Will Be Forced to
Adopt Protective Tariff.

London. (by mail.)-Free trade. the
very cornerstone of the British fiscal
poNcy. is going through the greatest
trial it has had since the historic DAYS
OF Copden and Bright. n greater far
IMAM the upheaval a dozen years ago
when Joseph Chamberlain threw the
ponb or protection. The latter agita-
tlon was political with the picturesque
~fsonallt of Chamberlain chino it.
put this new movement is spontaneous
with the people and great business or
CARNATIONS and is gaining strength
as II proceeds. 1t began in the group
OF great commercial cities-Manches-
ter, Birmingham, Sheffield and Brad
lty, ana is sweeping through the coun-
Try; flvalllng even the war as a topic
or heated discussion, and taking 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
traditional doctrine on which a good
deal of it's fame rests. The board of d.
rectors of its chamber of be-
ing men inheriting the old Golden
spirit, sought to reassert the traditions
CT the city by reiterating the Manches-
ter doctrine of free trade. BY unani-
nous vote of 30 out of 33 directors
present, they adopted the following
resolution:
THE Manchester chamber adheres to
LIZ PollSS VI Tree lItQ0 HOl Il mere
doctrinaire free trade, but free trade
Tor the purpose of admitting imports at
the lowest possible cost, especially raw
materials and semimanufactured ar
ticles. which are practically the raw
materials OF various trades; and the
chamoer reslsts proposals for protec-
tive tariffs, seeing that these bolster
up artificially inefficient industry at
the expense OF the community
Manchester Reused.
This resolution brought on a storm
snch as Manchester has not seen since
the war began. 1t was at one chal-
lenged by the new protective element
OF the body, n a vote called for by
the full chamber. On the vote, the di-
rectors were overwhelmed, 2 to /, 9SS
to 527, a majority of 461 against them
and their free trade pronouncement.
The position of the directors at once
became u~ntenable. and the 80 who had
designations. These were accepted
with thanks n cheers, and a new
board not committed to free trade is
being chosen. The men who resigned
include W Manchester members of
parliament. Mr.. Needham and Mr..
MIDI. n many of the solid old figures
of Manchester life. But 1t was not so
much the action itself, but the symp- |
tom 1T showed Of a deep change of sem
tlment at the home Of the old free trade
4t1oNe1IlcIlS. WHICH mas aroused the UV0.
lest comment here and throughout the
country.
Birmingham and tie other industrial
communities have spoken along similar
lines, but without the sensational exit
OF the staid free trade directors. Bir-
mingham'S resolution calls for the APP
pointment of business men to formu-
late business policies. particularly the
formation of a general tariff system.
This Is recognized as part of the same
movement against the traditional pol
icy, and against the intellectuals and
large lawyer clement in public life
which support the old policies.
Following the Manchester agitation,
the London Spectator, one of the most
solid organs Of conservative public
opinion. posed the question. Why not
a general tariff?" 1t answered its own
query by declaring: "In L opinion
the time has come when the overn
ment should impose a general tariff"
1t went on to say that the new tariff
should take the form of general ad
valcrem duties Of 10 per cent on all
goods entering the country, and the
I'D valorem being settled by a board Of
appraisers without appeal similar to
the American system. Wien the war
is over, it added, special commercial
treatment might be given to the allied
nations, such as France, Italy n R,,s-
STA, and to neutrals who have played
the game" this latter apparently APP
plying to the United States in case it's
policy on the blockade and armed mer-
for the allies. 1t declared that the need
of a general tariff was now universally
admitted: that income taxes had now