The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-10-15
INTERIMPERIAL TRADE.
Closer Union to Be Established Between
England and Her Colonies.

Bonar Law. chancellor of the Excheq-
uer and Walter Long, colonial secre-
tary. have made it clear that the I'm
perial government has at last accepted
the principle Of nterimperial prcferen-
tial trade, but that it viii not be carried
out until after the war. 1t may there
fore, not be without interest to review
the evolution of this interimperlal pref
erential trade matter since The time
when the Imperial Federation league
came into existence in the motherland
under the Presidency of the Right Hon
w. +. Foster. II. p. on July %. 1891
The object OF the league was to secure
by federation the permanent unity OF the
empire The basis demanded that no
scheme should interfere with the exist
ing rights of local Parliaments as re-
CARDS local affairs. that it should com
bine on an equitable basis the resources
Of the empire for the maintenance OF
common interests. and adequately pro-
vide for an organized defense of common
rights.
In the following year, on May 9, 1885.
a Canadian branch was formed at Mon
treal with Dalton Mccarthy, NJ. p, as
president. In 1887 on March 10, the first
colonial conference was opened in Lon
don, and, from an imperial preference
point OF view. it might well be consid-
cred a notable event Then and there it
was that Mr. Hofmeyr eXpounded a
scheme. advocated by the Cape delegates
as the feasibility OF promoting a closer
union between the various parts of the
British Empire BY means of an imperial
tariff of customs. to be levied independ
1 entity of the duties payable under exist
ing tariffs, on goods entering the empire
1 from abroad the revenue derived from
/ such tariff to be devoted to the general
! defense of the empire 1t was not long
/ before the trade end Of imperial fedora
] ton began to receive some attention in
Canada. and on March "a, 1883, at a
league meeting held in Toronto it was
adopted: THAT the Imperial Federation
league OF Canada make it one of the OBJ
jccts of its organization to advocate a
/ trade policy between Great Britain and
her colonies by means of which . dis
elimination in the exchange of natural
and manufactured products shall be made
in favor of one another and against
foreign nations, and that the substance
of this resolution be brought before the
Dominion Parliament for its considera-
tion at an early date"
The whole question. however, was To-
cused by a master hand and brought
back to the forefront of practical poll
ties, when. at Canada club dinner in
London on March 26. 1886, Joseph Cham
berlain, in a magnificent speech, asked
! what is the greatest of our common
obligations? II is defense. What is the
greatest Of our common interests? 1t is
imperial trade" and he ended his elo.
duent address by quoting the verse OF
Thomas Macfarlane of Ottawa, who, with
Jehu Matthews Of The Toronto Mail
was one of the starchest pioneers of the
interimperial preferential trade: .
Unite the Empire-make it stand com
pact.
Shoulder to shoulder let its members
feel
| The touch of British Brotherhood; and
act
As one great nation, strong and true
as steel
In the twenty-five years that have
Ipassed since that speech was made tht
process of imperial union has been al
work. The Chamberlain idea has beer
pushed long way toward realization
the silent forces being busy between
tariff reform campaign, between meet