The Bozeman courier., 1921-09-28
UNDER ANOTHER
NAME.


NAME.
In returning to the policy of pro-
lection after three-quarters of a CEN
tury of free trade, the Britishers were
very careful not to dignity the policy
by that name for fear, perhaps, of
wounding the feeling of what few
Cobdenites remain in Great Britain.
So the bill which passed the house of
commons was entitled "a bill to i'm
pose duties of customs on certain
goods with a view to the safeguard
ing of certain special industries and
the safeguarding of employment in
industries in the United Kingdom
against the effects of the deprecia-
tiOn of foreign curreneies, and the
disposal of imported goods at prices
below the cost of production, and for
purposes connected herewith"
This title has set the protection
lists of this country to laughing and
one or two of our cartoonists have
poked considerable fun at John Bull
for his naivete. As matter of fact
the British bill provides a rate of pro-
lection far beyond anything that has
been tried out in this country in re-
cent years for it is no less than "du-
ties of customs equal to one-third of
the value Of the goods" while our
| high prOtectionists have not since 1890
gone beyond 30 per cent average ad
valOrem and the much maligned Pay
ne-Aldrich tariff law averaged under
20 per cent during the four years of
its existence.
Part one of the British bill deals
with the safeguarding of key indus.
tries" which include glassware of all
kinds, electrical and other scientific
instruments, needles, metallic tung-
sten and its manufactures, synthetic
organic chemicals, evc., while the
British board of trade, with the ap.
proval Of the house of commons, may
add to the list as it sees fit. "Sub
ject to the provisions of this part o1
this act, there shall be charged, lev
/ led and paid on goods Of any class o.
description in respect of which an or
der has been made under this port O.
, this act, if manufactured in any of tn
countries specified in the order, Of
the importation thereof into the Unit
ed Kingdom, in addition to any othe
duties of customs chargeable thereon
duties of customs equal to one-thir
of the value of the goods"
One provision of the bill which j
likely to lay the board open to tn
3 charge of favOriteism and discrimil
9 atory treatment of nations is the pre-
8 viso dealing with the proof demande
of any person by whom any dut
3 would be payable, ''where an orde
8 has been made under this part of TIL
act applying this part part II, Pr'
8 vention of Dumping ITO goods of an
z class or description on the grour
9 that goods of that class or descril
z tion are being sold or offered fl
z sale in the United Kingdom at price
3 below the cost of production thereof
3 This proviso reads: provided thi
z the commissioners (appointed by Il
2 board) shall require such proof in Il
e case only of goods consigned fro
z such countries as the board may
Z rect" Obviously this is directed t
= ward German goods, but it appears
2 be within the power Of the board
T. apply it to any other countries. or
& any other country, hence the impol
g ers of certain goods from the Unit
2 States, say, might be required to 81
X NIT proof which might OF might n
be satisfactory to the board, wh
= the importers of similar goods frc
= Japan might be excused by the boa
! from submitting such proof. AS
s handicap to our trade with Gre
: Britain that might prove to be qu
) efficacious.
s However, the fact that after
: years Great Britain has returned
s high protection robs the free trac
2 of this county of their last resou1
) in effectively upholding their side
( the argument, for since 1876 it is
7 Great Britain that they have poil
ed as a splendid example of nati
Z al accomplishment under the fl
s trade policy, an example, by the W.
which was not altogether sound, sir
) the per capita customs tax in Gre
( Britain, even before the war, was