The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-07-21
CANADIAN PREMIER
OFFERS SCHEME TO
AID EMPIRE TRADE
Would Set Up System of Prefer
ences Between Nations
Under Union Jack

Ottawa, July 21.-(Pl-A definite
offer proposing wider preferences for
British goods in exchange for great
er British preferences to Canadian
imports was made Thursday by
Premier r. B. Bennett of Canada i'm
,nediately after he was chosen chair
man of the imperial economic con-
ference.
Any such program of preferences
would have considerable effect on
the trade OF the United States.
The premier declared such sys-
TEN of preference exchanges should
be enduring. Representatives of the
dominions, he said, must decide now
what course they intend to take and
follow it without deviation. His pro-
posal was directed to the United
Kingdom but the offer was extended
also to all other parts of the empire
wherever its application would be
mutually advantageous.
There are two ways OF obtaining
increased preference" he said, "either
by lowering trade barrier among
ourselves or by raising them against
others. The choice is governed large
ly by local considerations, but SUBJ
ject to that, it seems to us that we
should follow the first rather than
the second course.
However great our resources We
cannot isolate ourselves from the
rest of the world
King Sends Message
King George v in message read
by the governor-general. reminded
the delegates that their efforts might
go far toward solving the economic
troubles which weigh not only upon
the British empire but upon all the
rest of the world.
The efforts of this conference, he
said, should give full effect to the
principle of cooperation upon which
the empire is based. He added del
egates were writing new page of
history.
One of the first acts of the con-
ference was to approve message of
loyalty to the king. The delegates
from the Irish Free State voted in
favor of this action and their vote
was Of particular interest because of
the controversy between Dublin and
London over President canon de
Valera's attempt to abolish the oath
of allegiance to the crown.
Stanley Baldwin, president Of the
council in the British cabinet and
head of the delegation from the Uni
ted Kingdom, outlined the general
purposes of the gathering.
The real Importance of the confer
ence, said he, lies in the fact that
it marks a point where two roads
diverge, lone leading to the develop
ment of purely national interests, the
other to closer imperial unity and
the recognition of advantages in
mutual trade cooperation"
If at the end of the conference the
delegates can say that they have
taken the latter road, he said, the
actual distance covered is of minor
Importance, because progress will
continue
Opportunity Still Open
Great Britain has given the DOM
illions the privilege of free entry into
ports of the United Kingdom and
the dominions have given preferences
to Great Britain, said Baldwin, but
the opportunities of mutual prefer
ence have by no means been eX-
hausted Empire trade is still only
30 per cent among the British DOM
Unions and 10 per cent with foreign
countries.
THE trend today" he said, "is
toward larger units International
trade is so hampered by barriers of
all kinds that strong opinion is de-
veloping in favor of groups. not ne
cessarily political. but offering to
members economic advantages in the
mutual opening of markets.
mo one suggests that complete
free trade within the empire is pos
sible, but there can be no doubt that
constant communication and more
complete information about imperial
market requirements would, If pro-
perly focused, give the governments
opportunities of making commercial
arrangements with other groups of
nations such as could hardly be
reached if each government acted
alone.
THE first aim of this conference,
therefore, should be to clear out Of
the channels of trade among our
selves. II we approach the problem
with view to seeing how much each
can contribute to the common stock,
we shall not need to concern our
selves with the relative advantage
obtained by EACH"