The Haslingden Gazette. — 1908-03-07 (Haslingden, Lancashire, England)

TARIFF REFORM AT BULL  BRIDGE  ACCRINGTON SO(JAIASTS DISCUSS THE  SUBJECT.  At the Socialist lecture room, Bull Bridge, on Sundae evening, a fair audience assembled to hear an address on Tariff Reform by Mr. Jos. Wiggins. The meeting was under the auspices of the local brunch of the S.D.F. Mr. Howson presided. Mr. Wiggins said at the last election the Labour party made so-called Free Trade a point in their piatforin to get Radical votes-, and trade unionists and Socialists, without having studied the question, followed them in' their opposition to Tariff Reform. The policy of Free Trade was a Policy that was the logical corollary of opposition to factory legislation and opposition to workmen being allowed to combine. It had seen its day and would have to go, like legislation against trade unionism had gone. It was strange to see trade unionists supporting a policy that had "Cheapness" as its watchworte There cannot be cheapness without somebody being sweated. Yet trade unionists and Socialists Wanted foreign sweated goods to go on being dumped here. Cheapness as an ideal was the most heartless and sordid that anyote% could advocate. The present system aimed at cheapness above all other things. It ass framed in the interests of the middle class, who in the maiii lived no fixed incomes, and wanted those incomes in buy as many commoditieo as possible. The Liberal party had always legislated in the interest., of the middle class. and that was why they were so anxious to put cheapness before every other coesideration. !Irvin; dealt with the way in ouch our exports are handicapped in foreign marlzer,, and also with the way in which our lanettfacturers are handicapped even in our OW II marks, bv foreign the speaker raid the Seeat. d heilattese, BA will be disastrous tinder our pre-ent fiscal policy. It w ith would stop the Ilrh capitalist from paying sweating wages. and yes so cal!.l allow sweated goods to come here frolll abroad untaxed. The sweating capitalist always liked b.) lave a large artily of unemploye dto dra upon. Hence he was generally a stroeir free trader. (Laughter.) In conclusion, the lec;urer said Tariff Reform and Colonial Preferell, would have the following re. sults)—(l) Less prohibitive duties against our peels at foreign ports, with the consequence o an increase in ma: export trade to foreign court tries; 12) less dumping of fen len goods in our meeker,. thus giving our goods a better chance in our own markets; 13) more etoph.yetent for our ',eerie with regular end good Wap.s. and the spending of these w • - watild nal, an increased demand for goods; -'-sent trade with our Colonies, leading up to the be ',•velopinent of the enormous resource, -`  oquence 01  1-41 incl.!.  of this, Colonies and making possible the realisation of a sea-contained Em(s) our Cobs as ....lid be more promising who did emigrate so out of a spirit of t. 0,0 they were driven out want of work; Oil tariffs rviinst foreign iweated goods would make it pot‘il,l •,, sweating in this country. which • • !•• at present ; (7) tariffs on foreign got,d. ace would provide us with an enerintie- , would enable us to take the tavei. •. etc., and also to initiate social r. , I : ho benefit of the poorer section of lie• MI British capital could be '  fields for emigration. and from this country would do enterpriK, cnd not bccatt.,  in tin, coon rend of being driven z,b.-ovit ni employ fur  • . igi labour atid I.nrivlt fi.reitrit COMA rit, Continuing. Ito sant the Lilstral and Labour paexitii had no practical rented; to offer for unemplr*• but Tariff Reform v. tordy thar round he /girdled al otter. god lii h mlii of which would be felt in six months. The let-tinier nos subjecrod to a fusibado of gut, lions and argumilt.ls. ' • '  Mr. W. 11. Hindle ;old arifi on foreign ntrinefseturisi goods sould rain prices. .If we _  taxed American boots :he hotno producers of boots would put up pric.,. Ile also asked whether leather mei steel were manufactured articles or raw material. Another speaker said if Mr. Chamberlain had Insm in earnest about old-age pensinos would no, have drepped ic and brought Tariff R. form to the front. •.,  Mr. Thistlethwaite said re could compete with foreign nations if it were not for the high mineral royalties payable in this country. The Tariff Reform policy Collifi only beuefit the workers if this century by starving the workers of other enure tries. and HA an international Socialist be did not agree with that policy. caMtedr. ITal ire3akcla sstaitdoltilir ff4' or hand ' d tadryrti reformers had copied it fnan thiiir programme. ' A speak, held that Tariff Reform would Only benefit the capitalist. whilst another contended that the tendency today was in the direction of forming monopolies, and tariffs would enable Men, monopolists to raise prices. Mr. Wiggins. in reply to Mr. Bindle. said commitition among home producers could In. trusted to keep down prices to a reasonable limit. even if the foreigner kept cony frets our market altogether, winch he W 34 not likely to do. Leather and steel were partly niatiefacturi it articles. Mr. Chamberlain knew that without Tariff Reform there was no possibility of getting the money for old-agepension, In reply to Mr. Thistlethwaite, Mr. Wiggins said all countries hail their advantages and their diaadvantagos. If we had the disadvantage of big mineral royalties we had counterbalancing advantages Midi 34 mineral wealth which other competing nations had not got. As for starving foreign workers. foreign countries were now starving British workers by means of high tariff.. They we, stinting us on tho one check. and Soeialisis wanted Us to "turn to thetn the other also." ILmighwir.i The Socialists might have talked a lot about a free breakfast table. but the tariff reformer; showed them the only means whereby it could be brought into practical effect. If Tariff Reform would only benefit the capitalist it 005 strange that so many of the capitalists were opposed to it. A, for monopoly, it was possible to creato a monopoly in things of which there was a limited supply. such as coal, but it was not poranble to do to in things of which there was an abundant supply. and which every industrial nation was trying to snll.  Alice Scott. a yang shop a.datant. who committed suicide on Saturday in her ro-ritt at Ordnmnee-road. London. stood front of a niirror, and Atm herself twice litr:.“;!•11 the head. The girl left a letter containing a 1T1P•320 to a we-an; man the had known.