The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1909. IMPERIAL RECIPROCITY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2573, 6 August 1909, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. FRIDAY, AUGUST 6,1909. IMPERIAL RECIPROCITY.

The speech made by the Minister of Agriculture in Wellington on Wednesday does not throw any new lighten the condition of the frozen meat trade but it is, nevertheless, valuable as embodying the views of a thoroughly capable and practical man. No Minister who has held Cabinet rank during the past ten yc-ars has had the personal knowledge of the frozen meat trade which is possessed by the Hon. Thos. Mackenzie. The Minister mado it clear that tlie present depression in the frozen meat market is by no means duo to' the peoplo of England being oversupplied. The exports of frozen meat from various sources to England have greatly increased during the past ten years, hut the population has increased at a greater rate. As a matter cf faetthe masses in the Old Country, the people who do England’s work, far from being oversupplied, do not get sufficient meat. It is the terrible depression which has seriously limited their earnings and prevented them from buying meat —much as they needed it —even at the low prices which have been ruling. In seeking to account for this state of affairs, Air. Mackenzie joins hands with those who blame Britain’s fiscal policy for the economic ills her people suffer from. He endorses Mr Chamberlain’s idea that the various units of the Empire should co-operate in commerce as they intend to do in matters of defence and, by inference, he advocates the holding of an Imperial Conference on this topic. In pointing out that by buying manufactured goods from Germany and America, which countries refuse to purchase. our frozen meat, we are helping to accentuate the depression in England and so depreciate our own market there tlie Minister made a ;ood point. This is the method which, however imperfect in theory, is universally followed in practice, for traders, large and small, invariably take their business t-o those who patronise them. At tho same time it must be remembered that Germany, France and America are oil good customers for our wool. The Minister does not think there is any pro bability of the Continental countries opening their ports to our frozen meat; if they did their action would remove one of the main factors that is likely to induce New Zealand and Australia to favor heavy preferential duties. Mr Mackenzie put into- concise form some of the chief reasons which would warrant a. departure from England’s present policy of permitting foreign trade the utmost license within her borders. Although absolute proof is not obtainable there is a strong suspicion that multi-millionaires in the United States are fixing the price of meat in jtlie provinces of England. This, of course, is neither free trade nor fair trade, but a bolstering up of foreign monopolies. Then again, both Germany and the United States are fighting Britain’s shipping interests in the bitterest possible manner, and by the aid .of national bounties and prohibitive legislation, are working the Empire -untold mischief., Hero again the case for selfprotection by means of similar methods is very strong. It is quite probable that, as Lord Cromer said recently, some little display of statesmanship on the part of. England’s politicians if applied to our mercantile marine would quickly settle tlie present boycotting methods of our commercial rivals. This is one phase of commerce in which Britain’s superiority, though not so marked as of old, is still so indubitable as to give her a lever,-did she choose to use. it, that ,no nation or combination of nations could afford to disregard. There are, of course, many arguments that can advanced in favor of freetrade, but the logic of events becomes'stronger every day against a system that, while excellent in theory, fails very badly in operation. Even conservative England is beginning to realise this and the signs of the times are strong that before long Mr Balfour, who has been converted to protection and retaliation will /have a majority of followers in thb House of Commons. There is no taskmaster so effective as poverty, and the present depression in England will have had the effect of driving more fiails into, the coffin of freetrade. M ore an election to bo held at the present moment it is extremely probable that tlie tariff reformers would carry the

day. For ourselves we should welcome the time when the commercial operations of each unit of the Empire were regulated with a reasonable consideration for the welfare of the whole. Individually there would have to bo sacrifices and compromises, but so long as the warfare of commerce continues so long will it bo necessary, as in the case of naval and military warfare, that an imperial plan of action shall bo followed out in order to withstand the aggressive tactics of other nations.