A.—s

358

Eleventh Day. 6 May 1907.

would not be fair for me not to state that in my judgment that consideration would not be likely to induce us to change our fundamental policy with regard to preference. We cannot. We are not in a position to pledge ourselves to anything which will involve the setting up of a tariff on food stuffs and raw material in this country. If Dr. Jameson means something short of that, something that would not pledge us to that, then I am perfectly certain His Majesty's Government would be willing to consider anything which would help the trade between the United Kingdom and the Colonies. But he has not informed me more explicitly on the subject. Dr. JAMESON : May I interrupt you for a moment ? I want this passed as it stands. Ido not want His Majesty's Government at the present moment to pledge itself to change its policy with regard to " setting up a tariff," which were the words you used. Mr. LLOYD GEORGE : That is it. Dr. JAMESON : I merely want to limit this to what it contains. There is nothing behind it except, of course, there is behind it that we who believe in the whole question of preference believe, in the future, apart from governments or anything else, that this policy will prevail. In the meanwhile, all I want His Majesty's Government to do is, as stated in this resolution, to consider the possibility of this small preference or rebate on these duties. Mr. LLOYD GEORGE : Would Dr. Jameson mind explaining to me — I must not pretend to know when I do not exactly know —what happens in Basutoland and Bechuanaland ? What is the precedent to which he refers 1 How does it actually work ? Dr. JAMESON : The position is, that the States in South Africa have joined in a customs union. They have passed certain tariffs with a certain preference to the United Kingdom and to every portion of the Empire. Mr. LLOYD GEORGE : And a very substantial preference it is. Dr. JAMESON : It is while they are given reciprocal privileges. His Majesty's Government, then absolutely governing and directing tariffs and everything else in the Basutoland and Bechuanaland Protectorates, approached the Customs Union of South Africa through the High Commissioner and asked to be included in it, adopting everything that had been passed at the Customs Conference. Mr. LLOYD GEORGE : Does that mean that the Bechuanaland and Basutoland Governments make concessions on the basis of reciprocal advantages conceded by the Customs Union ? Dr. JAMESON : Yes. Mr. LLOYD GEORGE : But they had a tariff already in existence. Dr. JAMESON : I should think they had a tariff. Mr. LLOYD GEORGE : All they did was to make certain abatements upon already existing rates of duties.

Prefeki Trade. (Mr. Lloyd George.)