509

A—s

Also Present : The Right Honourable D. Lloyd George, M.P., President of the Board of Trade. Mr. H. Llewellyn Smith, C.8., Permanent Secretary to the Board of Trade. Mr. A. Wilson Fox, C.8., Comptroller-General of the Commercial, Statistical, and Labour Department of the Board of Trade. Mr. G. J. Stanley, C.M.G., of the Board of Trade.

The Right Honourable Sydney Buxton, M.P., Postmaster-General. Mr. H. Babington Smith, C.8., C.5.1., Permanent Secretary to the Post Office. The Right Honourable Herbert Gladstone, M.P., Secretary of State for the Home Department. Sir Mackenzie 1). Chalmers, X.C.8., C.5.1., Permanent Secretary to the Home Office. Mr. J. Pedder, of the Home Office. The Right Honourable EL H. Asquith, M.P., Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mr. W. Blain, C.8., of the Treasury.

The Right Honourable Herbert Gladstone, M.P., Secretary of State for the Home Department. Sir Mackenzie D. Chalmers, X.C.8., C.5.1., Permanent Secretary to the Home Office. Mr. J. Pedder, of the Home Office. The Right Honourable EL H. Asquith, M.P., Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mr. W. Blain, C.8., of the Treasury.

Kmirtoentl Day. 9 May 1907.

IMPERIAL SURTAX ON FOREIGN IMPORTS. CHAIRMAN : Gentlemen, the first resolution on the Agenda is one that was submitted yesterday by Mr. Deakin. Mr. Lloyd George has been good enough to attend at some inconvenience, as he is due in the House of Commons at half-past eleven, so perhaps it will be possible to expedite the proceedings as much as possible in order that he may leave. Mr. DEAKIN : Lord Elgin and gentlemen : In order to permit us to enjoy the inestimable advantage of hearing the President of the Board of Trade without any loss of the time at his disposal in listening to me, I will confine myself in submitting this resolution, to a very few general remarks. I think his cross-examination yesterday helped to elucidate the matter very well. If I understand the position, what we have arrived at is this. His Majesty's Government for various reasons says that any consideration of trade preference is impossible, that nothing is to be done in that direction. That disposes of one of the branches of the means which we favour as tending to promote Imperial unity—the same unity in times of peace and in industrial matters as are necessarily required for self-preservation in times of war. From the same motives, therefore, we now proceed to some allied propositions which make for preference of British citizens by British citizens, of British purchasers by British sellers, and of British consumers by British producers. We gather generally that on this question, at all events, His Majesty's Ministers in this country have an open mind. Indeed, there were sympathetic references made both by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the President of the Board of Trade to these other means of facilitating intercourse, increasing inter-Imperial trade, and obtaining the advantages which flow from those very desirable developments.

Imperial Surtax on Foil KM IN Imports.