Mr. Chamberlain's Tariff Commission thas issued the first of its series of "Red Books" or reports It deals with the steel and iron trades, and certainly contains a vat deal vf useful information arranged Gnd classified in a way which might form 2 model for parliamentary Blue Books. Tt proves, whit. was. pretty generally known, that the steel and iron trade in this country has made little progress recent years, while the same trade ili the United Siates and Germany has increased by leaps and bounds; but whether this due to "dumping," and whether, the remedy is to be found in Protection is. question on which Free-traders snd Pro-Getionists will continue to differ just as much as they did before the report was fesued. In one respect the issue of the report is of undoubted value. It clears the issue. The proposals of the Commission are protection pure and simple. They reoomamend taxes ranging from ten per cent down to fire per cent om steel and fron imports, the higher rate being by the vessels of the so-called Volunteer Fivet, but it is even more clearly' viola~ tion of international law. All. the author ities are agreed thst a belligerent Power has no right to sink " neutral yeswl under any circumstances unless' she forcibly resists capture oF that if she does.s0 compensation. The ques complicated by the somewhat terms of the regulations with prizes of war issued by the Riisian Gov-eminent before the war and. bana by our Goverament in the "*Loridon Gazette." Those regulations may certainly be Fesd. ae authorising Russian naval commanders to sink neutral vessels which in their opinion have contraband on board if it, is inconvenient to teke them to.a Riisi Whether our Government protested agaist those regulations, isnot known bit the absence of a proteat would "not validate the regulations in international law. The Volunteer Fleet. 5 No definite reply, to the strongly-worded protest of the British Government againat the sinking of the Knight Commander Seems yet to have een received; but it can hardly be doubted that, Russia, will about realy Meerot was, committed and will agree to pay full compensation... In regard to the seizure of the Malacca and. other vessels Russia has gone as {ar as we could expect her to goat the moment. She has released these captured and, hus promig that no more seizures shall be made by, the Volunteer Plect, She does not admit that.thess vessel ud right ta, pass through the Dardanelles, under the*merchant flag and then to hoist the naval flag ited without permission.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.