London, Mar. 13.
'Mr. Stanley Baldwin, the Conservative Leader, moved, in' the House of Commons to-day, the following vote of censure on the Government:—
"That this House deplores the depression in trade and the increase in unemployment resulting from the policy of the Government and regrets, the refusal of the Government not only to extend safeguarding _and Imperial _preferen: but even to! declare their, intention regarding the maintenance" of the existing safeguarding and McKenna Duties.'
Mr. Baldwin said:— hope the Chancellor of the Exchequer will mal it quite clear whether or not he intends at this time, in combating the evils of unemployment to have recourse either to any single duty or to general duties' as a remedy for unemployment."
The whole tendency of the world, he " remarked, was towards high tariffs.
High' tariffs, he thought, were bad but you could not cure them by pulling down your own barriers.
He believed the nations of Europe were going to try and get rid of mos wvoured-nation clauses and simultaneously reduce their own tariffs and reduce camps tariffs by making tariff agreements. He believed that was the whole tendency of the economic life of Europe, and wwe were left outside it.
Referring briefly to the Dominions question, Mr. Baldwin said it was his view and the view held by thoughtful men of all parties in all the Dominions that, unless. some-1g could be constructed: in the way of economic ce-operation, with view to economic unity of the Empire, there was a real risk that, {in time, the threads that bound the Empi which were already Tike gossamer, might break, and with the breaking of those threads would 0 the hope of the world for peace and progress.
He had been unable! to see any way in which economic tunity could be approached except by utilizing duties.
Mr. Philip Snowden, the Cha cellor of the Exchequer, denounced what he described 'a deliberate conspiracy of certain interests to discredit the Government. Stories of the closing-down of factories had been appearing daily in the press and the whole of the inerease.of unemployment had been attributed the policy of the Labour Government, particularly in regard to his own personal. respon: 8 in respect of certain industries.
With regard to the complaint that he refused to declare the intentions of the Government regarding the safeguarding and McKenna Dati Mr. Snowden pointed out that, on the first day the Government " met Parliament, the Premier had stated that no further applications for safeguarding would be considered, that the existing duties would exit at the appointed date and that the future policy of the Government would be declared at the right time.
In, regard to the demand-made in Mr. Baldwin's motion for an extension of safeguarding, the Chancellor of the Exchequer said there were two questions which had been put to protectionists tens of thousands of times and no answer bad ever been given. The first was, if Protection would cure unemployment here, why had if not eried unemployment in highly protected countries? The second. question. was, if Protection good thing for the workers protected countries only half tho} wages here? When the Conservatives had answered these questions " he because of his reticence regarding these duties. He would make no statement beyond what he had already said.
'Sir Herbert Samuel, a leading! Liberal, said his Party' would un-_ hesitatingly support the Government} in resisting the motion. Ie was somewhat surprising that the opposi-ion front bench should have to introduce a motion inviting the Chancellor of the Exchequer to take the almost unprecedented. course of declaring in advance what duties! he intended to propose. It was true the uncertainty which had arisen was affecting business, but that was 'a natural sequel to bringing this question of tariffs on to the floor of the House of Commons. "The Liberal -|Party, he said, were free traders because they were convinced that! policy was the best for the country the present circumstances of the world—Wireless through Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.