States would have a right to remonstrate or interfere in the way he suggested. The right honourable Member suggested England would be brought to her knees, but I must enter my protest against such an extreme view, that under no circumstances could we make any arrangements with our colonies without bringing in the other breadproducing countries. If we find we could make the whole Empire one as regards customs, surely we have the same right of Zollverein Union as Germany has with Bavaria, or the United States among themselves. I claim for ourselves the same right."

The Earl of Aberdeen, in a speech at Toronto lately, said:

The price of the loaf of bread need not rise higher by the imposition of a slight preference duty, though the middleman would probably have to reduce his margin of profits. I mean a low tax, such as finds an analogy in a revenue tax. Such, I think, should not give offence to any nation, seeing how it would only apply to integral if autonomous parts of the British Empire. As a strong Free Trader and an advanced Liberal, I think such moderate discrimination as I have described would be practicable in the near future if judiciously introduced and applied. The idea of a federation of Imperial interests is a vast project, worthy of the study of the best of our men at home and abroad."

All the self-governing colonies have united in urging upon the Imperial Government the removal of a clause in the treaties with Belgium and Germany which prevents any closer fiscal relations between England and her colonies than those between them

and foreign countries, and Lord Salisbury has expressed the hope that an opportunity may arise of getting rid of those unfortunate provisions. No other country in the world is prevented making the closest fiscal relations they desire within their own possessions.

Sir Albert Rollit, M.P., submitted the following resolution to the meeting of the Associated Chambers of Commerce at Dublin last autumn, which passed unanimously:

"That, in the opinion of this association, it is expedient that practical arrangements should, if possible, be devised to secure closer commercial union between the Mother Country and her colonies and dependencies, and that the chambers heartily approve of the forthcoming Congress of Chambers of Commerce of the Empire, as conducing towards this important end; also that the association will do its best to obtain through its chambers and otherwise the commercial and statistical information necessary to a determination of the questions involved, and authorises its council to appoint a committee for this purpose, if it should deem it desirable to do so."

In his able speech on that occasion he said: What is the commercial aspect of this Imperial question? I say, without hesitation, that the colonies and dependencies of England are those which give us not only the most secure portion of our trade, but which, taken as a whole, contribute the largest proportion towards it. Of our exports, the colonies take one-third, as compared with all other nations of the world, and of our imports they contribute one-fourth."

At the conference at Birmingham of the National Union of Conservative Associations in November last, attended by a large number of Members of Parliament, the following resolution was carried by a large majority:

"That the principle advocated by the United Empire Trade League, favouring the extension of commerce upon a preferential basis throughout all parts of the British Empire, will be of the highest collective and individual advantage; and, further, that the provision of any treaties imposing limitations upon the full development of trade between the United Kingdom and other parts of the British Empire should be abrogated; and this conference expresses the earliest expectation that Her Majesty's Government will see their way clear before the next election campaign to make some decisive declaration of their intention to endeavour to promote mutually favouring customs arrangements between the colonies and the home country.

The charge has been made against this policy that it is an abandonment of Free Trade principles, but Lord Salisbury has made an authoritative declaration that preferential fiscal arrangements within the Empire do not involve the principle of protection. It has also been objected that there is no evidence that the colonies would support such a policy. The enthusiasm with which Colonel Howard Vincent was received throughout Canada is conclusive as regards that country. The action taken by all the Agents-General in their appeal to Her Majesty's Government to abrogate the clauses preventing preferential arrangements in those two treaties leaves no reason to doubt the feeling of the

Australasian colonies. The present moment is not favourable for the discussion of this question. But, after the impending struggle which now absorbs attention here is over, whatever may be the issue, the importance of this subject will force itself upon the public mind irrespective of party, with the result, I trust, of consolidating the strength and increasing the prosperity of this great Empire.