13 JULY 1929, Page 2

The Fiscal Debate On Tuesday the Unionist amendment to the

Address was moved by Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister. The amend- ment deplored the failure of Ministers to make any plain declaration of their policy on " the Safeguarding, McKenna and analogous duties and the maintenance of Imperial Preference." This was curious wording, as the McKenna duties (which were originally imposed during the War to discourage luxuries, and were restored by the Unionist Government in 1925, after they had been tem- porarily removed by the Labour Government, as being in Mr. Churchill's words " necessary for revenue ") are not analogous to the Safeguarding duties. Safeguarding has an admittedly protective purpose.