Our' admiration for his ideals is as profound as our
complete mistrust of the economic methods by which he would reach them. Let him avoid the perils of materialiit, mercantilist bargainings over tariffs and preferences which are as grit in the wheels and would strain the strength even of those true bonds of Empire. Let the Dominions tax themselves by tariffs if they like ; we shall not say them nay, though they may hit us as hard as the foreigner in keeping out goods that they want to manufacture themselves. Let us accept with pleasure a preference on goods that they must needs import. Let them leave us to import what we need as cheaply as may be. What unpleasant bickerings can arise when jealous traders dispute in public has been evident lately' in Melbourne, where bitter charges are made -against the forthcoming British Trade Exhibition there, which is denounced as an effort to supplant Australian manufac-'. tures. The Federation of British Industries has been' dragged into' the controversy to explain that {in spite of existing preferences) the British manufacturers " have lost ground as compared with their foreign competitors,'-'- and hope that the Exhibition may repair some of the loss: * * *
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