THE POSITION OF TARIFF REFORM.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."'
SIS,—Bewilderment best expresses the position of the Con- servative Party with regard to Tariff Reform. Without doubt most of the M.P.'s who signed a memorial for the dropping of the Food Taxes would have been equally pleased if the whole subject of Tariff Reform had been dropped altogether. While it is quite intelligible to protect town and country against the foreigner, it is bewildering in the extreme to have to advocate protecting town against country. Even in the towns many manufacturers are saying that they would prefer a Food Tax of two shillings on corn to unknown duties on unknown articles, as the effect of the former can more easily be calculated than the effects of the latter. The present position is an impossible one, and the farmers are up in arms. The Morning Post of to-day (10th) tries to insist that Food Taxes are not dropped but only postponed, but the Tory Party, having once got its bead out of the noose, is not likely to put it in again. Mr. Chaplin's letter in to-day's Morning Post shows the absurdity of the present position most excellently. Mr. Austen Chamberlain evidently feels it too, and day by day everyone is gradually coming to see that the keystone of the Tariff
Reform arch has gone and the whole thing is tumbling to pieces. I heard the position put into rhyme (quite uncon- sciously) thus :—
" Tariff Reform is reduced to a farce, Who will give it the coup do grace?"
I fancy Mr. Chaplin's letter in to-day's papers will materially The Waterhouse, Bollington.
[We cannot publish any more letters on this subject.—Eni. Spectator.]
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