What prefer- Well, you have allowed me to say so much about
ences are the what may be called the sentimental part of the case, and
Colonies to I pass now to the businesslike part, — the proposals which
£i'^ ? have been made in order to bring about that which we
all desire, a continuance of our intimate and close relations with the
colonies. It is proposed to put, in the first place, 2s. duty on corn and
other duties on meat and dairy produce, and on the other hand
preferences are to be given to us by the colonies. What those
preferences are to be, has not yet been revealed to us. With reference
to the idea that the colonies will not lower their tariff in our favour, but
that they will be good enough to raise the tariff as against the toreigner,
I think it was Mr. Reid, whom I have quoted before, who says : " If you
have got a wall which is 3 feet high and will keep out a dog, it is no
great advantage to have a wall 5 feet high raised against another dog
which would still not be able to cross the 3 feet wall." Well, how that
may be I don't know. It has not yet been placed before us clearly
what the preferences to be given by the colonies are to be, but we are
to give them a 2^-. duty on corn. Round that 2S. there has arisen, as
you all know, a most interesting controversy. The object of that 2s. is
to give a preference to Canada and other wheat-growing portions of the
Empire, and, besides giving a preference to the colonies, there is an
object which I" entirely share and sympathise with, that of increasing
the area of corn-growing countries. If we could increase the corn-
growing area in Canada I admit it would be a very great advantage, but
there is no part of the case on which we have had less information,
than as to whether the two shillings will be able to bring about the
result desired, especially when we are told that two shillings is not to
raise the price of wheat in England.
