Orders of the Day — Finance Bill.

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at on 27 May 1924.

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Photo of Sir William Brass Sir William Brass , Clitheroe

It may be. I do not mind whether the duties are taken off two years hence, as was suggested by the right hon. and gallant Member for the Isle of Wight, or whether they are reduced gradually, as has been suggested on this side of the House, but I rather favour the suggestion that they should be reduced gradually. One of the principles of Free Trade is that Protection leads to a condition where the manufacturer is exploiting the consumer. If it comes to a condition in this country that the manufacturer is making large profits and, in effect, exploiting the consumer, I should say most certainly that the duties should come off. If we reduce, the duties by 10 per cent. each year, that would mean that we should have taken them off in two and a half or three years. We should then give the workers in the industry a chalice of getting other employment. They will not then, necessarily, need the duties, because they will have adjusted themselves to the standard of living and, possibly, the French and the Italians may have come up to our standard. At any rate, the workers would by that time have had a chance of getting into a condition where they could get employment in other industries and adjust themselves to the new conditions, rather than our giving them three months' notice now, and practically telling them that the duties are to be taken off three months hence and that it is no business of ours whether they get other employment or not. I should like to make an appeal to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, but I am sorry to see that he is not in his place. I think he ought to be in his place during this Debate.