The Tariff Commission was a 1903 initiative in the United Kingdom to examine and promote proposals for tariff reform, which would protect British companies, and those of the British Empire, by imposing tariffs on foreign imports. The Commission was established in December 1903 by

Joseph Chamberlain Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal Party (UK), Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually was a leading New Imperialism, imperial ...

, a

Liberal Unionist The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a political ...

Member of Parliament who had recently resigned as

Secretary of State for the Colonies The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the Cabinet of the United Kingdom's government minister, minister in charge of managing certain parts of the British Empire. The colonial secretary never had responsibility for t ...

. The unofficial body was set up under the auspices of the

Tariff Reform League The Tariff Reform League (TRL) was a protectionist British pressure group formed in 1903 to protest against what they considered to be unfair foreign imports and to advocate Imperial Preference to protect British industry from foreign competiti ...

. William Hewins, the economist and first director of the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

from 1895 to 1903, was Secretary and Sir

Robert Herbert Sir Robert George Wyndham Herbert, (12 June 1831 – 6 May 1905), was the first Premiers of Queensland, Premier of Queensland, Australia. At 28 years and 181 days of age, he was the youngest person ever to become premier of an Australian state ...

, the first Premier of Queensland, Australia, was Chairman. The Commission consisted of 59 businessmen whose brief was to construct a "Scientific Tariff" which would achieve tariff reform objectives. The aims of the Commission were to examine and report on Chamberlain's proposals for tariff reform, and to work out what import duties should be recommended. Members of the Commission included: * Sir Vincent Caillard, international financier and company director *

Henry Birchenough Sir John Henry Birchenough, 1st Baronet, (7 March 1853 – 12 May 1937) was an English businessman and public servant. Early life and education Birchenough was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, the second son of John Birchenough, a silk manufa ...

, silk manufacturer and special commissioner appointed by the Board of Trade in 1903 to inquire into and report upon the present position and future prospects of British trade in South Africa *

Henry Chaplin, 1st Viscount Chaplin Henry Chaplin, 1st Viscount Chaplin (22 December 1840 – 29 May 1923) was a British landowner, racehorse owner and Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 until 1916 when he was raised to the peerage. Backgrou ...

, Conservative politician * Sir Andrew Noble, 1st Baronet, physicist * Sir Charles Tennant, President of United Alkali, businessman *Sir Alexander Henderson, 1st Baron Faringdon, financier and Liberal Unionist Member of Parliament *Sir Samuel Bagster Boulton, chairman of Burt, Boulton, and Haywood (Limited), of London, Paris, Riga, Salzaette, and Bilbao, timber merchants and contractors. He was also chairman of the Dominion Tar and Chemical Company (Limited), and of the British Australian Timber Company (Limited). *Alfred Gilbey, younger brother of Walter Gilbey, wine and spirits dealer * Vicary Gibbs,

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

MP for St Albans The Commission gathered data from businesses through interviews and questionnaires. They intended to publish reports on every industry that they investigated, and bring these together into a final report that would lay out a full tariff scheme. Meetings continued until at least 1917. Seven volumes were published, but lack of funds caused the eventual abandonment of publishing.

References

External links

London School of Economics Library; accessed 7 October 2017
Protectionism 1903 establishments in the United Kingdom

See also

References

Further reading

External links