tariff reform

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

A political movement in Great Britain, inaugurated in 1903 by Joseph Chamberlain (1836-1914), for the extension of the tarifFon imports, principally with the object of preventing dumping" (i.e. the disposal in our own country of surplus or unsaleable goods manufactured abroad at such a price that the home markets are cut out), and for the protection of home industries.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “tariff reform” mean?

A political movement in Great Britain, inaugurated in 1903 by Joseph Chamberlain (1836-1914), for the extension of the tarifFon imports, principally with the object of preventing dumping" (i.e. the disposal in our own country of surplus or unsaleable goods manufactured abroad at such a price that the home markets are cut out), and for the protection of home industries.

Is “tariff reform” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.