Free Trade versus Protection.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 205, 1 September 1886, Page 6

Free Trade versus Protection.

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—l heartily approve of raising the neceesary revenue in such a manner as will best encourage tho foundation of_ local industries, but I cannot see the justice or expediency of augmenting the burden of taxation oxpressly for that purpose, and thus taxing the many for the benefit of the few. Every well • informed man mnst smile at the exaggerated and groundless statement so frequently put forth by hotheaded protectionists. For instance, we were gravely told by a correspondent of'yours last week that if our industries were encouraged by further protection " we would then piy to our unem ployed artisans and labourers the money that we are constantly sending out. of this country by hundreds of thousands of pound* to puy for .-imilar labour." Will protectionists nover learn that wo (to not .-end a shilling out, of tho country to purchaso foreign goods, but merely receive them in exchange for our own productions ''. Tho utmost that protection can do is to divert labour from ono pursuit to another. No impartial observer can possibly deny that a high protective tariff would proas vory heavily upon our rural population, and afford them very littlo compensation for it, einco we import vory little that they produce, and the question really is, whether it is desirable to encourage our people to congregate in factories in our cities rather than scatter through the country to devolop it 3 virgin resources. I am well aware that our cabinotmakors, bootmakers, tailor, ironworkers, and other citizons who clamour so lustily for protection maintain tbat if tho rest of the community will only Eubmit to pay a little more taxation, or in other words contribute so much a week each to give them a substantial lift in the world, they and their wives and daughters will (lash about and make the money circulate till tome of it may find its way back into the country again. I thank them sincerely lor their kind and disinterested intentions, and I have no doubt some of them would be as good as their word and soon make our money 3y far enough; but, for my part, especially during these hard times, I think that a bird in the hand is worth two in the buch, audi would rather havo the spending of my oh ii ino.ney myself, in tho fust instance before it gees again through the industrial mill, lest, like Iho throu ounces of gold which wo lately heard so much about, it should evaporate during tho operation. I always wish that we had a farmers' league in this part of the world whon I hear it so coolly suggested to weight ud more and more heavily to build up city induetries. _» Yours, etc., John Pf.oi'miMArr,