About Protectionism.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 201, 29 August 1887, Page 2

About Protectionism.

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—l Will you grant me space for a small curse on protectionism, and a sinister blessing on its defenders? First, then, for the last 70 years no nation has had free trade, „c., been without the Customs House. About 40 years ago England, after a terrible struggle (aristocrats now should be ashamed), won free trade for one item- oa tbo ta-iff — corn — and it proved salvation. All nations are protectionist, and as an inevitable consequence, all periodically suffer, as now, an extraordinary stroke of dire adversity. Custom Houses are tbe great curse of the commercial world—a big stone in the delicate machinery of the world's business. On Saturday night I read the whole qf the paper by W. Leys, and more, with fixation .of thought, attracted by its lucidity and ;ter_6_e.ofisa,of style and by tbe concise narra-

tive of Auckland events and vicissitudes, with which I felt familiar. On the whole a good paper; bub what little there is in it about free trade and protection is shallow. And when he comes to fane cloth-coat free traders and coatiess protectionists ho is flippant, panders to the low, and deals in impudence instead of reasoning-a poor, unacceptable substitute. The fact is, there never was an argument for pohtical tauii protectionism. The thing is related to the opinion that one man should go through the world with 9s a week income, and another with £90 a week, and that fellows should get into the House purposely and expressly to frame, to manipulate, and to shuffle the laws so as to bring it about, in one word it is iniquitous Toryism. Messrs Withy and Connell are not real free traders. They sanction political tariffs, and assume that the Custom-house must be. The ultimate desideratum is, freedom of trade .and free ports all the world over.-1 ours, etc., W. E. Sadler.