NEW ZEALAND PROTECTION ASSOCIATION.

Press, Volume XLIII, Issue 6370, 18 February 1886, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND PROTECTION ASSOCIATION.

- The usual weekly meeting of the Association was held in their roomß on Tuesday. There was a good attendance, and a large amount of business and correspendence was got through and new members elected. J

The Sscehtaby read a letter from the New Zealand Manufacturers' Association,. Dunedin, agreeing' with' the resolution adopted by this Association, in bo far that, subject to those necessary alterations required,.the tariff of New Zealand should be assimilated to tariff. The Secretory also read the following letter:— Christchurch, February 15th. , Dear Mr President,—Having received a paper from my home in Shropshire, I have sent you this piece, thinking it may interest you, as you are meeting with such opposition in your " noble" work for Canterbury. Go .on, dear brother, and may God prosper yon, is the sincere prayer of a sister in the faith.—Pbotkction.

" To the Editor.—Sir,—As there has been a great deal of controversy of late on the question of freetrade, with your permission I should like to say a few words on that very important matter. I have looked at it, as well as I am able, from different stand points, and have come to the conclusion that it is a disadvantage to the British workman. I am in favor of freetrade if it was on equal terms all round, but as it is one-Bided the foreigner gets the best port of the bargain, simply because he shuts us out of his market by putting a heavy duty oh our goods, and we allow him to send his into cur market free of all duty. Belgium is sending manufactured iron to this country at £1 per ton less than we can make it. Spain is sending lead at £2 and £3 per ton less than we produce it, and the Spaniards are working at Is 2d per day. In consequence of this there are 170 lead mines closed in Wales, and the men are starving. Now, if we send our goods toother countries they charge us from 25 to 60 per cent, duty, and so keep us out of their markets. It simply amounts to this,> that we are paying the foreigner to manufacture our goods, and starving our own men. I am told that there are at the present time some five million people in this country on the brink of starvation. The Badioals tell us the cause is over production. I admit it is, but not English over-production. Our market ia filled with low-priced foreign goods. The foreign workman gets less wages and works more hours than we do; and, having shut us out of his market, he gete higher prices for his goods, and, therefore, he ia able to send his surplus stock to this countryandundersell us in our own market. What is the result? Why, the ruin of many an Eng- | lish manufacturer, and thousands of men I thrown out of employment. No doubt our i so-called freetrade is a good thing for the I rich, but not for the working-classes. The rich can go into the market and buy their goods as cheap as we can, and when trade is depressed they don't feel the pinch, bnt we do who have to depend on our weekly wages and live from hand to mouth. Would it not be better if we had to pay, say, 5s more for a suit of clothes, and get a full week's wages, than to get our goods a little cheaper and get about half a week's wages? Freetrade has been tried for forty y«ars and has been found wanting. Do the working men know that several of our freetrade manufacturers have works in other countrirs, and are paying foreigners to do the work, and Bending th_r goods to this country? No wonder they preach one-sided freetrade. Now the Badioals are parading before the electors as the friends of the working men, and at the same time they are doing all they can to rob us of our labor by upholding our system of onesided freetrade, simply to put a few pounds into their own pockets at our expanse., Perhaps the following may be oi some nee

as showing the small increase of prosperity in England as compared with other nations from 1865 to 1883:—Austria increased in prosperity 116 per cent., Belgium 123. Hoi* land 103_3£taly, 113, BussS 206. United States -JOS; England 4A During- the reign of Her Majesty there have been eighteen Liberal .wars and six Conservative wars.— I am, &o% B; Woodh*—. (a working man)." The Secretary read an article advocating freetrade that appeared in the " Watchman w of February 10th.. After some discussion it was handed over to the Parliamentary Committee to consider and prepare a reply, which will be laid before the next meeting. After some financial business was transacted the meeting adjourned.