The Press. THURSDAY, MAY 15, 1890.

Press, Volume XLVII, Issue 7552, 15 May 1890, Page 4

The Press. THURSDAY, MAY 15, 1890.

At a time when the protectionists of this colony are talking of schemes for increasing the duties, and of rendering ; the protective eystem more perfect, it is interesting to note what is happening in Victoria, the chosen home o! protection. At the last) general election in that colony it will be remembered that the farmers made a strong effort to secure ft share of the fruits of protection, and they raised the cry of an export bonus on grain. They hardly' hoped, we imagine,' to gain, their object for the reason that such a bonus might actually have ruined the country. It is obvious that a protective duty is one thing and a bonus on export quite another. 'We at least know the full extent of evil inflicted by the former, while there would practically be no limit to the effect of the latter. A duty levied on ; an article imported into a country, from the freetrade point of view, only raises the price of the article to the local consumer. The extent of that consumption is known. But a bonus on export might and would result in an enormous development of the production of that particular article. For example, had the Victorian farmers succeeded in securing a bonus on the export of wheat, they would have been placed beyond the fluctuations of the grain markets of the world. When wheat fell below a fixed price they were to get the difference made up to them from the Treasury. The almost immediate effect of such a scheme would have been that the whole country would have been converted into a great wheat field, «nd daring times of low prices the

from the Omoma ft P l°* **3 h»Te etood such a dem country muet ioeviubTv t % the tonus scheme WaTffl'N Ittrfaad the graia mow M.d m the hope l≥ > increased dutiee woufi JaS ** farm™. They ue dJS* > ever, that aa far aa wheat kiL ** an inoreaaed tariff is of n 0 nT!?? 1 * whatever. In average yeaTtW^ , surplus to export, and l»we,» < the surplus may be the fact t U is a surplus lowers the prica!™** amount to be obtained in tk market. , Such is the position of Victoria at the preeent titnTV* not surprising, therefore, to fin A* l the agitation in favor of rapidly expanding amongat tbeS? * In a recent speech the one of the Farmers' PwSL®? ** oiatione stated that the present! ment among the farmers of Vu*? was a living moving, pow w . 1* " whole country was ripe for a rtJ? The stock tax fc «r*2STl the farmer to be the oalv left of demanding their dJJ^J they deoided to pro Te by K5" ther the protectionist party tun * Government was really S farmers did not wish further J2 duties, as they>ould be of no lZ The Government had promiaed to 2 off the duties on machine™ h«fc kJ not fulfilled their n™s?3*g farmer and selector were now from the sole of their feet to iE or ° w " ° f eir h ***» added, the Government had repSLk promised that they would nottSS with the tariff, deputations WtS manufacturing interests had alwt» forced their hands and the retalfc Jα that the burdeu of the farmer h& »J come almost intolerable. The fafiagii he went on to say, were now expoS grain, and further duties on cei2 would be of no use whatever to tW Wheat, he explained, was cheaper in Victoria than aay*M else except New Zealand, and Lm a duty on wheat was putting a duty on coals \mms into Newcastle. Ihe speaker 4® weut on to give * to the cost vrhioh proteoUoa hk imposed on the Victorian fsmt. We do not suppose, of course, movement is going to be at once m> cessful in the sister colony, It m take some years before it is tmZ plished. In oue way and another sopt will be thrown to the discontented in the hope that the change may be poatponed. The Government and the Legislature evidently recognise tht serious difficulty of the position, and last session voted large sums for expenditure in the country with tis object of pacifying the agitators, 0g the other hand, whilst the farmers ftft crying out the manufacturers are ito dissatisfied. The successive increases in duties which have been granted <k not appear to give the results expected, and at frequent intervals change! Mβ effected, generally in the dir&jttoa of increases. What gives life totte federation idea in Melbourne is the hope that id will omat «p » larger field for the enterprise of the manufacturere. At preseut the fie\d is practically confined to Victoria, and within that area the limit o! demand is speedily reached. Unless federation is accomplished at an early date, tta struggle in Viotoria between ikt manufacturers of Melbourne and the farmers will speedily reach an aoata stage. The lesson which we hope the peopts of New- Zealand will learn from whii is going on in Viotoria is, thai ift fa not expedient in the interests of tb> colony that the protective eh&msisf of our tarifiF ehould be increased There is no strong disposition, is fe? as we. are aware, on the pars of oaf agricultural community, to e&s&getfes character of our tariff at They recognise that such contests 0 not conducive to the well-beisgo! -Ik community. They not only *. organise trade, but produce a feaHsf of distrust in the colony. Now ft i above all things important, wb existing oiroumstanoes, that c# dence in the-colony ehould bsws® tamed and strengthened. Evqq u& as the people themselves are ctintejw this is most desirable. We »* above aU things to be lefts.aloss*> attend to the task of developing** resources of the country, undietmw* by such questions. If, howefej, w. question of increasing the character of the tariff is raised if » impossible to say what the results be. The country members showed W session that they were far more «[» and' determined, than had regarded ac possible. A freetrade and protection pnwtiw . means a fight between country m town, and the contest* were it WWJ tated by the protectionists, would m the country members far better nised and determined than wu.w , the case before.