FREE TRADE.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 39, 13 January 1844, Page 2

FREE TRADE.

" In the great morning of the world The spirit of God with might unfurled The Flog of Freedom over Chao9." We had promised ourselves last week to treat consecutively of all the subjects contained in the Address of the People of Auckland to His Excellency the Governor ; but instead of following out this plan, we shall take up each subject in the priority of its importance. It is not necessary to waste many words on the attempt to prove that Freedom of Trade is the most important and that which is most calculated to benefit this colony of all the important subjects treated of in that i address, which was so ably and so fully commented upon by His Excellency in presence of the Deputation which had the honor of waiting upon him. The views expressed by His Excellency were clear and enlightened, showing at once that he had deeply thought upon and had made himself complete master of this subject. Free Trade is in truth a subject which is now occupying the attention of every statesman in Europe, and must have been frequently brought under the consideration of Captain Fitzroy in his placo as a Member of the Parliament of Great Britain. Whatever arguments may be brought forward against free trade in an old commercial and manufacturing country like England, it is quite plain, as has been expressed by His Excelleiicy, that these cannot be made applicable to a new colony like New Zealand, where we have as yet neither manufactures nor any thing else to protect by import duties or taxes. We are yet too young to produce even the common necessaries of life — our very bread we are obliged to buy from foreign countries. We are in point of fact producing nothing whatever, and every tax or restriction which we impose upon free trade, is nothing more or less in vulgar language than cutting our own throats : we want bread, tea, sugar, wines, .tobacco and clothing — where is the wisdom of preventing by

taxes those who produce them from supplying our markets. There may be some sense in doing so in an old country like England, but there can certainly be none in a colony like New Zealand. We were very much i pleased with the remarks of His Excellency on this point, and with his determination to endeavour to practically anticipate M. Guizot, perhaps the most enlightened statesman and the first scholar in Europe. His Excellency read to the deputation an extract from a speech delivered by M. Guizot before Chamber of Peers in France, wherein the that able Minister -stated his determination to establish Free Ports and Free Trade in Tahiti and the Marquesas, the French possessions in the Pacific. Captain Fitzroy remarked on this passage, that the French were a theorising people, and that he hoped to be able practically to establish Free Trade in New Zealand, before and while the French were merely talking about doing so in their possessions in the Pacific — indeed His Excellency stated that after his return from Port Nicholson, and as soon as a Legislative Council could be called together, measures would be adopted with a view to the establishment of free trade ; he even went the length of stating that the greatest portion of the salaries of Pilots would be paid by Government, leaving them merely to make a small charge upon shipping, with the view of inducing them to be attentive. This was precisely what was required for making New Zealand what nature intended her to bo, a great commercial and prosperous country — and if Captain Fitzroy never passed another act but that for the abolition of Customs in New Zealand, he might be deemed the Saviour of the Country and the Founder of the Colony. — Sir Stamford Raffles, by a similar act, has made Singapore, almost a barren Island, the greatest commercial depot in the Indian seas. We are aware that a few of the smugglers in this colony will be opposed to this measure, because it will have the effect of putting an end to their iniquitous traffic, but all those who are really interested in the prosperity of the Colony, all the honest dealers and real settlers will receive it as the salvation of the country. We have never yet heard one single objection to this plan worth a moment's consideration. Two have been started ; but they are really so childish that they arc scarcely worth the noticing. The one is that those who have built or rented bonded stores would suffer a certain amount of loss ; this is absurd, in as much as these people might see that these bonded stores, instead of being the beggarly reservoirs of a few casks of arrack, rum and brandy, and two or throe kegs oi tobacco, (for nearly the whole is smuggled,) would be filled with the cargoes of vessels intended to supply the markets in the neighbouring colonies, if tea, for instance, was cheap and plentiful in the Sydney markets, would not a person receiving a cargo of tea for Sydney immediately order the vessel to go to New Zealand and warehouse the tea cither with Mr. Smith or Mr. Rich, rather than place it in bond in Sydney, where the market was already glutted. He could order his tea to be shipped from this place just as he found the demand to suit in Sydney. The other objection is, that indirect taxation is better than direct, in as much as in the one especially, where wine, spirits and tobacco are the objects of it, it is made to fall upon the luxurious and the drunkand ; this objection is a disgrace to all those who receive a benefit from good government. It is infamous to suppose for one moment that the infatuated drunkard who receives no benefit from i Government, whose life is scarcely worth the preserving, and whose property is not, should still be required to pay for the preservation of the lives and for the protection of the properties of the sober, the industrious and well-doing portion of the community. Englishmen must fall low indeed when I they demand that drunkards should pay for | their good government. We venture to as- ; sert that under the present system a well known and industrious little man, called "Tommy the Shingler," has actually contributed, during the last two years, three times as much as Mr. Shortland or the wealthiest man in the community towards the fund from which the Government of this Colony is maintained. It is absurd for one moment to- suppose that "Tommy" had a greater right to pay for good government, or a stronger interest in its maintenance than Mr. Shorfcland had, it is nevertheless true that Tommy has under the present system paid much more towards it, both in money and in labour. Some persons suppose that good might result from the mere reduction of the present duties, but this is altogether a fallacy. Should the duties be reduced a half or three fourths, the same expensive establishment of Customs would be necessary, and the amount collected would not be more than enough to pay the cost of the establishment. Where then is the advantage to the inhabi-

tants of this Colony in keeping up Customs | restrictions, if the sum collected is little more than enough to pay the salaries of the i officers collecting the duties? It may be necessary at Homo for state purposes to support a number of pensioners, but we know of very few public officers who have as yet any right to expect gratuities or pensions from the poor people of this colony. Wo sincerely trust that His Excellency will not be diverted from his good purpose by any petty clamour that may be raised by the Smugglers or any other parties who may be benefiting by the present system. The immediate Abolition of Customs is in truth the only measure by means of which he may expect to revive this Colony. Ho may keep up the Customs, but he will very soon find that the Customs may exist without a person to pay the duties, for the people will not and cannot continue to pay these taxes. — His Excellency in his opening speech in Council hinted something about a, compromise with the smugglers by keeping up the Customs duties to a certain extent, and imposing direct taxes at tho same time. Such a scheme is sure not to succeed. It must be, as the Radicals used to say at Home, '\tlie whole Bill, the Bill, and nothing but the"Bill." In a similar manner it must be in New Zealand, "direct taxation, and nothing but direct taxation." Customs and direct taxation arc quite incompatible. So long as wo have the name of having the smallest duties upon imported goods, vessels will not visit our country. The impediment to freedom of commerce is precisely tho same with one penny as with one pound. We shall in our next resume this subject.