PROTECTION AMERICA, FREE TRADE ENGLAND.

Evening Post, Volume LVI, Issue 72, 22 September 1898, Page 2

PROTECTION AMERICA, FREE TRADE ENGLAND.

« Under the auspices of the Single Tax League, Mr. G. Fowlds, of Auckland, addressed a fairly well-attended meeting in the Exchange Hall last night. Mr. W. M'Lean presided, and read several telegrams from Aucklanders heartily welcoming Mr. Fowlds back. Mr. Fowlds, who is President of the Single Tax League of New Zealand, and has just made a trip round the world, expressed his gratification at the cordial reception which the Single Taxers and others in Wellington had given him. After a tribute to the memory of Sir G. Grey (referred to elsewhere) Mr. Fowlds gave an account of his travels in America and England. He found in both countries many leaders of thought and others deeply interested in the taxation question, and in the progress which had been made in New Zealand towards relieving the burden of taxation. Many of the Single Taxers with whom he came in contact were the keenest minded men he had ever met — in Philadelphia particularly, some of them had intellects that would " cvt 1 like a razor." During his stay in America he met the relations of the late Henry George ; America had never witnessed anything like the scene at Henr3* f-Jeorge's funeral. America possessed many men interested in " the abolition &f industrial slavery that lies at the bottom of the Single Tax question." In England he found the people anxwms to know what New Zealand was doing *n the matter of the Single Tax. An impression was abroad that New Zealand was leading the van in the taxation of land values. In considering the question of Free Trade England v. Protective America, it should be remembered that the greatest Free Trade experiment which the world had ever seen had been made in America, for nowhere else was there to be found Free Trade among 75 millions of people; but for that fact they wouid have found America worse than, it was to-day — bad as it was.' It should be remembered, too, that America had a world — a continent — of some of the richest land to be found anywhere on our planet. His observations had led him to the conclusion that the cost of living in America was rather higher than in New Zealand, and a good deal higher than in England. ,He instanced hi^h rents and low wages for unskilled labour in America, showing that the labourers were not having a rosy time. He found that sweating and slums were just as bad in America as anything of the sort was in London, in the parts where a large portion of the workers lived, yet America had been boasted of as a paradise for the workers ! Examining the social condition of the people in England, he said there was nothing to boast about, but on the whole it was positively better than in America, though perhaps in London there were many people on the verge of starvatioa. Apart from that, taking into consideration the rate of wages, the English workers were better off than the American. But in America there were more millionaires per head of the population than in England, and these had practically sprung up by their drawings ironx the produce of the worker. On the other hand, the capitalists of England were drawing little bits from all parts of the world. Everything in America was held by trusts or syndicates. In Great Britain, while there were some huge concerns, there was not the element of monopoly — wealth was much better diffused in England than in America. The people of England were beginning to realise that there was a power behind the capitalists, and as long as that existed they must come olf second-best. In concluding, Mr. Fowlds asserted that the true barrier to the progress of the Single Tax was the superstition on the part of the working man that Protection buttered his bread — which was a fallacy. He was satisfied that uo power could stop the progress of the Single Taxers, whilst all the power of Heaven was on their side. (Applause.) , Replying to questions, Mr. Fowlds said that the abolition of Protection in New Zealand would not have the effect of lowering wages. He did not think the college professors were now so hostile to Henry George's ideas as they once were. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Fowlds for his address.