PREFERENTIAL TRADE WITH AUSTRALIA.

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 47, 24 February 1906, Page 9

PREFERENTIAL TRADE WITH AUSTRALIA.

, <ro ran smtor. Sir,— Tho Fedtral Trada fend Cwitom« Minister is reported to, have said ttifcii Now Zealand was sponklng of tho nooenslty of nroforcntlal tvndo with tUo Cony mori wealth, nnd thnt ho supposod this wng In omiKcqucneo of fcho Inrgft slice Too* I mania had out off Now ZowMid'n oom« mohe with Australia, wliiok wns bogitt« wing to make Now TJoivlnnd think. Now, Sir, assuwlns tlint Sir "William Lyn<s gpoko correctly, how docs NcwZmx land Intend to pvonccd in iho mnttor of bringing about bettor commorolal roiutlons with owr neighbouTlng Are woi •going lo ntfopi, In Uiiti irmtimco, llio samo nwtlo of pvocoiJwro tlint wo adopted mi granting to KngUsh mnnufnclnrors what wns toTmod n, gonera profownoet If so, tho benefit 'to us will bo but slight— in fact, none nl nil. The tfow Jioalund Qov« omrnont ooi«l<kred it was grojilinß )weftvonco to tho Jlothor Co«n<iy by rnising the duty on foreign prmlucn, But i(, wns tloing nothing of th« soil, ns I will ontloavonr to bliow. If our duties on English goods nr« prohibitive, it dooa not holp thbir Irndo ono iota by raiwn^ our duties on foreign produce. Knglish trodo returns show us conclusively llmi (ln>ir com. nicroo hn« not benolltod by tho wvcnllol preforonco lo the extent thnt piTforriiod in tho proper sense Mould bo oxpctrd to «liow. Spenklngat n certnin Now Zenland dmnor (it Homo, Mr. tipddon nswirod Ilia hearers th«t his (Inwuimont, in MrojiooiiiK (o grnnl pirferenco to tho Mollinr Country, did so in n spirit mhl <Ipsiip (n give, mid not n rieslro tr> tnko. If thnt, \Y*Tc so, why did Ills Clnvommoiit not unlock tlio door on her goods, ins! rod of doublp-lorkitig thn door on foreign |uhhW ns wt)\ as tho coiißumcr? Wo don't w.mt. prcfpicnlinl Irndo with nny count iy \f it, is gniiifj to plnoc our norf-sMtios fiirlhor fiom our reach. Kngland Mill hm> tlio sniiio abslnclo to ovci'oomo before rlip i ,vi [ lnnd hot' Roods hno, nnd I fnil to mm> lu»\v tho Govwiiliic-nt curried out Uh dw.\ro in help. Kii(?liuid iin\to!«oß no cUrtK* on o\nproduce—it is absolutely frvo. mid tint, fact Will point out vltieli Milo >a tho iHoro considprnto of tho olitr-r, Tho llomp. Hoard of 'Vvnuh wt.imnir'* tire avcrnßo nmoutit, of duties unpusfKl on Jlritisli duties to bo «s f«llo\\s: - Stmt K Africn, 6 per oo«l.j AuKlrnlin, 6 jHjr ecnt.j Now Zonlnmi, 0 pov rent. : nnd lmlin, five. How helpful of tlip MothoiCountry wo nre, t\ivortlu>fi to tJwt l Hn|, liovhnps the Pithum* lins boon lnisnndiMstood. hi nil probnbility the ppo|vp moiniiriß of his wonN wns, "in n spirit mitl desire, to hrlp" (ho surplus— "I o giw" tm mrroy, "iittn not to taW ofl nny dntus. Hut vrhnlover- tho monninn- niitf it in in. dpptl dilVSonlt to rmiiopture \w ln\-i> lnnvned thnt thnt pmticulnr sort i>f |»rforputinl trndo is not worth b.irAniniiu' lot, nnd pspocinlly from a, consumor'n poinl of view. If Xpw Zen^niul socks foi nn nfiivomcnl vit'n tlu> ('nmmonn o.'il lh for pipfcreiili.il 1 rntlo, how is tho vide, nun-yin helwivn tho dutioi of Ilip two count noi to ln\ nppotintrd? VrofciTiicp will surely bo ic. jeeted in V\ ti«tf.tlm if wp nsk thorn to pny moi'o duly on tlioir ponds romiiiii Ikm-p tlinn mo pny' on our goods Bonn;B o 'nn; thpin. Then nprtln, mo will hnvo tfl pirnl nij;initst foreisn pioditep bemp shipped to us from Atistrnliiin porlt us Auslnilinn Roods for tho pmposo of Koourinn nny existing ndNHtitnc^ in tlio dutios. However, if nn niirppniont it arrived nt, \r\ «» hopp it will tend to ledncn our Cost of living (o some, whcie near that of Auslralin.—l nn\, etc H J.S. { .WoUing,ton, 20th F-obruwx, WOO,