TINKERING WITH THE TARIFF.

Evening Star, Issue 7411, 5 January 1888, Page 2

TINKERING WITH THE TARIFF.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—Mr Lothaby states that the public will benefit 3s or 4s in the £ on what they lay out on umbrellas. I, for one, doubt it; but according to hi* own showing ho needed no protection at all, as he was well able to compete with what he tcims the better class of goods before Hio Tariff was altered, He mentions umbrellas being sold at 2s lid. If he reads the drapers' advertisements which appear in your fpapcr from timo to time he will learn that umbrellas can bo bought much cheaper than what ho mentions. I do not believe his yarn abut bonnet dyeing. i>ut I should like to ask him whether ho can sell as cheap to the drapers, even his better class of goods, as they can import them from Home ? If not, I fail to sec who will benefit but the manufacturers, for of couroc the drapers will buy in the cheapest market, and you cannot blame them for that. The excuse of keeping the money in the Colony in this case falls to the ground, as it will most assuredly still be sent out for cheap umbrellas; and besides, the revenue has to be made up in some other way. I do not want to bandy words with Mr Lethaby, but I still fail to see why his trade, which employs so few hands, should be noticed beforo a general revision of the Tariff takes place.—l am, etc., Fbeefbadkb Duncdin, January 5.