THE DUTY ON MAIZE.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 68, 23 March 1901, Page 4

THE DUTY ON MAIZE.

(To the Editor of the Times.) Sib, —I have discovered that New Zealand charges a duty of 9 per cent, upon all maize, seed or otherwise, imported from Australia or elsewhere. Does this seem fair, especially to New South Wales growers, when thousands of pounds worth of maize are annually bought by Sydney peuple from New Zealand growers, and allowed into Australia duty free. Besides this, the only maize likely to be imported into New Zealand is for seed, unless local supplies become exceedingly short. Now, all other seeds are allowed into the country duty free, why therefore should any exception be made to seed maize ? What a serious item it would be to New Zealand maize growers if New South Wales put a duty of 9 per cent, on New Zealand maize, when therefore she generously allows us to sell our goods freely to her people, why should we not extend to her the same freedom ? Not long ago a farmer told me he considered free trade the grandest thing in the world, and gave the extensive trade in maize with Sydney, which, he said, was due to free trade, as an example ; but if we shut our ports to Australian goods, Australia may do the same with us. I. think it is high time that every country woke up to the fact that free trade in food stuffs and raw material, on account of its tendency to equalise the cost of living from year to year, is economically advisable, and should be universally adopted ; while a reasonable amount of protection to industry encourages the manufacture of products locally, and thus gives employment and enriches the community generally.—l am, etc., C. P. W. Longdill.