THE COACHBUILDERS AND PROTECTION.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5440, 22 July 1879, Page 2

THE COACHBUILDERS AND PROTECTION.

A FEW days ago it was telegraphed all over the colony that at a meeting of coachbuilders held in Christchurch it was resolved to ask for Protection for their trade. The more extended reports in the Christclmrcli papers show that the meeting was far from unanimous, several speakers, both among employers and employed, taking the common-sense view that the depression existing in their trade was not due to free-trade, but was merely the result of the general depression in all branches of industry. While times were good free-trade was extolled as tho cause of the briskness in trade ; now that times arc bad free-trade is blamed for the slackness. We are not going to repeat tho general arguments in i'avor of free-trado, but will in this instance take only the coachbuildors' side of the question. For years past they have had as much work as they could turn out of their workshops. They were accustomed to point with pride to their work, and would call in a reporter of a local paper to look at a buggy, and, while they extrolled its merits, would emphatically declare that it was cheaper than the imported article. If they can turn out goods at a cheaper rate than they can be imported, Protection could be of no benefit to them. But we will turn to a colony in which that particular trade has been heavily protected, and see what is transpiring there. Wo learn from the Melbourne Ago, tho great organ of Protection in Victoria, that over 100 coachbuilders are out of work in Melbourne alone. They have hold a meeting and, while the majority voted lielplesssly for interviewing the Government, some were found to lay tho slackness in their trade to the door of Protection. As a matter of fact Protection and Free Trade are alike powerless to cause or arrest periodical depression ; that they have some influence wo contend, but there are more factors at work in producing the result, and the imposition or removal of duties cannot cure tho evil when it does come. The effect of Protection given to the coachbuildors would bo to increase tho price of all vehicles, and so produce a less demand. The importation of American buggies might be stopped, but fewer buggies would be used because of tho increased price, and while the public would be injured the coachbuilders would be no better off. This could oasily be demonstrated by argument, but as an ounce of fact is generally supposed to be worth a pound of argument, the fact that in Protectionist Victoria their particular trade is, in common with all others, oven more depressed than in New Zealand, will perhaps appeal more strongly than any abstract argument to the coachbuilders of Now Zealand.