PROTECTIONISTS IN AMERICA.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6161, 3 February 1882, Page 2

PROTECTIONISTS IN AMERICA.

It is a common tiling to hear members of Parliament advocating what they calf "modified" or "limited" protection. They argue that if an industry be established under a protective tariff, and if it is found at the end of, say, five years that the article protected is still dear in price, it will be easy to take off the duty. The obvious reply to this is that when you protect manufactures you raise up a class whose very existence is dependent on Protection, and these generally prove too powerful to allow the duty to be removed. A cry is raised about " vested interests," and weak-kneed Free Traders yield against their own convictions. In America the Protectionists manage not only to keep on the original imposts, but they invariably manage to get the tariff : still more restrictive. "Jacob Terry," the American correspondent of the Otago Daily Times, gives an instance of this in his last letter. Ho says :— " The Protection, or monopoly men, have taken time by the forelock, liaving held a convention in New York, at which they formulated a plea for increased protection to American manufactures, on the ground that it would elevate the condition of American labor. , This was the ostensible ; the real motive was to procure such legislation as would secure high prices for inferior workmanship and bad goods. The status of the American workman never entered into their cnlculation. Just at the time the Convoution was in session, 2500 laborers in steelworks at Joliet, State of Illinois, went out on strike because they would not accept 12 cents an hour pay, their employers being leaders iv the protective blast in New York. Now the men could not live in Illinois and support families on that rate of pay. Since the business boom began three years ago the cost of living has increased 45 per cent., and wages hava not responded. The Illinois ironmasters, who are extravagantly protected, anticipating increased monopoly, reduced their workmen's pay ; hence the strike. Presiding over the Convention was Warner Miller, senator from New York, who succeeded Conkling, and who is at tho head of the paper pulp and papermakcrs' ring. This man went into Congress, as he avowed, to promote his own personal interests. John Roach, tho great li-ish- American shipbuilder, presented his favorite scheme for restoring American commerce — to wit, a heavy subsidy to John Roach to build a costly and inferior class of vessels, wlr'ch could not keep tho ocean without a subsidy. Several of tho Southern cotton manufacturers were induced to join the capitalists' monopoly movement, but the Western States are sound for Free Trade. I almost fancy there will be a split in the Democratic and Republican parties oh this qutstioa."