THE TARIFF WAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXIII, Issue 7563, 30 May 1885, Page 6

THE TARIFF WAR.

TO THE EDITOR. g IB Now that the Kussian war question is settled, a fresh war is cropping up in New Zealand. The importers are up in arms fighting the battle, through the public press, against the Protectionists. Mr Chrystall has a lot to say against Mr Holmes’ lecture on Protection, and all who hold Mr Holmes’ opinions. Importers and others who make gains out of the same, channels have not had enough of Freetrade yet but the multitude who suffer from the want of trade and labour have had sufficient experience of it in this Colony; and all intelligent workmen know that if we import articles made in foreign countries, it is so much less work and employ ment for our colonists, which is what cause ± depression and unemployed. Freetraders are always ringing about the Freetrade of England, but" how it can be called a Freetrade country I cannot understand, when England derives (in proportion to population) greater Customs’ revenue than any other country. What England and other countries want, is Freetrade in the Colonies, for the outlet of their manufactured articles, to pay for which out of borrowed money. Every wise nation produces its own wants that can be produced out of their native earth, and those that neglect to do so must naturally suffer, and that is what we are suffering from nowin New Zealand; not so much in regard to agricultural products, but for the want of putting our raw material into a state of consumption. Just imagine the absurdity of sending our taw material about 16,000 miles away, and then returning the manufactured article to New Zealand, where people cannot find sufficient work to do, and no prospect of finding trades for the young generation. Our duty is to utilise all we want, and sell the surplus. No one can find great fault with the champions of Freetrade, who are, as a rule, importers and foreign manufacturers, who defend their own interests, and I dare say that the public can easily understand that.

A great deal is made out of the saying that if you put a protective tariff on imported goods it is the means of raising th& price of living. But, Sir, any person who has observed the effect of a protective duty will have seen that it has had quite the opposite effect. Freetrade is a grand protection to importers, who will make the highest profit at the expense of the consumers, and what we get at a fair price is through competition between Colonial manufacturers. Victoria, which is a protective country, has a large number of manufactories, employs nearly 50,000 working people at better wages, and as cheap, if not cheaper, living than in Freetrade New Zealand, and keeps a larger population and more people settled on the land than this Colony. English political economists are always brought into the question by Freetraders. I would like to see those gentlemen who want the Colonies to follow a Freetrade policy just to come out here and see for themselves; and, if honest, they would go back to London with their views altered, as the Marquis of Lome, when Governor of Canada, who was a Freetrader before he had seen the picture of Canada, but when he returned to London, said, at the Eoyal Colonial Institute, in December, 1883, as follows:—“ In reference to Protection, it was necessary to tolerate any protective tariff which the Colonists adopted, as past events had shown that was the only means of stimulating industries in the Colonies and promoting their progress.” Another way of introducing Colonial industries is for all tradesmen and labourers to reduce their pay or wages. Will the working classes choose the latter to bring prosperity into the rich New Zealand ? lam for fair wages, so to be able to enjoy comfort and respectability.—l am, &c. L. POZZT. May 29.