SCIENTIFIC TARIFF.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17264, 4 September 1916, Page 8

SCIENTIFIC TARIFF.

VIEWS OF CORRESPONDENTS. TO THE EDITOR Sir, —''Anti-Tariff" is quite mis*, taken in stating that " the quantity of material used in an article is a moie or less fixed quantity, while the expenditure of labour may vary to a tremendous extent." The quantity of material in mechanical contrivances, for example, may. vary to quite a tremendous extent. A single-furrow plough, for instance. Tho standard. American plough weighs approximately 1 to ljcwt, whereas the standard Eng-' lish and New Zealand article weighs V from 2 to 3cwt. , This is, however, beside the question we are debating, which is: Does dear labour generally; so stimulate invention and improved methods that in the end it leads to' the production of . cheaper goods ? "Anti-Tariff" says it does. This js a question I am brought face to face? with every day of my life, and I can safely assert that there is not one em-, ployer of labour in Christchurch wh'c" will endorse your correspondent's opii?- ' ion. If be knows of such a one-- I. challenge him to produce him. ' One"' of the troubles employers are up against at tho present time is how tc retain a fair share of the trade m their several businesses against imported goods, on account or the constantly risen rate of awards and reduction of hours and other expensive restrictions imposed by the Arhitratic::. Court. .•

"Anti-Tariff's" example of the relative value of the production of boot? and shoes in the United Kingdom and the United States,, for which * by the vJ-ay, he gives, no authority, wil! require more details before it will have mucb effect on the caße in hand. For instance, what year does it refer to':* Was it twenty years ago, before the United Kingdom bad adopted the newest machinery? Were the values in the two arrived at under identical methods? Assuming that the values are wholesale prices and that the cksia of boot produced in each case was idea* tical and that; 33' per cent wa» added for retailer's profit and cost of stocking and selling, and',we transposed the money value into pairs of boots, we get the following results: United Kingdom, £l7l,plus 33 1-3 per cent for retailing, etc., 228 pairs, retail priee\£l per pair; United States, £516. plus 33 1-3 per cent, 688 pairs, retail price £l—so that instead of cheaper boots "Anti-Tariff" with three times the production has landed us in identical prices. "i. What " Anti-Tariff " is called upon to prove isthat boots and shoes of identical wearing quality and weight are sold at n lower price in the United States than they are in the United Kingdom, as per his_positive assertion in his first letter. He may be able to do so, but he has not done it yet. % I am not aware that anyone on our side has stated ' that development of suitable local industries will increase exports. If "Anti-Tariff" 'thinks that to increase exports aud_ imports is the chief end of mankind in every country he is quite welcome wto his opinion; many people have other ends in view. , ■' >

The list of duties I gave were net all purely agricultural and pastoral raw products, but the raw material of every one of them is produced by. growing or grazing something on the land; As regards the word "farmer," your correspondent appears to think that no one short of a sheep or cattle man i« entitled to the name. v Has he never, heard of a. fruit-farmer, a bee-farmer, or a fowl-farmer P

Ground malt and fruit juices and sausage skins, hams and bacon are quite as genuine products of tho lan'*! x and of the farmer as are frozen mutton or cheese or butter, or even wool. Your, correspondent seems fully satisfied that , all tho farmers would jump at freetrade all round, if offered to them. All I,can say is that I have discussed •the question of the gr«i» dutjes iwith. £ many of them, and I have not met o"]e wlio wants them removed. "; Oh vje/-? contrary, they are of the opinion the duties ought put up to at least the Commonwealth level: I assert that " Anti-Tariff " has-im-plied in all he has written that freetrade is the universal panacea, His nom de plume alone indicates it. If, [ hoSvever, he has another and a better and a larger plan, as he implies, and" freetrade with him is merely a side, line, he should be frank with ur and give us tho whole scheme. Now is the time, seeing that'we will shortly bo faced with the tremendous problem of finding work at good wages, with homes and wives, for our fifty or sixty thousand returning heroes.—l am, etc, . J. KERR,