THE PROTECTIONIST TARIFF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9025, 11 April 1888, Page 6

THE PROTECTIONIST TARIFF.

The following are the comments of the Protectionist Conference on the tariff which we printed in extenso yesterday— The following items in our proposals seem to call for special comment ! Apparel and Slops.— imports for 1886 amount to £208,000. These interfere with a larger quantity of colonial labour, both male and female, than that of any other of the imported textile fabrics. The bulk of the goods are made up on the' 'sweating system," under conditions almost too terrible for belief, the remumeration hardly keeping the workers in food. Colonial labour should not be placed in competition with such conditions. The Conference therefore propose that the duty on this item should be increased to 30 per cent. . .Boots and Shoes.—The imports for 1886 amount to £157,445. . The remarks as to apparel and slops " largely apply to this item. The present position of the industry us that, while there are a large number of high-class workmen in the colony, competent to manufacture the very best classes of boots, hardly any of this work is put in hand, the tariff being so adjusted as to induce the importation of these classes. The changes proposed will not only tend to employ a large number of the most experienced artisans, but enable the goods manufactured by them, and of equal quality with the imported, to be sold at lower prices than the latter. The increased duties now proposed are divided into several sections.

Machinery, Including Locomotives.— The imports for 1886, excluding certain kinds of machinery not made in the colony, amount in round numbers to over £150,000. The major portion of this machinery can be manufactured in the colony, and the advantage to the skilled artisan in iron will be immense. There is not an engineers' shop or foundry in New Zealand that has not felt the unfair pressure of the importer, the result being that they cannot afford to employ a fair proportion of mechanics, apprentices often being found where there should be old skilled mechanics. Another feature of this unfortunate state of things is in the undeniable fact that the majority of the apprentices in the iron trade, as soon as they are out of their time leave for other colonies, where they quickly find the work denied to them in the land of their birth. To show the value to the wage-earner of the local construction of locomotives, it is only necessary to mention that in the recent contract for ten locomotives carried out by a firm in Christchurch £1100 out of every £1300 of the contract price was spent in that city for wages and fuel in connection with the work.

Woollens and Blankets.The imports for 1886 amounted to £104,883. This industry is now one of the most important in the colony. Dealing as it does with the raw material produced within our own borders, it has by the application of high skill and the best machinery reached the stage of producing goods equal to anything manufactured in the world. Importers, whose interest lies in procuring foreign goods, will not purchase the New Zealand manufactures, however excellent; and buyers who can procure the local article for less money, and still prefer the imported, need have no hesitation in paying the additional percentage now proposed. Coals.—The import value of foreign coal for 1886 was £123,845. As with the last industry, New Zealand can now supply its own requirements and export, the native coal being superior to the imported, and being sold at a lower price. To those who will not admit these facts, the proposed duty of 5s per ton may bring conviction. The Conference being, however, desirous that steam navigation with the Australian Colonies shall be as free as possible, recommend that no duty be levied upon coal used by steamers trading betwixt New Zealand and those colonies, the duty being collected only upon coal discharged here by the importing vessel. It is needless to remark that it the 120,000 tons of coal now imported were mined by our own people it would give employment to a large number, and keep capital within the colony. Furniture and Upholstery. imports under this head for 1886 totalled up to £43,823. A large proportion of this amount meant wages in Europe, while our own workpeople, with an abundance of fine woods at their command, and many of the raw materials on the spot for upholsterers' purposes, are walking about idle. The only cure for this state of things— aggravated now by American prison-labour and Chinese cheap-labour consignmentsis to raise the duty as proposed. Candles.The imports for 1886 were £42,117. With the raw material in every quarter of the colony, and the simplest of manufacturing processes, there is absolutely no reason why every candle used in the colony should not be made in it: hence it is proposed to raise the duty from Id per pound to 2£d per pound. Fish.—The import value of fish of all kinds in 1886 was £28,033. With the numberless varieties of beautiful fish on our coasts, and the fact that this industry only requires encouragement, such as proposed by raising the duty from practically Id per pound to 2d per pound, this industry should grow into a most valuable export trade. Linseed Oil.The imports in 1886 were value £20,872. Linseed is grown in all parts of the colony, and not a gallon of this oil should be imported : hence the duty is raised from 6d per gallon to Is per gallon. Hats and Caps.—The imports in 1886 amounted to £10,343. The whole of these goods can be made in the colony, and give employment to a large number of people of both sexes. Since the protection duty on hats and caps was imposed in South Australia last year, the drapery houses there have formed a hat-manufacturing company, and admit that the manufacture can be equally well done in the colony. Precious Stones (unset).—The imports under this head last year amounted in value to £48. Evidence has been brought before the conference to show that the value was many thousands, and that smuggling in this matter can hardly be prevented. The conference was desirous of encouraging the industry of the cutting of precious stones by a differential duty between stones cut and uncut, bub the consensus of opinion was against this course. The recommendation therefore is that unset precious stones should be duty-free. The eftect of this will be to develop the working-jewellery trade without loss to the revenue, and open another industry to the youth of the colony. The following suggestions have been made to the Conference respecting sundry matters in connection with the Customs Department, which suggestions, as they relate ,o the working of the tariff, and are cordially approved of, are submitted for the special consideration of the Government:— Exemption of Duty in Certain Cases. —That, in the discharge of all vessels, it shall be the duty of the landing waiter or other officer to attach a statement showing what goods have been landed on which exemption of duty has been allowed, whether for Government use or otherwise, and by what authority such exemption has been' authorised, and that a copy of such statement shall be posted in the long-room of the Customs Department. Shipment of Bonded Goods.—That shippers of bonded goods by vessels on the colonial register shall not be called upon to enter into a bond for the delivery of such goods at .the port of destination, that a general bond by the owner or owners of such vessel shall be deemed sufficient, and that within seven days of the discharge of such vessel the owner must be served with notice of any bonded goods short- . landed, otherwise he is relieved of his bond, such notice to be given by telegram, or post, if necessary. Private Importations.— is undeniable that the revenue is diminished by quantities of goods being imported by private individuals for their own use, upon which no duty is collected. In the interests of the revenue, and of the industries of the colony, it is necessary that a much more strict supervision should obtain in these cases. '• *

• The following recommendations, being the unanimous opinion of the Conference, are submitted for the consideration of the Government:—-

Railway, Rates on Fruit and Fish. The present rates on the conveyance of fruit and fish by rail are, to a large extent, prohibitive, in many cases leading to the destruction of these valuable articles of diet. If specially low rates were arranged, not only would they be found to assist these industries, but the railway revenue would be ■considerably increased, as a large trade would at once spring up. Property-tax on Industrial Machinery and r, Plant.—lb is felt as an intolerable hardship, by all sections of s the manufacturing community, that) <. they. should be re-

quired to pay property-tax on the machinery and plant used in their industries. It u strongly held that these should be as abso lutely free from, taxation as " agricultural implements in use" and " vessels"' now are under the Property Assessment Act. The -effect of the present law is to seriously handicap the manufacturing industries whose profits are small compared with that of other branches of trade. An immediate amendment of the Act in this direction ig urgently pressed. Chinese Labour.The threatened inva sion of large numbers of Chinese into Australia ana New Zealand is viewed with considerable anxiety by the industrial associations. At the present moment the Chinese in the colony nave absorbed several branches of trade, to the great injury of the legitimate settler and trader. They are in no sense colonists, and the united voice of labour calls for such parliamentary action, in conjunction with the Australian Governments, as will effectually prevent the further settlement of these people in Australia.

Industrial Halls.—The varied informs tion put before the Conference respecting the industries of the colony brought out the fact that considerable ignorance existed between city and city as to the manufac. tures actually in existence in the various quarters of the colony. There appears therefore, to be urgent need for the establishment of industrial halls in the large centres of population, which shall be used for the purpose of exhibiting samples of the manufactures and productions of the colony. It is suggested that this could be best brought about by the Government providing suitable land-sites, on the condition that the various industrial associations shall erect substantial buildings and fill them with the necessary exhibits. The effect of such permanent exhibitions of the induatries of the colony would be widespread • not only would they bring about an accurate knowledge of its productions and resources but they might be made auxiliaries to a much-needed system of technical education and thus bring valuable information and instruction to both old and young in the community. Mining Regulations.—This question has engaged the attention of the Conference in consequence of its intimate connection with the labour and capital employed in the min. ing industry, and the fact that the present laws seriously interfere with the develop, ment of the mining districts, and greatly limit the enterprise of the working miner. One operation of the law at present is as follows :—A.B. pegs out and applies for a licensed holding. He is debarred from prospecting the same until such time as his license is granted, which usually takes three months, thereby practically throwing A.B. out of employment during that time! The remedy proposed is, to allow every miner to prospect the ground as soon as he has " applied for the holding, without waiting for the formal license. Another phase of the law is the insecurity of possession to the capitalist who may have spent thousands of pounds in developing his holding ; the law compelling the capitalist to man his ground, and leaving him entirely at the mercy of the Government officer in authority, irrespective of what amount of money he may have expended. This has greatly retarded the investment of capital, and the remedy for this evil is the adoption of the American system, which gives to the holder a patent right upon the expenditure of a fixed sum ; and frees him from the caprice of those in authority. If the change proposed is made, there would be considerable influx of new capital, and the employment of thousands of additional miners, who, it must be remembered, are the best consumers and taxpayers. Henry M. Shepherd, President; J. Dransfield, vice-president ; T. Kennedy Macdonald, H. B. Kirk, James Stuart, W. Chalmers, W. Hildreth, Owen James Hodge, Charles M. Luke, Delegates ; David Bellhouse, Walter Hill, Honorary Secretaries.