THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 1896.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10084, 20 March 1896, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 1896.

In our yesterday's issue appeared a cable message which cannot be taken otherwise than as indicating a first practical movement on the part of the Imperial Government, in the direction of inducing closer trade relations between the Mother Country and the colonies. From that it appears that a delegate of the Empire Trade League is about to visit Australia; but the more important item is that he will be the heart of a letter from Mr. Chamberlain, suggesting that the colonial Premiers should submit a scheme, justifying the abroga-

tion of the commercial treaties. This is in the first place a quasi-official

recognition of the object of the Empire Trade League—which is the institution of a kind of Imperial ZoJlverein. But it also seems an indication of the lines on which Mr. Chamberlain hopes to realise the project which he has expressed ever since entering on office as Secretary of State for the Colonies, for increasing the trade between the colonies and England. Further light is thrown on this movement by the statement in our cable messages of last week, to the effect that Lord Salisbury had been approached by the Empire League, and in reply had said that while he was in accord with Mr. Chamberlain's circular to the colonies, they could not renounce treaties with other nations till there was a definite prospect of increased trade for the Empire. He further said that the League should urge the colonies to formulate a definite scheme for closer

trade relations. The meaning of all this is that the Imperial Government is prepared to favourably consider a scheme for bringing about closer trading between the colonies and England; but that it rests with the colonies in the first instance to make a definite proposal as to what they may desire, and to what extent they are prepared to go to induce England to forego the advantages of treaties with foreign countries, in the hope of an enlarged trade with the colonies.

Avoiding vague generalities and coming directly to the point, the meaning of all this is that the colonies if possible should suggest a course by which the fiscal laws in the colonies, and the fiscal system of England can be so altered that there limy be freetrade within the Empire, and protection—possibly extending to exclusion—directed against the goods of all foreign countries. Hitherto, when this matter has been considered, it has been regarded as hopeless to expect that England could ever abandon

freetrade principles under which her

trade had grown to colossal proportions, with the object of developing a colonial

trade, which after all is but a fractional part of the maritime trade of the United Kingdom. The sacrifice seemed so large for results seemingly so small, that the idea was hardly considered worth dis-

cussion. But it may not unreasonably be assumed that events of the past few months have so directed attention to the perilous position of the United

Kingdom, in the event of war or international combinations cutting off the supplies of food and raw material, that thought has been seriously turned to the necessity of developing the

sources of suppiy within the Empire itself, as a matter of supreme strategic importance. It appears that taking the month of May as an illustration, there will not then be in the United Kingdom more than four weeks' supply of food for the nation within the coastlines of the United Kingdom. It is obvious that such .1 hand-to-mouth provision for the population exposes to the liability, in certain contingencies, of the country being brought to a state of siege, and of being reduced to starvation, through the mere process of withhold-

ing supplies by foreign countries over sea, even though England still retained the mastery of the seas. This is a grave outlook, and one that may well dispose governing circles to re-

consider theories, and to weigh the advantages of even a large foreign trade, against a scheme of so developing the producing powers within the empire itself as to make it independent of the rest of the world.

Looked at from the point of view of the colonies, the question presents itself iu the two aspects of patriotic feeling and self interest. There can be no doubt that we have a direct interest in the heart of the empire not being stricken by paralysis; and if by any combination of foreign powers England was reduced by starvation, before there was time for the colonies to develop their production of food and raw

materials enough to meet the necessities of the position, the blow would lw as deadly to the colonies as to the m other

country. It is, therefore, of sup reine interest to the colonies on the high grounds of public safety that the supplies of the food of life and of industry should never be suddenly cut short at the heart of the empire. In this respect we have a common interest. But coming to the lower grounds of profit and loss in industry and commerce, it may be reasonably considered whether it would or would not be to the interest of the mother country and of tho colonies, by a partially exclusive system in relation to foreign trade, to develop their own internal resources to such an extent as to make the empire practically self-sustain-ing. That the colonial dependencies of England could produce everything

that is necessary for the sustenance of

life and industry within the Empire is beyond a doubt. With something like A fifth of the habitable area of the

globe, including the richest soils and the utmost diversity of climates, we have the material requirements for meeting the needs of the whole human race twice told. With the wealth, the skill, the energy, and the appliances possessed by the nation, those resources could attain extraordinary development. ' Similarly, forjthe enterprise and

thei investments of the British race the

Empire contains fields capable of absorbing all on safer terms and with surer results probably, than are possible

is doubtf, whether, wiUi u» w ment and Jvelopment that are possible Hie marks provtclel [i)r pr) * products mcl manufactured 'I""? would note then as large aulirJS ' * vided at e present tin,.- and Pr °' to come b;ili the rest oftheworlf* It is UHicossary to say that Su .-|,. consolidate 0 f the trade ami in.| tries of th Empire would in 110 preclude tl.extension of trade to \: iT Z numbersof.tintnf's outside the Km'^t But it won'; have its a making the nipire independent ~f : , Jn > sources and venues of trade, m M as they coul affect the safety f\*' Empire. I. such outside sp the Emoirt could trade favourable t-ms as other nations; for in consolidating internal inirssts it wou'ef J simply doing s they are dom,r. x:, have nearly a thrown a ring protection arond their trail., and dustries, whetlsr at home or in "J. dependencies, ,f protection totl.o i' J. piro raised to tome extent th- .....

of production, those other ut,/. being also irotecled hum similarly affactfi, and won! 1 t,,....- j' foreign lauds o level terms ; , lv j ; t - Anglo-Saxon entj-pme ctim.it I, . i own on equal terns, it would l)-;» l: . past. To Englanl this lmpe m ; Zoii verein would givi to her m:nn:iV;. ing industries a jractieally ex-ij.,-,1 trade throughout tie wide domini,;,, 0 the Empire, and allthe split-r-s r,f ,; n . tisli influence tiyle which is ii U i»; v and steadily slipiin?: from t> j. grasp. In the clonics it j give to our farmer.-, dairymen, tr.i;growers, and primry piudu.v,> , j every kind, a vi-tually e Xc market among the forty millions o; i. United Kingdom, besdei a free, U iu>. tered interchange ammg the gri.wj. , millions that from yea' to year wii! )■', filling up the waste places of tj,. earth under the flag of England, I'hv there are ciilliculties in ?onnevtiflri wul, this matter will he obvious to everyone But difficulties only exist to be overcome when great and noble objects arc to be achieved. Our own difficulties in adjusting or removing our fiscai tin:!are of the smallest. New Sout.. \\V». has already found the way to prari.■, , v sweep away her tariffs against • whole world, and by common i.\>iise<ii all these colonies are prepared to surrender their customs tariffs au-ii:,st one another. To extend the rale to England and to the Empire is hut an extension of the principle that ewrv day is showing to be more feasible Neither will the difficulty in Kuciatid be irremovable, when pe?pl« .-rjin» i 0 realise there, as they seem to be doing, that the existing state of things i, a menace of almost immediate destruction in certain contingencies of fon-i.-n complications. The fact that the imperial Government lias been so iinihistakeably moving in this direction, shorn the trend of feeling in the hielicr governing circles; and though it ha,been the fashion both in the colpitis and at Home to belittle the possibility of an Imperial Zollvurein, it may bs nearer than we think.