PROTECTION AND TRUSTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10422, 21 April 1897, Page 6

PROTECTION AND TRUSTS.

TO THK EDITOR. Sir,—lt muse be aome twenty-six yean since I wrote my first letter to the New Zealand Herald advocating the principle of protection, as a remedy for hard times and low wages, and I am still of opinion that the principle is sound-if there is any principle connected with a makeshift to tide us over the difficulty of working a bad social system. 1 have been a thinker for many years, and I believe that the protective policy adopted by the many States and nations ot the world tends to keep trustaand rings within reasonable bounds. If the United States of America were each to protect itself from the competition of other States it would hare the effect of keeping the ring* and trusts from attaining such gigantic proportions as we see in the American Sugar Refining ComP»™y- , On th ,e other hand, if tbe field was widened by all the English-speaking people °L th ? Wor H ? do ?8 » free twde Policy, the effect would be that trusts and rings would flourish in proportion as the field of operations was extended. If we extended free trade policy to embrace the whole world, trusts and rings would grow up under free trade as well as under protective policy. Ihe only difference would be that present rings, with a change of the fiscal policy, may break up to give place to much greater combinations. We had trusts and rings in the diys of the stage coach, and must for ever hare them, while we continue to buy and sell the necessaries of He for individual gain. The world is now a little place, like a stage coach village, since we have harnessed the forces of nature as the servant of man. As the world becomes smaller, the power of money becomes greater. it we adopt universal free trade, capital will now towards cheap land and low wages, and population must follow after capital, to find employment. Possibly, the trusts and rings are developing in man, the knowledge and ability to carry oat a perfect system of Socialism—who knows.-1 »m, etc., ' RoiimoN Cbosoi.