THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY, APRIL 28, 1902. TRADE AND RECIPROCITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11951, 28 April 1902, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY, APRIL 28, 1902. TRADE AND RECIPROCITY.

— » ' ' In the absence of the Premier, the > utterances of Sir Joseph Ward may possibly be regarded as indicating the attitude of the present Administration towards great public questions. We may take this the more for granted when such. Imperial questions as were dealt with at Mosgiel are the topic, since these must have been completely thrashed out before Mr. Seddon's departure. The Acting-Premier there forecast "the establishment of an Imperial Zollverein. in which union America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan would be included." It is somewhat unfortunate that Japan should have been thus included, for much as we may at present desire the friendship and trade of the dusky French of the Pacific, rio such feeling can possibly be aroused by such an alliance as by co-operation with our own kith and kin. But passing that by, we may at least be correct in assuming that here we have an indication of a strong tendency towards uniting the whole of the English-speaking peoples upon a commercial basis as the rival halves of them are respectively united upon a political basis. We have all so much to gain by this that too much consideration can hardly be given to it and it is most sincerely to be hoped that Sir Joseph Ward's suggestions are an accurate inder. of the spirit which will animate the Premiers' Conference. Any steps taken towards preferential tariff within the Empire would be doubly beneficial if the way were made clear for such gradual and reciprocal tariff concessions as would be ultimately tantamount to a tacit Zollverein between the Empire and the United States. For we ai-e peoples of identically the same civilisation, of identically the same language, of identically the same creeds, of practically the same race and of internally similar conceptions of government. Our social conditions are all so nearly alike that increased trade and commerce between us cannot but advantage each and all of us, provided always that no violent dislocations of trade are gratuitously introduced into the process. Sir Joseph Ward has capacity enough to see the tremendous advantages of Anglo-American reciprocity, though he has not always had the courage of his opinions when the weight of the artificial and manufactured anti-American agitation of the South has been brought to bear against him. Mr. Seddon. who has no particular opinions, has been even more noticeably shuttlecocked between his shrewd perception that a great racial rapprochement was in motion and his politician habit of pleasing the organised unions of town workers, who ■ look upon every outer community as a competitor in the local market which they seek to monopolise at no matter what, cost to the general pub- : lic. But we have only to remember that the opening of the American ' meat market would give a penny a ' pound to every holder and grower of exportable meat, that it would re- ' volutionise the poultry industry in our favour, and that if butter and '' cheese were added to the list it ' would give us during our summer ■ months a market even better than that of London, to see the meaning of the reciprocity question to those . lauded industries upon which our colony relics for its prosperity and , the benefiting of which is good and , profitable for all. If, in addition, the American wool market could be ; secured for colonial woolgrowcrs as , against the Argentinian, a much- , needed advance would invigorate , that long-suffering industry. Aus- - tralia and Canada would also be ad- , vantaged along the same lines. If ] we could get such advantages in re- i

turn for giving American goods the preference as against German, and if the Mother Country could gain reciprocity by arrangements more in keeping with her traditions, there can be no doubt .whatever that we should all mutually benefit. Even the Free Trader, so stoutly led in Australia by Mr. Reid, favours reciprocity. It may not improbably prove to be that compromise which warring principles invariably end by making with one another and which commonly incorporates the essential element of both. Two or three years ago, even two or three months ago, it might have been asserted with apparent reason that however interesting as a theory the idea of Anglo-American reciprocity might be it was far beyond the range of practical politics. But events move now so swiftly that/such a criticism can no longer be treated seriously. The reiraposition of the British com duties is regarded by all colonial statesmen as having made preferential tariff within the Empire altogether possible ; the avowed fiscal policy of the Roosevelt Administration is one of reciprocity; as, we pointed out on Saturday, the action of the meat trust is focussing American public attention in that direction; the time is peculiarly opportune for setting an Anglo-Ameri-can reciprocity policy in motion. Settled as it now is by eighty millions of people, who inhabit a continent which is not generally suited to stock-raising upon a vast scale, the United States is very naturally getting to the end of its popular meat supply. It can turn to either of two directions for reliefto the kindred English-speaking colonies of Canada, Australia and New Zealand or to the alien Latin Republics of South America. An American publicist declared recently to his countrymen that the market of one British color.y alone was worth more to the American people than that of all South America. The advocates of Anglo-American reciprocity are not confined to either side or to any part of the Anglo-Saxon world. It is a general sentiment, expressed by statesmen, politicians and leaders of thought, in the Republic as throughout the Empire. It is one which should be encouraged and supported by all who can appreciate the issue ; certainly by all New Zealanders, for there is no country which will benefit more, politically, socially, commercially, by every cordial and permanent understanding with the United States.