PREFERENTIAL TRADE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13673, 14 February 1908, Page 6

PREFERENTIAL TRADE.

A GERMAN VIEW, , v;i .'••■•'■' ■-'-.' ■ 'A- "A '■■■'" :'■■'.;:■ -..:.;..•'<■ ■■■.■'■'. 'A :'■-■ ■.-•.-■'. AiiA ;:"(*;--A:fiß;;Hftis •v.;: ; :'■"■■ ■,-• ■'■-."■■-v.V-^-i^ .'- ; A A .A..: .AAA, ':" A" - : AAAA ';■■'■■ ■■■"-■--' A. -•'■' : V7r AV'-i'SFJJSi 'HAMBURG' CHAMBER. OF. COMMERCE' ■'fill REPORT. fir i ho report of the Hamburg Chamber -.• -'* Commerce ■ for the. year 1907, presented Wr : r December.'3l last, the following reference* to Australia and New Zealand are mads;-— ';.-. . "At tbe Imperial Conference last «ur,nsrr the English. Government declined to hrttoduoe preferential duties between the Metier land and the colonic!', and adhered to-the-"'. ~''U, principle of free trade. In spite of it; ■ •' the Commonwealth canto forward In A«gs,v-'.;■ '■'with.-a new Customs tariff, which cotiuitm a:al preferences (partly very marked .ones) for ' .1 English products. The new tariff -increases :>ithe duties generally quite extraordinarily \'|| It- has given in England, tw>, cm**, for .'a"a; : much discontent, and has apparently th* , -g object of not only strengthening domestic, (Australasia's) industries, but of putting ifea country in a position to pay high wage* u Australian workmen. This is to bo' &p£'i ■?.-;.-'• in another Bill—the Excise Act. This Bill provides that every (Australian! aiamj- 7 facturer who dor." not pay fair »nd i-stju-n-' able wages -'must pay a toll as hi;;h as bah: , the duty. .* aM'aa/ It is said that there have been ;t.h-ea4v soino very annoying inquiries alvmt ilia question, what are ..fair and rcaAmahla "' wages? It is clear that such ia*B wi}} minimise the new duties*. good effect' <>n • • home industries. - The -preference for England is generally higher than was the <«j.v> in South Africa, and New Zealand, and hits ,',-

a number of articles fairly hard, ho thai, business in those colonics will I*' leva for countries that are not British. full i-taif. lwss am wily be' gained after the UiritT has been finally accepted by the Commomvealth' '"'- Houko of .Represent atiwti and by th« Senato, which body is less fond mI pi-ottc- - tire duties. * • * ,

".As Australia, with its small number of inhabitants, is not yet in a. position to dpvote itself in an extensive way to industry, the Main effect of the incmise in (hide* . will bo a rise- in the price- of living, which is to bo regretted in tin; interest i>J tins ■: country $ especially those States, which, likeWest 'Australia, with about, 280,000 inhabitants, are finite dependent on the import*., and which will suiter more under the ne-,%' V ■ conditions than the more, developed States like Victoria. "Whether the brother Country will haw '- a. real profit from thepreferoneo which thf* colonies give her is, to say lie least?:"' doubtful. The Commonwealth and K« Zealand have concluded ». preferential - treaty: ; New Zealand has raised the prefer enco for England."