New Zealand Times. MONDAY, JUNE 22, 1874.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4135, 22 June 1874, Page 2

New Zealand Times. MONDAY, JUNE 22, 1874.

There is, we fsar, no immediate prospect of such a customs' union of the Australasian Colonies as has been the dream for years past of the more advanced among colonial statesmen. It has been held that, whatever might be tho taxation necessary to carry on government, and provide for those public works which are essentially necessary, and in all new countries must bo executed at tho expense of Government, tho fiscal arrangements of the Colonies might be of such a character as to enable their products to be interchanged "without let or hindrance ;" although it might be necessary, for the sake of revenuo if not for other reasons, that the Treasurer should receive a duty upon imported goods from beyond seas. But it would be difficult, and perhaps impracticable, to draw a line between imports from Colonies and imports from England ; and it would be not less so to distinguish English floods from those which might come to the Colonies from countries whose treaties with England do not provide that their products shall bo dealt with as coming from one of those included in the list of the most favored. It is this difficulty, no doubt, that has stood foremost in the way of a common understanding between tho Colonies. But it has been aggravated intensely by tho change of view which has come into effect in some of them. Victoria was the firsc to depart from tho simple system of taxing a few articles only, by which her revenue was raised for years after she had been separated from New South Wales. Tasmania, annoyed that her efforts to bring about an intercolonial systom of free exchango of nativo products had not been successful, attempted to retaliate upon tho Protectionist theorists of Victoria by tho imposition of heavy taxes upon almost every conceivable article which was likely to be imported from Victoria or anywhere else ; and has since had cause to regret that she fell away in this respect from tho faith she had previously followed. Tho result of hor experiments with a retaliatory tariff was simply to destroy tho business of imparting fat cattle and sheep, and to increase the prico of necessary articles of food and comfort to hor own peoiile, while tho effect upon tho internal trade of tho island was not at all encouraging. Sinco then the possibilities of common agreement have been greatly lessoned. Tho unfortunate jealousies between New South Wales and Victoria havo separated tliem moro widely than ever ; while tho contention between the last-named colony and South Australia for tho command of the river Darling trade, and for the business opening up into the far interior through the tributaries of the Upper Darling, has disabled those colonios, apparently, from even making an effort to arrango their Customs dues so that a farmer living on tho ono side of the border lino may bo ablo to got his goods from the storekeeper whoso place of busi ness is not a hundred yards away, but on tho opposite side of tho boundary, in place of sending perhaps ten or twenty miles to obtain them within the colony in which his farm is situated. Theso difficulties, so far as our Australian neighbors aro concerned, appear to be increasing rather than othorwiso. Complaints arc now constant from Victoria that though tho figures which .represent tho trado of that colony continue to show an increaso both of oxports and imports, tlio social condition of tho people of Melbourno and the colony generally is by no means so good as it was. Tho anomaly is oxplained by tho fact that the country lying north from tho Lachlan, towards Cooper's Crook and tho centre of Australia, is beinf? rapidly taken up, and that tho wool, &c, which

is produced, finds its way almost exclusively to Melbourne, -while the supplies that are. sent up in. exchange assist greatly to swell the returns of the trade of the Colony. If it were possible, however, to. distinguish the quantity of dutiable articles of consumption which are used within the bounds of Victoria herself from those that go north to or through Riverina, it would probably be found that the figures would go but a little way to explain those complaints to which we have just referred. So long, however, as the extension of settlement in the centre and north of Australia is productive of increased business to the port of Melbourne, it will be difficult to convince Victoria that she is not doing right in following the somewhat selfish policy to which she is at present wedded, and to induce her Ministers to look for prosperity through better relations with her neighbors. Nor is New South Wales or Queensland likely to make an effort to bring about, more amicable arrangements commercially so long as Victoria follows her present policy. New South Wales will not readily forgive her for removing from Sydney to Melbourne the Australian depot of the Suez steamers. It is no salve to her wounded pride that a vessel of the same fleet connects with the ocean steamer, and continues the line to Sydney. Melbourne has the reputation now of being the depot of that service ; while even tho promoters of the lately established Torres Strait line of steamers, which Queensland exerted herself so much to establish with the aid of New South Wales, have found it necessary, unasked and unaided by Victoria, to extend the voyages of their ships to Hobson's Bay. This will not tend to soften the feeling of Queensland to Victoria, and the youngest of the Australian Colonies has also the grudge to nurse that Victoria did not support her in her efforts to obtain a telegraphic connexion with tho Port Darwin cable ; and that even now, in the arrangements for a second line of cable between Australia and Singapore, Victoria takes no part of the responsibility—holds coolly aloof—while she will share to the full the advantages of the finished work. There are, in fact, so many elements of discord in the political atmosphero of the Australi.is at present, and those seom to have arisen so much from, or been caused by, personal antipathies, that there appears little hope of their early removal, or until tho people of those Colonies resjjectively discover a pressing necessity for interference. Yet there cannot be a doubt that free interchange of Colonial products would be of great benefit to trade, and productive of comfort to the people. A r ictoria has had a deficient harvest, and sho calls upon New Zealand for large supplies of breadstuff's and horse-feed, but every sack of flour or wheat, and every bag of oats, must pay its toll at the Custom House before it can be thrown into tho market for the supply of the wants of the public. Tasmania is famous for her preserves, and for these a good demand is always found in New Zealand. When no convention existed between the two countries these, of course, had to bo treated just as if they had come from a foreign country. New South Wales and South _ Australia produce wines of excellent quality, which they would bo glad to send us, and which we should be only too willing to receive ; while we are now producers of many articles for which a market is readily found there. It is satisfactory, therefore, that Tasmania and New Zealand have been able to come to an agreement for a free interchange of native products. There should be no jealousies and no selfishness exhibited by one Colony towards another. It is not desirable that the products of Tasmania or the Australian Colonies should be taxed by New Zealand, or that our produce should be tolled at the Custom House by them ; whatever may bo the necessity for imposing chargos for purposes of revenue upon articles which- the Colonies cannot produce, or for which we must look beyond tho mother country. Tho Colonies have other Bources of wealth from which the wants of tho Treasury may bo supplied without fettering free interchange of native produce between them. Relaxations in this direction can be made without necessitating any greater impest being laid up>on other dutiable goods imported here. But if the Treasury should suffer from tho operation of the system which has been arrangod between New Zealand and Tasmania, it is obvious that relief could be found in a direction which would not prove injurious to trade, and under which thore could be no grumbling from those who onjoyod tho advantages of cheapness and better supply of necessary articles that would be tho result of a free interchange of Colonial products.