The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1879.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1093, 20 October 1879, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1879.

We fui.sc already referred in tcrm3 oi I approbation to the movement originating ! in the City of the Plains for the purpose of fostering and encouraging native industries and manufactures. We observe, too, with much pleasure, that a similar Association has been fi>rnicil in Dunedin under stilt more influential auspices, and with a title still more pronounced. There is no effort to disguise what they mean, for they hoist the protection Hag ostensibly and boldly. As we predicted some time ago. this movement is sure to spread, and we have the certain prospect before us of a determined struggle to establish a protectionist policy in New Zealand. This, too, in the face of Victoria's shocking example—not to mention the I nited States of America, and such standard authorities as John Stuart Mill, Herbert Spencer, and Ricardo. If this rising party cm, it will be in the face of much warning and much well-intentioned advice. If, with the perversity and wilfulness of youth, they persist in their determination, and alt those frightful things should happen, what then f What remorse of conscience What tremendous retribution, for what patriotic soul would desire I to survive the ruin or the injury even of : their country. For ourselves, having sjtven some attention to the matter, we are sustained with a singular confidence in this movement. It inspires us with no dread, and that too after giving it the best attention ©f which we are capable. I We do not say that we have sat down to a six months' digest of such authorities as we have mentioned—life is too short for such erudite and profound studies, and we have a very fresh recollection of the wholesome truths which have invariably been insisted upon by such distinguished authors. Nay. we quite agree with them, and have therefore no recantation to make—no conversion to chronicle. | We entirely believe in free trr.de. \\\- entirety condemn such forms of prolection as were most fortunately abolished by the r:r-r»t free trade party in England. We wish even it hai been more thorough, and had inclu the sugar duties, which arc to this day a virtual monopoly. Alt monopolies are equally abhorrent to lis. It may perhaps be assumed that such a position is both inconsistent and irreconcdI able with our friendly attitude to the local protectionist movement. We do not think so. The two things have no identity except in name, and, as we said before, we think it a most unfortunate name. We fail to see anything so very alarming therefore in the proposals of this rising party, j Those very common-sense and practical men who are engaged in manufacturing and other local industries may be held to have mastered the problems of their own surroundings, and are surely the best judges of that which concerns them so very nearly. Tuey are numerically a large class—probably,indeed,already the largest in the country. They have a perfect right surely to seek the welfare of their own class by ever}" legitimate means. In such a case the State's function is to take order as John Stuart Mill lays down 30 clearly in his essay on liberty, that the rights of others arc not infringed. That the State should legislate for any one class to the injury or detriment of the rest of the community is not for an instant to be tolerated. The day has gone by tjhen any efforts to perpetuate such a monopoly will have the feast prospect of success. We are assured, moreover, that nothing of the kind is intended ; that no one will be injured ; that taxation will not be increased; or, what of course would amount to the same thing, the prices of commodities enhanced to the consumers. If, then, an impetus can be given to our industrial | enterprise by sacli a manipulation of our tariff as is proposed, without infringing the rights of any individual or any class in the community, we maintain th.it it will become manifestly the duty of the State to effect those changes. We arc thus careful to indicate the fundamental conditions upon which alone we are prepared to support this movement. It need alarm no one, not even the moat timid of the disciples of John Stuart Mill, and yet tn its practical results we anticipate a prompt and tremendous impetus to our industrial progress. Our purpose, however, on this occasion was chiefly to : notice the memorial of the Christchurch coaehbuildera and the letter of the Christchrtrcb Association for fostering and encouraging local industries. We confess we are fairfy puzzled with what they say .respecting the taxation of the " ordinary and his family." The memorialist affirm* that be pays 125 per annum in

the way *of taxation. Surely this is a preposterous statement ? How do we know whether, indeed, ho has any family I Among our acquaintances we are familiar with a lot of ordinary mechanics who have no families. They have not even wives, and by what process can it he ascertained that an ordinary mechanic pays in the course of a year—the time s ded in the petition an being oceup!..! in building, :* ;:r carriages by an ordinary mechanic,! whether he be single or whether he be j rtnrrk-.i--he ••[' L-5 to the revenue j . 'i'.-r c-i'tii-ry. lb: must very much ■ irariv-d it his to the taxation of tin: S;:vte amount.-; to 10.-; per week 11l point «■: fac". however. trio taxation of the c immunity is rather under L2 10s per head annually, and unless tne memorialists are iiiliiepreseliteJ ill some way \vii;c;i wo ! .-.re «|t:st*i a I'ws to explain, the staietrien: m litter imii.-:e!i3and very much j regret that such a maiufo-st error ahouid !.•; committed i>y the iu.iuer.s ot a movement from which v.e hope much, and which has had our sympathy from the outset. We greatly regret this petition. It is both premature and superfluous, for both the lato and present Ministry are committed to a committee of inquiry, which doubtless will be most exhaustive and satisfactory. NY hy could not the coachbuilders wait ? And if so impatient, why not carefully examine their figures, tor nothing tends so certainly to intlict injur}* upon such a movement —more especially in the earlier stages —than statements which are either inaccurate or exaggerated. The letter to Sir George Grey i 3 also in the worst possible taste. Such intermeddling and ofliciuusness can do no good, but much harm. YY r e trust the Association is not puft'cd up with such a prompt response to their proposals. They have so far been thoroughly successful, and ought to be gratified and patient. This action reminds us, however, of a little woman in the nursery rhyme— She had nothing to live on but victuals and drink, Victuals anil *lriuk was the whole of her <lict r And yet that little woman would never lie quiet. While our statesmen arc absorbed in the •4amc of battledore and shuttlecock, our friends in Christehurch might very wisely extend their explorations in that moot, interesting lield of economic science, about which their ideas are evidently somewhat mixed, and the honorary secretary of their association might very wisely employ theinterval in ascertaining whether Royal Commissions alone are peripatetic, i.iul whether a Committee of the House must necessarily be stationary. High sounding phrases have a strange charm for some small men, and for none more conspicuously than the genus honorary secretarv, who arc brought suddenly into such adventitious prominence, and who arc conseipienily in s :c:i imminent danger of losing tiioir heaus.

Since tiie foregoing was written, we observe that our contemporary, in a lending article, overwhelms the originators of the movement for the encouragement of local industries, together with all tho.se who sympathise with them, 111 a perfect tornado of invective. They are " deploringly stilish." " crassly ignorant," " persons of narrow intellectual faculties,'' '* narrow svmpachies," "shallow ingenuity;' their doctrines are "criminally foolish,'" " shockingly inons?roti3," " palpably false," " obnoxious falsehoods," " false declarations," " Dead Sea at.ples, ' and they themselves "like C'arlyle a beer swillers, most ' entire blockheads.' " It is not often wc arc treated to such a display of literary sky-rockets, and at tho risk of provoking another explosion, wc shall take an early opportunity of returning to this subject, in the meantime rueoiniiieiulour worthy coiKemt-orary 10 moderate his v.'riv'h, for if this m-'Vi-ment is what tie describes ir to will he 110 necessity for l?n; ;hn .-iriioks 01 .Jove—a jenny popgun wi.l Millie 3 to scatter it into fragments.