The Oamaru Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1879.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1108, 6 November 1879, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1879.

TO-MORROW. By Mr. F. M. Kickmao, at "Waiinate— T>raagbt Hociw, Draj'i, Taltttble Land, &c.

Wk have already indicated the terms upon which we are prepared to support the movement for the protection and fostering »>f native industries. "W c shall strenuously oppose anything savoring of injustice »>r monopoly, and there is. to our thinking, a wide area within which the principle of protection, as underwood in these crdonir*. may be operative without rushing headlong upon such dangerous rucks. The elementary ideas of a protective policy originate in the Customhouse, for it is ostensibly i>v li.-eal changes that such astonishing results are produced. The Custom-house in itself is a standing reproach to free trade pure and simple. 11 Her Majesty s Oovemmeiit must bo carried on," exclaims the financier. Taxes in some form therefore are imperative. It i 3 at this point the protectionist steps in and insists that such taxes shall be levied, wherever possible, on such commodities a3 wo can produce among ourselves as cheaply as can be imported. It docs not follow that the gross taxation is thus increased one farthing, and it matters not one whit to the consumer.! what articles are selected if only the in- ■ cideitce of taxation falls rqually and fairly upon the community at large. So much revenue has to be raised somehow, what then does it matter 011 general grounds what commodities are selected ? Clearly not one particle. Tin's much being granted, we proceed one step further, and , ascertain what nre the commodities which, having reference to the natural resources of the country, or the skill and enterprise of the people, wc can produce as cheaply and as good as the imported article I That they shall be as good and as cheap are fundamental conditions, and it will follow evidently that no matter what amount of taxation may be put upon corresponding articles coming from abroad, we do not by such a process increase the cost of such articles ; for the local article, equally cheap and _g°od, take* the place of whatever proportion of the imported articles are kept out by this means. Of course, on that portion that conies in notwithstanding the increased taxation the price is enhanced in proportion, or the merchants' profits are lesa, l, v ut such an increase in the price is simply a contribution to the revenue, and as the taxation must be paid somehow, so long as the amount is not increased, what can this matter 1 If wo comprehend aright 1 the principle involved, it is as we state it. It is exceedingly simple, and if the abuse i of it is carefully avoided, the results of such fiscvl changes as we have indicated would very soon work wonders for our natitra industries. At the present moment we are in a position to compete successfully, even with our present clumsy nondescript tariff, both with neighboring colonies and foreign countries. \\ecan tt»> so With with some kiiuis of apparel, with many varieties of boots, ' with candles, and numerous other manufactures. The raw materials of those we have enumerated are obviously our wool, hides, ati'i tallow. Of the latter wc export vast quantities to Great Britain and elsewhere, and some portion comes back to 1 us in the manufactured statni. It is obvious surety, that, >i 'S>; exported our surplus only, aitd retained a sufficient quantity for ©ttr o.vtt requirements, and had them manufactured in the Colony, we should employ a vast number of skilled workmen, and tue wages of labor, which gives such valtrt; t<> ' the raw materials, would be spent amongit ■ otrraelvts. In parting "it' l le "'ages ot labor expended in the manufacture of such commodities, we part with which the raw products value. Of course we get the price of the raw materials, but, then, we have to pay the higher price foi the manufactured article, and the loss to the Colony- keeping our preliminary condition in view—is just the ditteteiice between the two prices. We get. let us #av. 1.100.im but wc pay iwc!: again L"W)O.«i«X>, and »tt« difference is v.lw: th,r Colony loses by the transacfioit. J: wiii be apparent that it i--> n*.» h-'t-i'.oi'.-e piodr:ctb>ns wc desire t«> »«« bur such productions as we aw eithe: in" inamifaetnrinsj or are capable of manutucturiri'." r.s cheaply aud a.-» go.>d «» tjic ported ;u."ieles. Their itajue _ ia ami wha" ;> :>r"[(iising field for local enterprise. capira'l. arid >kil! is thus Up. How Would the weltave ot the Colony 'i-o proinoted: n-r can we see tiiae mty individual «>r any interest would necessarily be injured. The farmer is persevering!}- warned against the baneful effects, of pm-h a policy in other countries, and he is represented as a miniature Atlas carrying the world of other industries on his shoulders. The, least sttidy will show the fallacy of such a position. If iho gross taxation of the country reitwins the sasi»? per head as in previous years, and if the .'realty produced commodities are as cheap and as good as the imported articles which they supplant, it will be seen that those who tay the trap and those who frill into it must alike be mistaken. It may be said, if the principle is thus circumscribed and shorn of its objectionable features, what necessity remains for any such special drttv ? Articles as good and cheap locally produced will command the local market .jpontaneotisly. Uut that is the one thing which alt experience teaches us is a fallacy. iv> long as no fiscal barrier is erected over speculation, over consignments and a chronic stiie of glut, a state of things must exist nut only hostile but absolutely destructive to all local industry. It is alwaT3 difficult, nnd often almost invp&iaible, to divert the stream <~f trade oitco it has worn I for itself deep and well-defined channels. No colony can hope successfully to compete with the older countries of the world on any other condition* than those wc have pointed out. We hava never known a cotonv to do so. Tasmania, for instance, with its fine climate, insular position, and, early advantages, has reverted into a sheep walk. Sydney had a long start of Melbourne, and her woollens had attained considerable fame and importance. Under 3 free trade policy they vanished, while in Melbourne they have grow 11 into a flourishing industry. It is not—to use this article as an example—that they arc not cheaper and letter; they are, and the targe demand for them iu the various j colonies demonstrate- the fact. Hut, not--1 withstanding this, were they not projected, the ' steady manufactures and speciilitise consignments of the Old World would Wot them out in a single year. It is a frc« trade axiom that whatever restricts local competition inevitably raises the price of the commodities to the consnmer; hence the free import all raw materials into England. The axiom holds equally good here, for nothing so restricts local competition with us as, excessive importation. In liko manner all such restrictions depress the investment of capital in such haprdous undertakings. At no period in her history did Great Britain suffer to such an extent as we in these colonies do now. Our local prod actions are stunted and dwarfed by competition from without, and losal development and Jocal competition become an impossibility. T'j3 misconception so apparent in many quarters restyling these propyls arises from our inherited <iislike to everytlrtci? savoring of protection as understood 30 years ago. tfaffcr another al;y, sod ® PWstjW .9/

things having nothing in common, we inherit only the name. To rear her colossal industries England swept away every obstacle to their development—that wa3 free trade. To accomplish the same thins—the development of our industries amidst such conditions as wo find ourselves— -.ve must if we cannot *weep auav the i T, r <* "r- eiition from wriiMit that i? •• * ' ' ! to local development. ioti ■ '.or such conditions as we have .1 1 out is, we maintain, a perfectly ; •!•;. reasonable. and rational policy, and need excite no alarm nt:d no hostility in any quarter. Our farmers wo.tld l.'.rgely *:>«>:.e::*. I.}' such !!i * creased l-.cal consumption, for if agriculture is to prosper, tito mouths to be fed must have some relationship to the acres we cultivate. A foreign market will ever, we fear, be inferior to .1 local one. We arc of opinion, therefore, that the Legislature may do much, and should dn it promptly, in the direction we have indicated. A hasty glance at the imports of last year of such goods as wc ourselves can produce equally as good and cheap as can be imported, convinces us that, without making the tariff in the least prohibitive, one million's worth per annum of our own manufactures might speedily take the place of the imported articles. One million ! What an immense blessing such a sum kept circulating and being augmented from year to year would prove ? such an accumulation, our own productiveness, taking the place of a drain, the continuance of which would be prodigality and foil}-.