PROTECTION AND AMERICA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7443, 23 December 1885, Page 1 (Supplement)

PROTECTION AND AMERICA.

I TO THE KD1T0I!. Si», — hi reply to your correspondent " Patriot," 1 would point' out that the really crushing Protective taritf in. America dates from 15<il. when the Morrill tariff was adopted; prior to that the tariff was altered several times, sometimes being fairly Protective, and at other times simply a revenue tariff. As to the main point, that Protection has lmiit up the United States, this is not only not true, but the reverse of the truth. Greatly a_s America has progressed, her progress would have been still greater without Protection. American progress is due to her magnificent resources, which have enabled her to endure so long the crippling system of j Protection; but recent events go to show that even with these resources America can no longer bear the burden. The course of trade in America during the last few years affords the most striking confirmation of the doctrines of economists. Exactly what might be expected to happen has happened. If not too long, the enclosed extract represents the position of affairs very graphically. Many others to the Hlce effect could be. added.— I aril, ice, AI.UVK HOL.MI's. December 22.

ISxtraet from a speech of .Sir William Bower Forwood, ex-president; of the Liverpool Board

ftf Trade, to the working men of Liverpool as chairman of the Sahuday evening f;-eo concert :—

" Let me say a word to the working men I see here. Trade is bad, you say, and foolish menare saving to you that is cau-ed by Freetrade, and will not be better till we adopt Protee-

I have just landed from

America; trade is bud there, and they say it is caused by Protection, and they are beginning to cry out for Freetrado as the only thing that will restore their prosperity. We must be ijiiite wrong here, or they must he-quite wrong in America. Let us sec which it is. Trade is undoubtedly bad enough here. I find on inquiry that the weekly pay-sheets of our manufactories are about 30 per cent, less than two or three years ngo. This means lower wages and some men out of work, but there are few works in the country closed, while in America in some districts there is absolutely no trade at all. There are many towns in New England in which every factory is closed, and 20,000 to 30,000 men are out of work. The same is true of the iron and coal industries of Pennsylvania, in America. At the present moment men are starving in their tens of thousands In America they can afford to make great experiments, because their resources are so great that a few mistakes will not ruin them. They have experimental with Protection on a grand scale and have stood us strain and weight in a wonderful way; but it is now hearinu down even Aiuc'ric.l. with all her great natural wealth."