NEW ZEALAND'S OPPORTUNITY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13516, 13 February 1906, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND'S OPPORTUNITY.

TO THE EDITOB. . Sib—lt was generally supposed that the recent British elections would be fought principally upon fiscal reform, but this hardly seems to have been the case. It is not difficult to see now that the country had lost all faith in Mr Balfour and h» party, 60 out they had to go, fiscal reform or not. The movement may have received a blow, but it is only one of the many buffets that come to innovation, and nothing in the nature of a mortal wound. There is too much truth in Mr Chamberlain's proposals and too much good sense among English people for it to fizzle out in any such ignominious fashion. It will live to fight another day, and finally to conquer; but when? The matter is no party question here in Now Zealand, and removed from the lioat and cross motives of that system we, with the other colonies, should bo able to five an opinion of some valuo t» the Mother Country. Then, again, wo arc freer from tliat spirit of blind conservatism that op. poses change because it is change, and imagines because a system was good 50 years ago it must bo so to-day. The ease for Ereetrade rests upon these two axioms of political economy: (1) That every country should purchase in the best market offered it—i.e., the best quality of goods at the cheapest price, (2) That the imports of any country aro paid for by the exports, or, in other words, every ton of goods that is imported from a; foreign country must bo paid for by a ton of goods produced in the Home country. Let us examine these so-called axioms under the searchlight of modern fiscal conditions, and see if they are still sound. In the first case (No. 1) there can bo no doubt that were there universal Freetrade the axiom- would be perfectly justifiable and right. But the best market for England cannot surely be that of a country . which refuses to receive our goods without rendering them move or less unsaleable by a high protective tariff, while we receive them on an equal footing with our own. Our first commercial duty is to sea that, our industries are -well- nourished and prosperous, and that our population has no scarcity of employment. To do this it is necessary to make the utmost use of the home and the foreign markets; and how are we to do so competing on equal terms in the former and on unequal in the latter? Surely this is neither fair trade nor free trad?. How these so-called freetraders can stand by and see industry after . industry sicken and die? How they can listen to the angry crv for employment raised all over the< country, and yet continue to advocate the obvious causes of such distress pa-rscs the understanding of an unsophisticated colonial. In regard to the second axiom (No. 2), no one is foolish enough to suggest that an amount of money goes out of England every year to make up the discrepancy between imports and exports, became obviously in such a case we should soon be drained of our suymlv of gold. But there is such a thing—known well enough to bankrupts—as living unou capital, and' it is that or its equivalent that England is doing to-day. Coal is as much capital as land, and it is. with coal that England pays for many of her imports.- Whe, the inevitable happens, and our stinplv n,' coal is exhausted, then England will no. longer havo the to boast of be-in?.'' the first commercial power in the wor!-;, then she must take the insignificant place reserved for a nation that refuses to move; with the times. Can we do nothing more than hope that England will realise the' only afternatrve for such a fall lies in the immediate adoption of Mr Chamberlain's proposals? The influence of the colonics lias lwen sleadily increasing' with the Mother Country, so that to-day slie would not disregard our respectful advice. And as citizens of the Empire we have a voice in a matler that goes far deeper than the welfaro of England alone. Let us be on, lookers at the fight no longer, but show . ini no half-hearted way our conviction that fiscal reform is essential to the maintenance of England and the Empire. Our heir) at a_ military crisis has not been forgotten. England is to-day at a commercial crisis, and our assistance is as needful as on the darkest day in South Africa. Over this matter wo must sink parlv animosity and selfishness, and speak with o. unanimous, and clear voice. Should Mr Seddon carry out this plan I will gladlv support hiri] with loyalty, even though I am his eompleU and unconditional political opponent.—T sm, etc., J. IT. A,