FRESH MARKETS FOR OUR WOOL PRODUCT.

Otago Witness, Issue 1584, 1 April 1882, Page 5

FRESH MARKETS FOR OUR WOOL PRODUCT.

Sir Henry Parkes' mission to the United States has failed, as everyone expected it would fail, in obtaining any promise of a remission of duties on Australasian wools. Our San Francisco correspondent, indeed, thinks " that the subject was not approached in a way to give the slightest chance of success, and the publicity and ostentation of Sir Henry's visit may even have retarded the desired consummation of free and unrestricted < intercourse by putting the protected interests on their guard. The wool-growers of the United States represent an industry which has grown with great rapidity in some of the States, and the Western farmers are beginning to see that they cannot depend on grain-grow-ing alone, but that wool and mutton will in future form important items in tholist of their productions. The heavy protective duties on wool are some compensation to them' for the raising of the cost of so many commodities which they use. It will therefore be difficult to persuade them that they will be benefited by the reduction or entire removal of duties on imported wools. Then the whole body of Protectionists throughout the States would be up in arms to resist any measure likely to be the means of ultimately breaking down Protection altogether. The American Government has indeed entered into a reciprocity treaty with the Government of Hawaii, by which Hawaiian sugar is admitted free in return for certain advantages granted to American commerce. But a reciprocity treaty between the ,Unijted States and the Australasian Colonies could, pot be negotiated without special; permission from the Home Government, and it is not likely that Great Britain would willingly consents be placed on a less favourable footing in her ' relations with her own Colonies than a foreign Whether the concession which' Sir, BJEtfRY Parkes is .alleged to have secure.d from C.anaola — thq .reduction of the. duties on, fine wools from Australasia—can be lawfully carried into effect without Great Britain participating we are' in some 'doubt, and a reference to the , correspondence' tween the New Zealand , Government and Earl Kimberley in 1872 on |the subject of reciprocity, does not cleanup, this point. It would seem absurd that wools shipped direct from a> British Colony should be admitted another British colony at a lower rate of duty than would be charged on wools imported from the Mother ' Counlry, and we wan,t to know a ! little more } of this promised concession before we can form any opinion as to its value. It does not appear to, us that the interchange between Canada and the Australasian colonies can possibly be so great- for many years to come a& to warrant the laying on 1 of a line' of steamer^ from Montreal to Australia, as the cable informs us is in contemplation, and we cannot help thinking that Sir Henry Parkes has been indulging in a little bounce, to cover his defeat at Washington. • '

The whole question of a freer interchange between the different Colonies is one well worthy of the most careful consideration, and it is occupying the attention of colonists at Home. , The great obstacle is the growth of Protectionist principles. There can be no question that these principles tend to the disruption of the friendly relations which have so long subsisted between England and her self-governing colonies, and to retard tnat federation of the whole Empire which is the ardent ambition of a s certain school of modern statesmen. Lord Kimberley, writing in 1872 to Governor Bowen on the proposal for reciprocity treaties between NewZealand and the Australian Colonies, said : "It is of course unnecessary for me to observe that while her Majesty's Government feel bound to take every proper opportunity of urging upon the Colonies, as well as upon foreign Governments, the great advantages which they believe to accrue to every country which adopts a policy of Freetrade, they have relinquished all interference with the imposition by a Colonial Legislature of equal duties upon goods from all places, although these duties may really have the effect of protection to the native producsr. But a proposition that in one part of the Empire commercial privileges should be granted to the inhabitants of certain other parts of the Empire, to the exclusion and prejudice of the rest of her Majesty's subjects, is an altogether different question, and I would earnestly request your Government to consider ' what effect it

may have upon the relations between the Colonies and this country. Her Majesty's subjects throughout the Empire, and nowhere more than in Australasia, have manifested on various occasions of late their strong desire that the connection between the Colonies and this country should be maintained and strengthened ; but it can hardly be doubted that the imposition of differential duties upon British produce and manufactures must have a tendency to weaken that connection, and to impair the friendly feeling on both side's which I am confident your Government, us much as her, Majesty's Government, desire to preserve." These remarksjhave a close bearing on Sir Henry Pahkes' mission, and coming as he does from a Freetrade colony, he can hardly , defend a policy which seems to .tend in- the direction of exclusiveness. Canadian manufactures must of late have, made great strides if they are able to compete with those of Great Britain^.even with the aid of moderate protective duties, and we cannob conceive •ithafi Canada could take any large 'quantity of Aus' ralasian wool for manufacturing purposes. But if she does irfl'port Australasian wool free, while she places heavy duties on woollen goods of British manufacture, she will certainly jcommit a breach of the spirit, if not of the letter, of the Constitutions of most of the self-governing Colonies, which provide for equality ot dealing with all countiies alike, and preclude special arrangements inimical to the interests of any of the foreign Powers with which England has treaties. Surely England should stand towards her Colonies in the position of " the most favoured nation," especially,^ she admits our chief products free.- jWe fhope Sir Henry Parkes' vinfr'tb jLondon may have the effect of advancing the question of Imperial reciprocity a stage, but we do not expect any'immediate results from his feeble attempt at reciprocity, limited to the relations between Canada and Australia^'w^ich have so few things that they can; profit*

ably interchange.