PREFERENTIAL DUTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2425, 5 September 1900, Page 8

PREFERENTIAL DUTIES.

A REFEPvEXCE BY MR T. MACKENZIE.

(Fboh Ottb Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, August 31. Mr Thomas Mackenzie, speaking in the tariff debate last night, made some reference to the question of preferential duties. What he said was only 'on the spur of the moment, and he hopes to deal with the question more fully and vigorously before <the close of the session. Mr Mackenzie commenced by hailing with pleasure the concessions made, which 'went distinctly, he thmight, in the direction of Freetrade and towards assisting the producers of the colony. ' Incidentally he referred to the "wretched past.'' He said: "I think the Premier was rather unhappy in his alhision to the TJeriod between 18S7 and*' lß9o.

Ho called that period the years 'of 'depletion of population and commercial disaster. He was in the "House during those years, and> so were many- other honourable members here present, and that period 'of three years was devoted by the Parliament to adjusting the finances of the colony and paying off the inherited deficiencies, which deficit they paid off in solid sovereigns and out of revenue, and when the Government left office there was a credit balance. 1 notice that the honourable gentleman is making notes of these deficits inherited by the Atkinson Government, so I will give him some particulars. The Bum of £152,112 was paid off which was inherited from the Stout-Vogel Government, and then the exports of the colony reached the large value of over nine millions. They increased — I am speaking from memory — from something like six millions in 1886 to something over nine millions in 1890, and the works of these yeai'3 laid the basis of the prosperity which the colony has since enjoyed. I therefore think this Parliament and country should, look with pleasure and with _ gratitude upon the' work that was done during those years. Mr Mackenzie referred to the duty on cotton and print goods which, at under 4d a, yard, are admitted now at a low duty, but when the higher class of goods comes in at over 4d a yard the duty is doubled. He thought that a wrong system. He thought the people of this colony ought to be encouraged to buy good stuff, and there should be a tendency to the lessenirig of the duty as the quality of the goods increased rather than in proportion to the low qtiality of the goods^that may be imported." Referring to works of art, Mr Mackenzie said: — "We know the Premier since he visited the old country and saw the beautiful works of art there both in statues and in paintings (An Hon. Member: "And coat of arms.") Mr T. Mackenzie : And coats pi arms. But I would say to the Premier, as we wish to encoxirage artistic taste. in this country, he might have considered the propriety of admitting ■pictures and statuary and choice works of art free. Sir, I hear the hon. member for Dunedin City (Mr Barclay) interjecting and disapproving. He, sir, comes from a city that has been from its very foundation noted for the promotion of high educational advantages to its people, and if a representative of any city in this country demurs io \vorks of art

being br ought" into" tKe colony under themosfi favourable 'circumstances, he' shows ar'want ofi'^ -appreciation of the position" which -I deplores, I, therefore, think that instead oLexprfissing: 5 his disapproval of such a suggestion as I have . made he- should give it his heartiest support! Mr Mackenzie then went" on to 'deal with the question of preferential duties as fcdlews:|\ " I should have greatly appreciated it had the Premier in this Tariff Bill embodied "some higher and more Imperial ideas in its treatment. I think the time has arrived' in the history of this 'colony when we ought-to-sub-, mit preferential tariffs in favour of the whole Empire, especially in favour of the mother country* Sir, we know that the'bold, Liberal Premier of Canada, ignoring those old trea- -< ties that had been entered into by the British'— ', Government without the, consent of the colo- \-l' nies or any of the dependencies — tariff trea- v ties passed -by Lord Palmerston^in 1865, trea-' -r ties that prevented any, interchange of trade between the old country and any of the dependencies, treaties that precluded even the colonies themselves from establishing ' any form of trade reciprocity whatever - unless those terms were extended tc Belgium' and! Germany. Sir Wilfrid Laurier ignored those treaties., and ha«l the courage to submit preferential tariffs in favour of the mother country. - "We know the cry j that was raised throughout 'Europe ithafc"th'ey were'-infringe-ments of the treaties -splemhly . ejjjjaEEjd* into ';i ' .but "McGhamberlaitv through tligSfjSressure "brought to 'bear, on "him, deuouncTexl'^ thesa treaties, ' and they 1 have been now'iepealed. • There 'should-.be- the •'freest 'trade- -poSibre be- " 'tween the old 'country and- its : dependencies^ ' xJ ancl therefore I' think -the- Premier wduld-db> ; _' a great national workvwere he now; to .submit , differential proposals in. favour", of theqrroduc'e ai.d manufactured goods from the old country. Take.tho question of iron and. wire and - oiher goods that are duty free. We get irdi* and wire largely now from Germany _ and America. The Gorman and American, wire is much, inferior -to that manufactured *by: our fellow-workmon in tho eld country ;j; ye |j cause it is a few shillings per ton"ch|"ap*er s than that made by the British manui'acifurer, it is imported by Now Zealand, mer,chant¥" and sold to our settlers. The wire iß"infifately\ inferior. We know die tariff thstt '.obtains in

these countries.' II is (impossible; 'now bjc/; any method we like' to employ to gefcj^sin'gle ounce of our wool into America or a polfnd" of our produce into Europe, and yet every year ye see, instead of -greater trade facilities to- ; wards our country- that is extended so much to them, wo see the wall of protection rising higher and higher. I f.ay, therefore, the [ time has arrived when this country,, arid all the dependencies of the mother country, ' should approach the Imperial Government, and see if it is not possible to establish a system of -Imperial Zollverein, such as obtains in America and within several BuropaaiL countries, Germany especially. To bring it to a point, this is what I should like the Premier to do in-tho taviff here: T should 1 like to have esen him propose that > all 1 wire from Germany, or Belgium, or America, should be subject to a tariff of 10s per ton at any rate, and that the wire from our fellow- - workmen in Great -Britain should continue to-.come in free.— (Mr Rv M'Eenzie : '-^Wireis free now.")' Mr T. "Mackenzie: 'Should continue to come in free. -The ' honourable , member for ' Motueka ' surely ' under- - , stands , what - I said ; l; ' therefore -' hi* ' .interjection is "quite unnecessary." And forj" this, reason: Because the people who ''make' this 'better 'class wire,' in. Great Britain; are our " customers. They take our frozen mutton, 'oiir butter, 'and our cheese, "and owc[v/oot sfree from all duty trammels;, and, surely!, ife, • is the right and wise policy for us in this ■• colony to pursue to take the better class stuff they manufacture, and bring it- in', and! use all the means we can to keep out the inferior stuff from the countries that do not admit a pqund of our produce within "their '• boundaries. Then we might fairly ask the people of Great Britain to extend similar concessions towards us. " We may reasonably ask them, that, as there are countries, competing -with us in their markets in 'the goods we produce, and that Australia .produces and Canada produces. It is surely reason- " able for us to say that, as the dependencies o£ the y Empire are capable of supplying ,them with all they require, and that of the highesfc class, we should be permitted to continue to send our stuff in 'free; that Great Britairt should place a differential duty on the" same class of goods from the United States andf European countries. -We*shall then «stabliaHr^ some system of mutuality of assistance, be- * cause we have shown, in connection with the recent troubles in the old country, that we are prepared to take our share of Imperial j responsibilities, and it is only right* andl - proper to endeavour to establish a' similar „ amount of trade exchange within ourselves. '• And I if that were -done it- would?" ; largely aid .us in the .development -of -our . industries. At * the present > time we- have, to compete against other countries,-' and* I believe that the time is not far distant when the Argentine, -.with its enormous resources, with its cheap and infeiior labour, with the^easy terms upon "which land can 'be -acquired, anct its closer proximity to markets— when th& industrial population of this country may well dread the competition that may arias ■in that - country -with - otrr - own* markets. Therefore. I say we ought, as far. as possible, s in the tariff proposals which we submit now, 'endeavour to extend concessions to the old. land, so that the old land may in turn assist; us .with the development of our industries* by giving us protection against countries that send inferior goods and employ inferior labour, and extend to us the same advantages as we .extend. I do not know that J shall delay the House any longer. The bill will generally have my support, and I think the " Premier is to be thanked for - what he has done in amending the tariff of this country."