Taranaki herald. FRIDAY, JULY 26, 1907. THE TARIFF.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13484, 26 July 1907, Page 4

Taranaki herald. FRIDAY, JULY 26, 1907. THE TARIFF.

The Ministet for Customs, in reply to representations respecting* the proposal to increase the duty on iron pipes, told a deputation that the Government believed encouragement should be given to an industry which had already been started in the colony. The youth of the colony, he said, should be given work in our own country, and not be forced to go outside in search of employment. They wanted to foster industries so that town and country would go hand in hand. A specious argument, but illogical when applied as Mr. Millar applies it. In a later speech he has said that the policy of the Government has been to protect as far as possible anything that can be procured in the colony. The effect of this policy has already f been to encourage the establishment of numerous industries which the colony would be better without at the present stage of ,its growth and development. As a general rule to guide us it may be laid down that an industry which cannot live without a heavy protective duty is not worth having, is, in fact, a burden on the people instead of a help to them. Tropical fruits can be grown in Hew Zealand — under glass, but we are not foolish enough to, impose heavy duties on them in order to encourage local growth. Yet many of our local industries are similarly forced*, and the forcing process is very expensive to the people as a whole. Not only is the colony paying more by way of increased cost of protected goods than would pay all the wages the local industry earns, but there is this additional drawback, that the industries thus established in the towns draw from the country the labour it is in need of. Town life possesses attractions for some people which the country lacks, and thus it is that, while farmers are unable to obtain all the assistance they require, and owners of bush country cannot get labour to fell the bush, there is in the centres of the colony a constant demand for employment. Mr. Millar, instead of sending labour to the country, seems to think he ought to try and keep it in the cities by establishing — or assisting by means of the | Customs tariff to establish — local' industries. But the cost falls on the countries in the case of mr-

r (lustries which are before their time, and which require too much forcing-. The colony has already gone a great deal too far in the direction of protecting exotic mr dustries; but the worst of a protective policy, is that there is no end to it. Protection to one article must' necessarily and fairly be followed by protection'' to am other,- even ..tg.mw.ma^erials,. Ye^; so long atf the' principal producing industries have to rely mainly up^ on outside markets, and to com-J pete' with-'-the wbrM's 'producers; so long; will a protective tariff press unfairly, upepi those, who are contributing tlie largest proportion- of the wealift'-df the- ofelony, v-The New Zea la ml 'farmer has to dom-i pete with the American, the Itussian, the Dane/ in.'-fact with producers of every nationality,' but he is taxed upon? nearly, everything: he has to buy. j. - Tlie latest addition to his burden 'in Taranaki is a duty on dairy 'machinery. ■