THE NEW TARIFF

Thames Advertiser, Volume XXIX, Issue 8641, 22 January 1897, Page 2

THE NEW TARIFF

Is all that can bo desired—from a Govern* .tictit point of view. It is also all wrong and ill-advised—from an Opposition point of vfaw; and it will be generally conceded that the man has not yet been born that can construct a tarifT which will not provoke ridicule from the common or garden observer. However, something had to be done, and it was only to he expected, after the provincial tour of the Commissioners, that it would he something funny. But it was really touching to follow the said Commissioners on their round, and watch the sublime self-sacrifices offered by the "successive suggestors," One man would come along and say that he was "ruuhing a factory" (we will say) for the tinning of gai'lUli, and while not wishing anything out of the way, would suggest a duty of 330 per ei'iit. ud val. on tinued fish of all kinds.

It is only natural that this should be followed by another patriot who had a large stock of second-hand cofflii-platci, and in the pure Invo of his country, and for the sake of the revenue, he would think it desirable that a tax of, say, seven shillings an ounce should ho put on all this olass of imports. Anything apparently for their country's good, while one of the iniiiii sources of rovenuo last year was derived from tho duty paid on the large and ever-increasing shipments of Vanity Fair Cigarettes which have steadily made their way juto pu-Uc favour,