THE FEDERAL TARIFF.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7231, 18 October 1901, Page 2

THE FEDERAL TARIFF.

Although iihe members of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce were unable yesterday to. adji anything particularly fre&'h to ihu controversy on ilui Federal tariff proposal.-: ;md their effect, on New Zealand, their discussion was by no means unprofitable. At, le;iK, it showed' that ihe comnvsrcial msn of New Zealand' can lisa superior to individual interests and attack this question from i;s broadest point of view. The members took quite the right line- when they deprecated the present outciy iu favour ot' retaliation. It does not aMitcr much what induced the Federal Government to propose liic duli&y on New Zealand produce against which the present agitation i.< proceeding. It may, as one speaker asserted, have arisen from. a. wish to ])tini.-ii 1 1 1 1 r- colony for tk'tcrmining to renr.'.in isolated, or ii may have been <Jv.e simply to a de-ire on tlie parr of ihe Federal CJovenumnt to foivter the producing capacity of tho Commonwealth. To whichever of iiipso cau.'ss tbo tariff proposals owe their origin, thp fact nmaiiia that they are within msauirabk' distance of being realised ani New Zealand must get ready to face the situation. She canno: prenai.a herself by protects and threats. The one. is a warts of energy, and the other a superfluoiv.; display. of ill-temper, and neither is dignified. .She will be consulting her interests far bettfr if instead she follows the advice of the Cunierhury (.'liamt.-cr of Commerce «ud applies hm:'lf to tbt> ta^lc c: finding iiiifl opening up :n;uket.v which v.ill lake t!i? place of ihtn'2' whicirthp Federal tariff will >hut. If. as nnoi-her speaker asserted yesterd:iy, it is only a, qia-iion of time before Australia, will Income sclf-siippoiting, even without lh" aid of p;otec;ive diilies on pzo<lui'9, ill? Australian markers me stareelv \vo!t:i pro-civil^, and iusu-ad of trying to pnx-rvi: th?m we .••honlJ be doing ourselves p.. far service by sseliinij otl:ers v.bic'i oitVi- viir,;. ])i-o.speet of being per-m.-ineut. )iur. let u*> qet rid of the delusion ■that some day soon the Commonwealth Avill be willing to enter into a treaty of rfciproeity with u?. That) day may come, bift it. -vviii not. come until Australisj, lias <?x---hau.';iE..l tvery means of povtponing it. and we hhouiil he guilty cf cisiT-jardirnr a very plain warning if we allowed its pro." pect to in tei fere w:th our search for ether outlets for oi;r pirduce.