The Christchurch Star PUBLISHED BY New Zealand Newspapers Ltd. FRIDAY. JUNE 15, 1934. STAMPEDING THE HERD.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20332, 15 June 1934, Page 6

The Christchurch Star PUBLISHED BY New Zealand Newspapers Ltd. FRIDAY. JUNE 15, 1934. STAMPEDING THE HERD.

COATES has every reason to complain of the machinemade resolutions that are being churned out in the hope of bringing about a downward tariff revision in favour of Britain. It ought now to be accepted as a fact that New Zealand not only has the most favourable tariff preferences possible, but has in fact a tariff twice as favourable to Britain as Britain has accepted in the case of Australia as fulfilling the spirit and letter of the Ottawa Agreement. It is, therefore, painful to find a visitor like Dr Norwood making a generalisation extremely unfair to New Zealand and Australia. Yesterday he said:—

For instance, there is a greatly :n----creased market in Japan for wool, and we are not taking in return Japanese goods. Th3t cannot go on for ever. What in true of Japan is true of England herself. It is obvious that the Dominions cannot expect to find preferential markets for their produce in England unless they meet England in a reciprocal way.

Apart from the fact .that Britain herself is as grievously embarrassed as she has ever been in her history by the threat of cheap Japanese competition, a statement like this does far less than justice to a young country like New Zealand, which has a more keen appreciation Of its destiny than any outsider could possibly have. Figures supplied by the Customs Department show that 68.6 per cent of the total revenue of the Department last year was made up by alcoholic beverages, tobacco and cigarettes, sugar, tea, petrol (Customs revenue only), motor vehicles and primage, mostly on materials for New Zealand industry’. The position of New Zealand is greatly strengthened, too, if we consider the schedule of Australian duties accepted by Britain as complying with the lerms of the Ottawa Agreement, for roughly the Australian duties are double those of New Zealand, and in many cases more than double. Woollen cloth is 85 per cent to New Zealand’s 20 per cent, artificial silk (knitted material) pays 40 per cent in Australia and is free in New Zealand, groceries and provisions are 50 per cent to 20 per cent: costumes and frocks 65 per cent to 27) per cent; wireless sets are 40 per cent to 10 per cent, and lawnmowers (to mention one line which could be made entirely in New Zealand) are 50 per cent to 20 per cent. ORIGINAL. AT LEAST. COME VERY INGENIOUS ideas emanate from Mr C. H. Clinkard, the Coalition Member for Rotorua, who is not only sponsoring a Preferential Voting Bill, hut wishes to “ give minorities reasonable representation.” This is to he accomplished, apparently, by the left-handed method of giving a Member voting strength in the House in proportion to the number of votes cast for.him. It is a devious process, for it means that the Member in whose constituency the largest minority is to go unrepresented. will have the least influence in Parliament, whereas in the case of an altogether contemptible minority, and a corresnondinglv large majority for the elected Member, the constituency would become of real importance in the councils of the nations. Mr Clinkard might go further and provide that any minority representative should have no voting power in the House at all, and this at least would be logical, but it is doubtful if he is worried very much about logic. There is certainly a need for careful boundary readjustment calculated to give representation in proportion to the total voting strength of a constituency. Unfortunately, the adjustment of boundaries must be a matter of guesswork up to a point, and nothing has been found so effective in giving representation in accordance with voting strength as proportional representation, which discounts gerrymandering and faulty electoral boundaries, and most effectively gives the minorities that reasonable representation that Mr Clinkard is groping after.