wanganui Chronicle. AND PATE-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." THURSDAY, JULY 28, 1887.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXX, Issue 11545, 28 July 1887, Page 2

wanganui Chronicle. AND PATE-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." THURSDAY, JULY 28, 1887.

The candidates on the Ministerial side, so far as can be gathered from the speeches they have already delivered,obediently accept the key-note given them by their leaders on the question of the increased tariff, and unanimously argue that it was put forward in the interests of local manufactures. But their arguments and reasonings are strangely contradictory. The only objections that consumers could have to _an increased tariff would be that it would make the specific articles of consumption dearer, and that unless a corresponding benefit could be shown, they would not be willing to pay the higher prioe for. them. ,'To meet' this objection, it has been argued by the candidates who are in favour of the higher taritf that increased prices would not necessarily follow, because competition would bring things to their proper level, and prices would in reality be lowered as competition increased. If these arguments could be proved to be correct then all objections: to increased Customs duties would disappear, because in that case their imposition would be a decided advantage to the consumer. We presume that those who argue in favour of this contention do not anticipate that goods would be manufactured at a loss — which could not, of course, be any ultimate, benefit to the colony, as it would mean the bursting up of the factories — but that they could be manufactured, under such competition, at a profit to the manufacturer, and thus enable him to give profitable employment to the factory hands who would be engaged. We shall therefore take their own argument as a bas:s, and to show its inconsistencies- If with an increased tariff manufacturers could produce goods of equal quality at prices as cheap as they can be made at present, then why do they not produce them nowP We have sufficient confidence in the good sense of the people of the colony to think that, all things being equal, they would prefer locally made goods to those that are imported. And this opinion is borne out by the success which has followed the establishment of the woollen industries, which have literally knocked the English goods out of the colonial markets. Wherever the woollen mills are under good management they effect this much-desired result with satisfaction to the community and a profit to themselves. In the matter of agricultural implements, one of the largest manufacturer of this class of goods in the colony is strongly opposed to the imposition of protective duties. One would have thought thai if there were any great, benefit to be obtained by levying heavy Customs dues, I those for whose special benefit they were alleged to be proposed would hardly be. likely to be the first to object. Then again, putting duties on the necessaries of life makes the coft of living greater, and even where higher wages may be the result, that circumstance is of n) real beuefit to the employed, as what they receive in wages is consumed in proouriog the neoessaries of life at the higuor prices which the duties necessarily involve. Then any inorease in the cost of employment must naturally tend to increase the cost of manufactures, and consequently also increase the cost to the consumer. The ( only way such a difficulty can be met is , by longer hours of labour, which, as a matter of fact, has already taken plaoe in most of the factories. When our , woollen mills started they had a hard i struggle, mainly through the inexperi. ] ence of the management, and for a time i it was very doubtful whether they would be able to oaropete against the imported ' article; but gradually and suuely, as ex- ( perience w;tfi gained, tbey forged ahead, ( until to-day they aro a splendid success. * As a further proof that ic is not increased . protection that is requised to foster this particular industry, we find that each t factory , ''has had t'sn same struggle to | pt',ss through on tlia road to success. \ Although the old, well conducted esfc*b* i lishmeuts, are now on a sound footing, i; those started inore recently have to pay d for their experience, uad .u.» yet are not v o prosperous, although iboy all manufacture similar artiolcs and havo the j « jaiue market to deal v/itb. ' I