PROTECTION AND THE IRON TRADE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1614, 20 July 1887, Page 3

PROTECTION AND THE IRON TRADE.

The Committee of the House of Representatives Appointed last session "to consider how manufactures And industries may be encouraged " had not very much time to pursue their 'nvestlfintionß. They m foot, confined their inquiries to the iron trade, and only examined three witnesses regarding It. Those witnesses were Messrs K. Seager, 0. M. Luke, and E. W. Mills, all of Wellington, and the evidence they gave is very inatruotive and Interesting. Me3eers Seager and Luke Agreed that the trade is In a very languishing condition, And that there was not employment for the skilled workmen who required it. They attributed this fact to the large amount of ironwork now imported, bat whiob could bo made m Wellington, and they thought that a duty of 20 per cent would enable them to compete with the foreign workers. Mr Seager said : "They can land an engine m Wellington from England 20 per cent, less than we can make it. We pay 60 per cent more m wages to our workmen. Tne class of men to whom we pay 10s a day wend get about 5* a day la England," Mr Seager also admitted that if the 20 per oant proteotlon were granted the purchaser m the Colony would probably have to p»y a little extra. It was also admitted tW, no matter what the work to be done was, the wages remained unaltered. Mr Lake »aia the wages paid here were nearly three times those paid at Home, Tho high rate of wages, he thought, was ft great bar to more capital being employed m manufactures. Mr Mills thought the icon trado pretty well protected already, and not requiring any moro, urged the admission fi oo of corUln olaesei of oats, bolts, and rivets, which requirod expensive maohiaory to make. On one point Mr Mills was very empbatio and that was the price demanded by local manufactures had no itflaenoe affeoting the price charged by mauufaotarers at Home, as the New Zealand market was too Brnall to exercise such an Influence.