FACT VERSUS THEORY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1810, 9 April 1888, Page 2

FACT VERSUS THEORY.

TO THR EDITOB. Sib, — As an advocate of Freetrade for the last twenty years, I write to thank you for your leading ariicle m Friday night's issue. You head it "Faot versus Theory," and then you give us the fact thkt m this colony, under Freetrade, we can manufacture woollen goods at 45 per cent less than they can bo imported for. I at-k you, Sir, m the face of suoh a state- w mont, where is the need of Protection? Regarding binder twino, if it was, as you say, Is 3d per lb, without any duty on it, and the local make only cost Bd, where, X ask again, was the need to put a duty on it ? Do you think that the farmers ate that stupid that they w..uld give Is 3d for what they could get for 8d ? It was the making of it m tho colony alone, and not the 10 per cent duty that drove the imported twino out of Iha market, Now, I will give you another fact re Protection cheapening goods. We had m our midst last week a thr. shing machine made m Melbourne where, according to yoar theory, things ought to bo very cheap, but I find that (he niak-ne of that machine just chirge 33 per cent more than any of the first class machines of the English make can be landed m Melbourne for (importers' profits iocluied) I am not including the price of Mr Quinli van's extras (the band cutter and feeder), but the price oi the threshing machine. Of course there is a <UfEerenco m the make of this machine from the Eaglish make, but from my own experience m such work, I can safely say that it ought to be pro* duced for Boraething like £20 less .than the first claßs English machines, / thus, making about 40 par cent difference. Now, if this is all Victoria can do after twenty yeara of Protection, all I oan say is, that I pity the purchasers. Yours, etc,, Fbeetradb. Aehburton, 7th April, 1888,