THE BEST POLICY FOR NEW ZEALAND.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1820, 20 April 1888, Page 2

THE BEST POLICY FOR NEW ZEALAND.

(To the Editor of the " Otaoo Dally Tlmea.") Pir, —In reading the last report of the National Mortgage and Agency Company <f New Zealand, the ohalrrnin (Mr H. It. Greoc Jeli) ,i« nrvlng the adoption of the repoifc, Bald :— " Bjfore passing to the usual examination of the report aud accounts, I will just cay a few words upon tho the subject of (ho country m whloh our business c'ak fly Hob. The depresalun which haa existed m. New Zoblaud daring the last three or four yean is not more than might bo obairved m any other country dependant almoat entirely on agriculture m all ita branchoa JnoiadlDg pastoral pursuits, Wool, until last year, has boen ootnparativoly low m price, and grain-growing has been unremuneratlvo, more especially m the Bouth of New Zealand, unfamarabla harvest woather Borloualy injured the cropp ; aod frozen moat has been a very dioappolnting trada, although J am bound to aay it has given n valuable outlot for Burphn Bt»ck . " I quote this extraot, aa for Ibo psat s yeara I havo advocated, and oeaUtod m the Industrial development of New Zealand, believing that thero la leaa d mger of auoh bad tlmea aa we hive hod of Into If our paople are engaged In a grower variety pf Industries. No one could value our agricultural and pastoral resources more ihau 1 do ; indeed I oor.aider them to ba t-ho backbone of Now Zealand, bot unloßß we vary tho ocoupation ol Iho people we ehall novor bo able to depend upon an average rato of proapority. Whatever my opinion m general about Froetrado or Protection may ba. 1 firmly beliovo that for Now Zaaiand a p:otsc tivo tariff— on all goods for tho manufacture of which tho colony la naturally adapted— will be for a veiy Jong time to come our wisest and beat policy, I oannot understand why otherwise woH.oonduoted papera should mlalead the public by allowing it to be inferred that if a duty of 25 per cent la plaoed on goods that can bo manufactured horo, tha consumer will have to pay 25 por oent moro Will any importer of clothing, boot?,' or furniture tell me that if to-morrow a duty of ovon 100 percent wero plsoed on these articles, farmers or working men (for those are always quoted) would, valno for value, pay Id moro for them ? The only Inoreaae woult} bo on each expensive goode as are wantoi by a olasa of people who are not aatloGed with tha sound and honoat manufneturea of thie country, and from Biich I think It la freU ( for tho State to derive a largor revenue. Idympathlso with Sir tiarry A.tklneon \ m tho diftioalt tank he has net himself cf remodelling our tariff ; hut he la right In » not trying to please either rabid Protectionists or rabid Freetraders. The first thing foe him to determine lo what goods can and ought to bo, through our natural faoilitioa, mannfaotnrod hero ; and I say, * whatover Protective duly may bo imposed \ upon thonn, the country and the goneral r publio will In tho long ruu be benefited t thereby. , t Aa oolf i.itorest iuollnea manufaofcuroro to favor Protection and unportoro to favor P Freotrado, 1 may 6t ; »to that, though D engaged m manufaoturlii),', I ana aloo, as is *} well known, ova of tho largoot importora m J ' the oolony ; I therefore vontqre to think B; that I imy be safoly acqulttod of any f, ahargo of bias or undue leaulug to either 0 aldo, — I am, oto , „ t^ 4, a■■ i O B UA^KNaTEIN. I DunedJn, April Is, Ll