The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THUESDAY, MAY 17, 1888. PROTECTION FOR RARMERS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1843, 17 May 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THUESDAY, MAY 17, 1888. PROTECTION FOR RARMERS.

The Frcctrade journals havo all along been pooh poohing the exodus which has been taking place to Victoria, and care has been taken to publish such facts as made it appear that the rush to Victoria was altogether a myth, and further that trade there was at a low ebb. The Melbourne correspondent of the " Daily Times," however, m his own Frcofcrnde paper says : —"Letters m the Dunedin. papers give a depressing account of trade m Melbourne, but you can depend upon it that this is not a true picture. Trade was never so brisk. Carpenters, painters, bricklayers, and such tradesmen have a big field m Melbourne at present. It may be that the supply is above the demand. The reverse could scarcely be the case, seeing the way m which artisans have been flocking hither from other colonies during tho past three; years. But it is. a fact that never m tho history of Melbourne were all tho trades so brisk as at present." Jf such testimony as this m a Frcclrade journal as to the briskness of trade m Victoria is to be gainsaid we should like to see tho contradiction. The condition of Victoria at the presont time is due only to the fact that there is a full measure of Protection m Victoria, while m New Zealand competition is with the open markets of the world, and we are not m a position to hold our own m commandiug these markets. A writer m an American journal recently pointed out wherein the success of the (States and such like protected communities lay. Comparing tho railway systems of Victoria and New Zealand tho writer said : — " The two colonies, an far. as enterprises of (his kind, sire nearly on the same footing ; the only difference consists m tho fact that Victoria constructed railroads, and then adopted a policy calculated to make them thoroughly usefuland profitable, whiles New Zealand attempts to maintain an expensive railway system m a country, which, provided it is to remain a pnstoral and agricultural region, would bo as well served with ordinary roads " Mere agricultural and pastoral produce will not represent wealth (o a country unless there are menus of turning these products to «coi)U!)t, Fanners m pnr ticular would bom fU if souk; measure of protection were a Horded for the nianur fact we of. their produce into sunh a commodity as would sell to advantage both m tlic colony ;nu! out of it. The aim of the farmer should bo tn encourage protection, and tho same writer m support- of this nays---*' Jt would seem that the evidence obtained by daily experience ought t:> touch the agriculturist that liis truo policy is to aid m building up communities as near as possible to the f.imi, and thus nssist, m enhancing the value of his land." Commenting on the so facts, ami tho interest there should be on the. part of every fanner to favour a Protective policy, the Dunedin " Herald " points to tho experience of the pant as well as the presont, and appeals,.; Ist, to experience m Great Britain, whose manufactures were nourished into adolescence' under a, strictly Protective system ; 2nd, to the United btat.es where the same prescription has produce! the same result within our own generation ; 3rd, to Victoria, where, m spito of almost every natural disadvantage, a wise tariffhes produced the usual inevitable consequences. The "Herald" then gees on to s»y : — " r Jhe JNcw Zealand farmer has plenty of pretended advisers to tell him that Protection means that he will have to pay higher ■prices for all he wants, and reap no correlative, advantage. The experience of the Now Zealand farmer is written large on the pages of the history of our own liniCH — it is this : that the owner and tiller of tho s il reaps an advantago from tho establishment of manufactures m his vicinity far greater than thut reaped by any other class, To force all colonists to bo producers from the soil is to encourage competition with those already settled on it. To afford every facility to the population to enter upon other fields of industry id at once tp.relioro the 1 farmer from competition and afford him ! an immediate market for his products."