MR KEIR AND MR BELLHOUSE.
XO THE BDITOB. Fib,— l Bin glad to hear that Mr Bell house, as secretary of the League, is alwajs willing to answer any questions, it shows that Mr Bellhouse, though mistaken, is honest m his opinion. It is a bad sign when an enquirer is met with a pitying look, and the remark, "young man yon want to know too much " Mr Bellhouse'g answer to the first question if, m part, quotations from some of the authors I mentioned, showing that they did sot condemn Protection. It is mere waste of time to discuss this, or any question, with a person who will not admit anything that w&j tell against him, however notorious it may be, and nothing is more notorious m connection with this queetion than that every writer of note on political economy has condemned Protection; It has been called a fallacy, a blander, foolishness, etc., etc., by all recognised authorities on political economy. Infaot, the absurdity of the whole thinghas been exposed, so often and so completely, that the simple-minded or selfish persons who still support it, have of late been driven to the admission that " Free trade is theoretically right bnt practically wrong " In answer to Mr Bellhouse's questions, I have studied the xratter and looked up all the authorities I could, and I am satisfied that all who advocate Protection as being for the welfare of any country are wrong Mr Bellhonse's answer to question No. 2 has been dealt with by "The Other David." I have nothing to add further than this: If Mr Bellhouse meant that answer seriously the League should have thyir secretary's medical adviser called m ai once. The answer to question No. 3 is not m teltigible to me, therefore I will put the question m other words at the end of this letter. I have studied hitman nature and have got a very decided answer to the fourth question, but we hear so much from the League about work and finding employment' for our boys and girls, that one begins to think there must be something desirable m labor, and that it is a mistake to consider it a disagreeable means to an end. Mr Bellhouec finds the fifth question unintelligible, \7ell, he is the very man who ought to understand it. The League ■ays the importation of cheap foreign gooods will ruin the country, end the cheaper the goods the quicker the ruin, therefore I' ask how long would this ruin be m overwhelming us if we got the foreign goods for nothing ? Mr Bellhonse fioishts his letter with a queßiion. My answer is, if we got tbe whole of our luxuries and necessaries for nqtbing, then, we would do no labor, and the cheaper we get them the less will tre have to do. The Freetrade position is simply this Bo long as foreign countries send cheap goods here, we, if by Protection we prevent them, render the extra labor required to produce them here ueeleas, and the extra capital is spent m paying people for laboriously doing nothing If Mr Bellbouse wil kindly reply to the following questions m his next letter I < vfll be obliged': Ist. |s Freetrade theoretically right but pra'cticilly wrong? 2nd If Protection apaioat English and American goode is a good thing for Mew Zealand, would not Pro eotion for Canterbnry against the goods of Otago, Wei lington, and Auckland, be a good thing for Canterbury I— l am, etc., James Kbib.
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Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1901, 25 July 1888, Page 3
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586MR KEIR AND MR BELLHOUSE. Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1901, 25 July 1888, Page 3
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