NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 618, 22 September 1909, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

The statement of President Taft upon the character of the new American tariff reads very Hike a cautious first step towards a steady advocacy of lowef duties. He declares that there has been a "substantial achievement in the direction of downward revision," but ho is unlikely to obtain much agreoment with his , estimate of the amount of reduction excepting from the large monopolies. Of more interest is his description of what he understands by -Protection—a description which is loosely wrapped up in hißdofinition_of the. purpose of ; revision as "reduction of those excessive rates which tempted tho formation of monopolies— not reduction of prices by admitting' foreign competition. The war against the "stand-pfttters"'-as the opponents of any reduction of tho Dingley rates are called —was waged so brilliantly during the recent tariff struggle that a very severo breach has been made in the citadel of rigid Protection. Protectionist newspapers everywhere are inclining to hedge a little.': Tho New York Tribune, for example, ono of tho chief organs of Protnc- [ tiaa and & stauooh sus£ozter of tha

Roosevelt policies and Mu. Taft, • has lately stated anew what its Protectionist friends must understand their doctrine'to mean. 1 "Our protective tariffs," siiye the Tribune, "-"have been-framed.', to keep importations from entering to such an extent as to control prices here and to destroy domestic competition. .. , It was intended that the country should reap a'return not only in increaso of wealth and economic efficiency, but in the cheaper prices that would come when American industries should bo able to stand alono and meet' foreign competition. It was intended that the producer'• should repay tho ■" assistance ' 'extended to the nation by striving to lower the cost, of production,, sharing with the -consumer tho benefits of the progress made in invention and labour economies." This faith in tho voluntary forbcaranco of privileged classes has unfortunately not been rewarded as it should be. Nobody will dispute tho ' -Tribune's- further statement that "the success of a system of Protection involves a gradual lowering of duties," in order, of course, to allow foreign products to act as a check on homo prices when the home industries are able to stand on their own feet. But what ficiary of Protection would support the removal of any fraction of his privileges I It is very significant that the Protectionist press of America is beginning to talk, even if only very cautiously, of a future lowering of the tariff. .Tho consumer is evidently beginning to show 'his strength in the' United States; ; :■.:■' •■. :

will no doubt be given by tho Government and Parliament to tho opinion of tho Harbour Boards' Conference upon tho : question of; representation on tho Boards. The motion finally carriod contained no opinion as to' the representation, of the Government in these Dodioß, but that wae becauso in its final form it represented the;rejection of a clauso approving of the system of Government nomineos. Although it is rather a pity that nobody thought of giving a positive expression to tho Conference's condemnation of that system, the actual opinion of the Conference ie quito clear. To our mind thoro is no good l argument available for tho support of the principle that-.'..: Government should'hayo a sharo in tiiaging tho Harbour Boards, .Thero is. no reason why tho Government should interforo, with this branch of local government. If, in any particular case, the Government has a large direct financial intorest in a Board's administration; let it by all means havo ; some;voice in the control, but lot it bo underotood thatitho Gpvernment'e representation in such,, a case is only due to its position as creditor, mortgagee, or shareholder, and hot to any right, which it has as a Government to interfere generally with Harbour Board administration, 'The Government has absolutely ■,no mom,!-right' 1 , to; havo nominees on tho Harbour Board than to have nominees on tho .City Council. We trust that Mit. WiLroitD, will, onorgetic,ally support the; movement to repel tho Government's: oncrqachraent upon. tho rights of local bodies.' . It ie,satisfactory that, tho Confbrcnco. has condemned; tho theory that tho elections to the Boards, should be based' on'- tho ':- Parliamentary franchise. To allow everybody tovqto at : Harbour Board elections, regardless of whether they;. have : any' responsibility .- to offset the privilego, will be to, place the management of the Boards in the hands of those men who. are most willing to 'sacrifice sound business 'principles■■'■ to popular clamour. We. should';..quickly have, the affairs of the Boards hopelessly mismanaged by reckless and incompetent demagogues.. : ' ' ; ':.'■'.,;' : '■■'.•' ' ..> .

: ' The controversy regarding the political opinions of Me. Smite—who stood at thb last general election as what may be called the Ministerial-Indepcrident-Oppo-sitiori candidate for Rangitikoi, and' is now. standing. :as■■ a Ministerialist—is quite interesting, not-to,say amusing. At tno geripral election he seems to havo succeeded in persuading-sonieat least of the Reform party that his/heart was . witlv them, arid that ho wore/tho outward garb of an Independent merely for the sake, of winning'.votes from the other Bide; but now,he declares , that really.a ilin-. isteriai heart that'beat 'beneath his Independont. coat. At. last yearns contest. Ministers would have nothing to;do with himj and now lio has'their patronage and support; and yet he says 'ho has not al ; terod his opinions. Perhaps it is the Ministers .who., have changed their political convictions, but there, is a very.■:; etrong .and; growing-., feel-; ing. in ,the country that they have none to change. Do opinions count for anything with Ministers! ,We are'just now witnessing the edifying spectacle, of tho Hon. G. Fowlds, a land natiorialiser and! single-taxer,' speaking and working for the returo of a man who has declared himself an out-and-out freeholder. The position must be rather puzzling .to the Rangitikei electors, and this bewilderment is emphasised by.the Ministerial speeches at Taihapo on Monday night. , ,' When tho Host: T; Mackenzie declared .his freehold sympathies an intelligent, elector interjected: "Does Mr. Millar hold tho same views?' , -To this Mit. , Mackenzie replied: "Mb. MjiXAE will.tell yoir himself,' Mr, 'Millar, however,, did not see fit to enlighten ... the meeting, on this interesting point, but preferred to maintain a discreet silence. Mr. MacSenzie was equally .unfortunate'in 1 Ilia'. reference : to. Ma.. Smiih's'views. Hesaid: ; "lf Mb. has discovered, that a certain line "of action is right, even if that, line is in absolute'contradiction to the position ho has taken up previously, he is-a man to follow the new and. right line of action." Mb. Mackenzie is of course well qualified to speak on this question; but aa a matter of fact Mr. Smith _ conten'ds that hehae not altered his opinions. .It is, he says, other .people who have altered their opinions. about him.' They thought ho was an Independent with Opposition , leanings; and now they have come-to see that ho is a Ministerialist with Independent leanings. Ifc-seems to. be .'Mr.-Smith's unfortunate fate to be "not understood. , . , As'' for . Ministers, ■ their attitude is very much like ihat of the politician who concluded a fiery oration by saying: "Those are my honest convic-. tions; but/of course, if they don't suit they can bo changed." . '

' Oto evening contemporary has presented such a sorry spectacle on some recent occasions that we are not surprised at its annoyance at pur reference yesterday, to certain signs'of decadence visible in its treatment of public affairs. Its al» moßt childish outburst - of anger would be amusing bui for its deplorable lapse into coarse abuse and gross misrepresentation. In its calmer moments our contemporary will probably feel'a little ashamed of itsolf. Meanwhile it may assist it to a more healthy frame of mind to peruse the article appearing in our news columns to : day, dealing in some' detail' with ife misrepresentations.' ...'.. '. . '