INTERCOLONIAL FREE TRADE.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2106, 4 February 1870, Page 2

INTERCOLONIAL FREE TRADE.

(From the Hobart Town Mercury, Jan. 12.) The Intercolonial Free Trade Bill of 1867, passed by the Parliament of Tasmania, but disallowed by the Secretary of State for tho Colonies, on behalf of the Crown, promises yet to bear fruit. We have repeatedly said that if Tasmania was the first to give parliamentary sanction to the principles of Free Trade, in so far as the Colonics are concerned, the Bill then passed, whatever its present fate, must ultimately have the effect of bringing about the much desired object. We were not discouraged, though disappointed, by the Queen’s refusal to assent to the Bill, and though wo were regarded as hoping against hope, we said that at no distant date the action of the Imperial Government would lie condemned as impolitic, shortsighted, and overstraining the Royal prerogative. Already there are on all sides indications justifying the anticipations in which we indulged. The subject has been discussed in each of the Colonics. Among the mercantile communities, as represented by the Chambers of Commerce in the several Colonies, a system of Intercolonial Free Trade has been favorably entertained ; and the question having been pressed on the respective Governments, has met with such general sanction that an Intercolonial Conference among the Colonies has been agreed to, though unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances have occurred to prevent the proposal being as yet carried out. Changes of Ministries, the bane of the Colonies, have interfered to prevent any meeting of the Conference, which seems more distant now than it did when the last session of the Tasmanian Parliament was opened, and his Excellency anticipated the possibility of a short' supplementary session to receive the result of the Conference's deliberations. But still, Intercolonial Free Trade is advancing in favor amongst the Colonies ; and notwithstanding the petty jealousy entertained by some lest their neighbors should obtain some advantage over them, or they should be deprived of s ime superiority on which they lay great stress, the day is not far distant when the intercolonial relations will lie regulated by some such law as that of the Tasmanian measure of 1867. The South Australian A sserably have taken up the matter, and have adopted a resolution in favor of a “commercial federation with an interchange of commodities'’ between the Austra'ian colonies, including Tasmania and New Zealand. The Melbourne Aye, the organ of the protection party in Victoria, a party that at no distant date, would have viewed with alarm tho admission into that colony, no matter where from, of any articles likely to compete with Victorian produce and manufacture, can sec no objection to the South Australian proposition, except that it appears to require unanimity between the seven colonies before a commencement can be made with the new policy, which our contemporary seems to think would be needlessly retarded, waiting such unanimity. The accession of the Aye, and of the party it represents, to the principles of Intercolonial Free Trade, speaks well for the success of the free trade movement, which, according to our contemporary, will not only force itself upon the attention of the various legislatures in the course of tho present year, but ought to bo adopted by tho Victorian Government, on whom is urged the necessity of making up their minds about it before convening Parliament for the transaction of business. We believe this is, on the part of our contemporary, the expression of a bona-Jnlc desire to obtain the recognition of the principles of intercolonial free trade by the Victorian Government, and had no such paltry object in view as a desire to commit the present occupants of tho Treasury benches to a false step. The Age, while looking on the South Australian scheme ns likely to be impracticable as a general measure, gives in its adhesion, and approves of the Tasmanian proposition of 1867, which is represented as giving the Governor-in-Council power to enter into treaties for the free interchange of certain Colonial products. The object of the Tasmanian Bill is sufficiently explained in its first and chief clause, which is thus expressed : “The Governor may, by and with the advice of the Executive Council, permit the introduction, free of import duty, wharfage, or other charges, into the colony of any of "the goods named in the schedule, which are of the growth and manufacture of any of the colonies of Victoria, Now South Wales, South Australia, Queensland, or New Zealand ; providing that such colony agrees to admit free of duty, wharfage, or other charges, such of the articles named in the schedule, which are the growth and manufacture of this colony, as may be agreed on by the Govcrnor-in-Council.”