The Evening Star SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 1873

Evening Star, Issue 3136, 8 March 1873, Page 2

The Evening Star SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 1873

Amongst other important matters considered by the Sydney Conference, was that of Intercolonial commercial reciprocity. Onr renders are aware that this question formed the subject of a corn's-, pondenee between the Colonial Treasurer j ami the Secretary of State for the Colonies. who. in explaining the reasons why the Home Government object to granting the Colonies powerto enter into such an arrangement, pointed to the tendency evinced towards the imposition of a protective tariff. The despatch from the Sydney. Conference exposes the injustice of main-; tabling such a restriction, on several grounds which might to weigh with the Home Government., i f it were something new that was asked, winch was the first, time under consideration, and the effect of which was problematical, there might; be at least the semblance ol reason why | it should not be granted : but this is not I the ease. That which the Australa- ( sian Colonics ask is ’a privilege long accorded to a group of Bntislijpog-1

sessions in America, the result of -which lias been to unite them without serious dinie.nlfy in one influential federation. The tendency shown by Victoria to j elusiveness, ‘and by New Zealand to , retaliation, in the face of the clearest evidence that such protective measiucs can only be adopted by any people to then own detriment, forms no sound object ion to conceding what the Colonics desire. AVere it out of the power ot any ot them to adopt a prohibitive tariff, and they sought to have that power granted to them, the permission to unite might, be very properly refused. But each Colony separately lias the power and uses it. 'Victoria excludes breadstuff's and manufactures, under the mistaken idea that by so doing fields will be cultivated and manufactures established that nil! make the country rich: forgetting that all that such arrangements can possibly effect is to foster a sickly trade incapable of extension beyond its own borders, and to make the few engaged in it rich by money taken from the earnings of all who use the articles they produce. New Zealand, irritated because V ictoria taxes its produce, adopts the extraordinary revenge of imposing a duty on the very goods grown in excess or its own wants; a duty which, if productive of any effect at all, raises the _ cost of rood to the inhabitants of those districts where it is not produced, through preventing their being able to buy in any other market. The protective policy of New Zealand in its folly is absolutely greater than that of Victoria. The latter assumes to keep all the world at a distance, that it may grow by itself; New Zealand does 1 not act thus,'but sacrifices the interests of one Province to another, and makes the West Coast and Auckland tributary to Canterbury and Otago. These are not evidence of a desire on the part or the Colonics to foster cither their own or each other's welfare ; and we quite agico with the opinion expressed by the Conference that a federation for tariff purposes, instead of strengthening the cause of protection, would prove the first step towards sounder views ou the subjeer. A uniform tariff throughout the Australasian group could not ho adopted on a protective system. The fear is at Home flint the Colonics would unite to exclude British manufactures ; but there need be no serious apprehension on that ground. Were there no diversity of interests, such a combination might be possible ; but too many interests arc involved now to permit it. However much New Zealand might desire to have a defferential duty in her favor on manufactured woollens, Victoria and New South Wales, too. have their manufactures, and are equally desirous of extending their markets; -while those Colonies purchasing from Home would not he content with a heavy tariff, excluding hiiighsh woollens from the compel i tTon - All the Australian Colonies produce wine and fruit in abundance, and may ultimately grow sugar, but New Zealand will not'bo content to pay an extra price for goods of those 1 classes, for the sake of throwing the monopoly into those Colonies. As matters stand at present. each of the Australasian group is seeking to effect flji impossibility : it is trying to get rich by jlsolf. What Buckle says of the commercial (treaties of past generations, substituting the word “ tariff” for “ treaty,” is perfectly true of the Colonies of the South: “ Every commercial tariff was an attempt by one nation to outwit the other : every new tariff was a declaration of hostility ; and that which ought to ho the most peaceable of all pursuits, lias become one of the causes of those national jealousies and national anpiiositities by -which war is mainly promoted/' Wc have an apt illustration of this jealous spirit in the relations hoav subsist ing between Victoria and New South Wales. The Border Duty question has aggravated the difli- : cnlty of agreeing upon a postal terminus, and so far was the spirit of rivalry carried, as to prevent one of the Ministers of New South Wales according the usual courtesies to the delegates from the other Colonics, In a minor degree it lias been shown by each Colony, AZolleycrcinwonld tend to destroy this spirit of jealousy, for it would be found that the piosptrjiy of each Colony would he promoted in proportion to the increase of wealth-in the rest, and of the Mother Country too. As we stand at present, we are struggling against each other : when commercial relations have become extended, and intercolonial tics strengthened, through a : conviction of mutual advantage, what Breifi.K says will bc’found to he true ‘’lll a mercantile point of view, it would he as absurd to attempt to j/ppoverish a people with whom wo trade, as it lie in a tradesman to wish for the in.solvency of a rich and frequent customer."

The nows from Europe lias, in some respects, an uglier appearance than for many months past. We do not know that there is any reason for serious apprehensions, but tbe nnsoilod state of Spain appears to bo infectious; and Portugal, the old ally of Great Britain, is evidently or tljo verge of a change. Bevolution has been no strajigcrln Portugal during this century, but according to all appearance prior to the Spanish disturbances, the Government appeared to be in a more settled state. Luckily it is not the fashion for nations to interfere in each others domestic affairs, otherwise it would have been impossible to surmise where the insurrectionary spirit would cud. As it is. the world may fairly hope it will be confined to that Peninsula. Tt is evident the European Governments do not the Provisional Government of Spain, and that the abdication of King Aif.uws lias involved the country in difficulties that will not lie easily tided over. Whether this unsettled state of matters has affected the market for wool or not we cannot say : there can Be no doubt it has helped to iwnd down prices to some extent—for England's manufactures are in extensive demand in ■Bovtngal, and Spain too—and the suspension of. orders from those countries will tend to make things dull. Another circumstance named in the telegrams, will Inave a tendency in the same direction —the probable high prices of food at Home. Tliis Invariably narrows the Home market, because, if food costs the laboring classes more than usual, they, cannot afford to lay out so much money in clothing. This lias ever boon the experience in England, and used lobe more manifest than of Into years. In the early part of the century variations in the price of food were much greater timu they have been since supplies

drawn from all quarters of the globe. Hut since free trade was established, the inconvenience of a short Home supply has boon chiefly felt in the sudden diversion of capital into new channels, and in the derangement of the money market; but England’s capital has nearly outgrown even this source of monetary difficulty. It will create uo surprise, however, if there should bo comparative dullness in the markets for some time to come.

It is very plain that there need he no apprehension of a rupture with liussia. at any rate at present, although the boundary agreed upon is not the best defined in the world. The English papers, and some of our Colonial journals, profess to ho dissatisfied with the arrangements, but that is the fashion with some people : they are not content to be at peace, because they mourn over some fancied influence once possessed by Great Britain that lias been lost: and they would not he content to go to war, for the country would be half ruined by it. Luckily such grumblers arc not the arbiters of a nation’s destiny. If what is reported ho true, Fiji will have to work out its own institutions. The British Government could scarcely have done otherwise when it is considered that the United States have already formally recognised the Kingdom as an independent State. Under the circumstances, therefore, it was too late for England to assume the Sovereignty, and the consequence will most probably be that its independence as a Kingdom will he guaranteed ultimately. Beyond these leading featimes there is nothing of raoL ment in the telegrams.