Correspondence

Feilding Star, Volume XIV, Issue 129, 20 April 1893, Page 2

Correspondence

EMIGRANT AGAIN. TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAR.. . Sir, — I am sorry that " Colonist," m his last letter to the Stab, has given myeelf so little, and the Yankees ao very ; j much to reply to, and given it in that round, infallible, assertive way without explanations peculiar to young men. It will be news to the Yanks to hear that they are Freetraders; but they know something about their own history from both before and since the time of their independence, and I leave him to their tender mercies, while I say a few words' of that Party who fly the Freetrade flag at general elections, and all the time knowing that real Freetrade for New Zealand is " beyond the range of practical politics." They may not be guilty of trying to change the name of colours, or of doing what the sun does every morning — " turning black into white," but they do something like flying a paper kite, and making believe that they are tugging a golden eagle from the skies. " Who would not follow such bonnie Prince Charlies ? " Freetrade has no history worth quoting — it is too short, conflicting, and local to be of any value in guiding one to a decision in its favour — it has been almost confined to one small island exceedingly well located for trading with other countries —singularly rich in minerals, and well furnished with harbours round ita entire seaboard — having large colonial possessions, and an over-Block of perhaps more than average skilled and enterprising people, whom it could not supply with food. The land belonging to a few dozen owners, who were compelled by law to maintain its indigent poor, what better could they do than get cheap food for them and keep them working for other people. Nature protecting them from Foreigners, for who would be bold enough to send " coals to Newcastle." Then they decided for Freetrade, regardless of the rights of foreign workmen, and scooped the foreigners' money for a time; other nations- saw their danger, protected their industries, and are now getting their money back from them witu interest, while Britain is distressed with strikes, lock-outs, and failing trade. Universal Freetrade would be a race between nations to produce the, cheapest articles, and secure the world's trade. The nation best found in skill, means, and position, having a grand lead oyer others, who, in competing with the favourite, would have to impose longer hours and smaller pay on their workmen. And when the champion screwed 7 down his workmen's wages other nations must needs follow suit to maintain their place and prestige on the earth ; and so on, till the misery of the workmen wonld become intolerable. For trade of any kind, from a mere trader's or idle consumer's point of view, I have scant respect, and, though believing Freetrade to be a commercial heresy, yet allow myself to think tbat its evil may come from the fact of its being only a fragment of a humane creed that has not yet been accepted as a whole by mankind. It is allowed that Freetrade has created many British merchant-princes. Sermouiserß tell us at what moral cost it adorns them in silk and gold. It has also put yon scarlet clout on the knee of British labourers' breeches, but the thick patch ia now tearing away the thin moleskins— it is " a piece of new cloth taking away from the old garment and making the rent worse." I am, etc., Emigrant.