FREETRADE AND BRITISH CAPITAL.

Feilding Star, Volume XIV, Issue 135, 4 May 1893, Page 2

FREETRADE AND BRITISH CAPITAL.

TO TIIK EDITOR OF THI£ STAII. Sir, — The greatest indncenient that | Great Britain has had to colonise is, that the inhabitants of the United Kingdom especially would obtain more scope and better prospects of success in life by nrigrating to other lands. In so doing she has left open to them free ports for their various products ; those ports, and that of London especially, being the only markets this colony has to depend upon. From our colony we forward to that^ market woo), kauri gum, butter, cheese, flax, &o. ; also,frozen sheep and beef, the wool and flax being manufactured into cloth and readymade clothing, cot 3, and other articles, and shipped back to our^colonial markets. Occupations that, as a means of livelihood, should not be grudged to the artisan and the poor, pent up in the densely popu- . lated cities of a kindred nation, If the distance between New Zealand and Great Britain were double I would still advocate that' trade should be as free as the air we breathe, provided it was mutually beneficial. The above trade realising better prices for cattle has just recently made profits on moderate sized farms, a possibility in this country. The adverse plea of " Emigrant's " against Freetrade— that it is beyond the range of practical politics m New Zealand — is only one way of edging out of the argument, as a line can be drawn at what is absolutely required for revenue purposes and what is used to aid sickly, unnatural industries for the imaginary benefit of the few at the expense of the many. The Liberals by their eagerness to create artificial industries! some years back not only injured : the above trade but started a system or policy that all classes, excepting the monopolist, would be reduced to the same condition, or even a worse state than their' fellow men in the Old Country, and when they would be better off by remaining there than by migrating to New Zealand. The only beneficial industries that can be started in this country, in our present relations with Great Britain, are those which will come naturally —-.-finding a local market as population becomes dense in large towns. Flax-fibre being a native product the most should be made of tnat industry. In tampering with Freetraue and discouraging British capital the Liberals are checking a combined policy which gives the inhabitants of the Uuited Kingdom and their descendants that vital energy and dominance which has placed them in the lead of the nations, and in , the secret of their, success as a colonising power. History will show that the mac tcrial interests ot the savage, or even 6i . semi-civilised nations, must be attended to before they can either be in a mood to ' receive Christianity or progress] of c;;vij£ation. The warm clothing offered is barter to the native New Zealander supplied a want, and induced a 'friendly intercourse, and in this way Freetrade has given rise to a demand for«»proportion of one-third, or probably more, of the goods manufactured 'throughout the world, by inducing... alien nations and tribes to adopt the customs and h&bita of | dress of civilised nations. All this irould ; be with held by Protection, which "feeds ' to isolation. A great number ofpersons seem to have the idea that the history of I Freetrade only commenced from Gob\ den's time, and the abolition of duties on grain. England's policy, in opening up 1 countries occupied by savage nations ! and tribes was first- of all to find out and satisfy tho material and ; physi* ' cal waots of the inhabitants. Great explorers .as pioneers provided them- ' selves for those wants before setting ' out. The policy was, in reality, cam.* ins out the principles of Freetrade aby ' barter in dealing with those, beuiglrfed { races ; and, no doubt, benefited those races— with the exception, of the trade in 1 spirits and other stimulents, which, ia k ignorance, the savage did not know how ' to use as medicine, but swallowed it in large quantities. Freetrade, backed up by British capital, has thus done more to extend the sphere of labour in opening up the world's wilderness by roads; Ac., and cultivating the soil, than any, other ' combination of policy that can be men* , tioned ; and where climatic influences hare teen favourable it has given em- , ploymeat to thousands— and tens of thousands— of Irishmen, Germans, Englishmen, and Scotchmen, besides work-' , men of the other kindred nations in different parts of the world ; and has done ] more than all tho strikes that nave taken ( place for centunes baok to increase the wage rate. A collapse of the above policy would be the means of millions of , beings starving, or coming to the verge , of starvation. Any tinkering or mcd« dliuß adveraely with that poJicj by the Government of this country will only tend to that result. Protected industries are already established in this colony ; but some of them seem not to be satisfied, which is a common chronic.complaint (like the confirmed topers), and their cry will be for more and more Pro* tection, and their last state wonld be worse than their first. I am, &c, A CoU>NIBT.