The Fielding Star, OROUA & KIWITEA COUNTIES GAZETTE. Published Daily. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1897. THE DINGLEY TARIFF.

Feilding Star, Volume XIX, Issue 59, 7 September 1897, Page 2

The Fielding Star, OROUA & KIWITEA COUNTIES GAZETTE. Published Daily. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1897. THE DINGLEY TARIFF.

The customs tariff which now obtains in the United States of America may be described as protection gone mad. Much to their surprise, no doubt, it has not come up to the ideas of its promoters, but, on the contrary, has resulted in the most remarkable deficit eyer experienced bj the Department of Excise. This is not to be wondered at seeing that by inch a tariff the impossible was to be accomplished. Tbe nsual protection nonsense was talked about, and a tariff promised which would raise revenue on the one hand and on the other proteot what are euphemistically designated as "local industries." In writing on this subject our contemporary tbe Napier Telegraph considers that a tariff which protects local in lu-ftries only does se to the extent of keeping ont what wonld otherwise be imported. But it is obvious that in so far as imports are prevented, revenue through tbe Customs fails, and that in bo far as imposts are not prevented, and duties are paid upon tbem, so-called " protection " fails. Ju6t as one cannot have a cake and eat it also, so it is impossible to have Protection and revenue from the same tariff. To get over difficulty s arising from that constitutes the Sisyphean labor of all tariff tinkerers, and that is why their illogical com promises fail either oa one side or th« other. Tbe Dingley tariff appears to be keeping ont imports all right, bnt tbe revenue thus lost must be made up by taxation npon commodities produced in tbe States, no that nothing is gained, but the cost of au army of tariff spies and administrators is lost.