MR SEDDON AND PREFERENTIAL TRADE.

Gisborne Times, Volume VIII, Issue 486, 28 July 1902, Page 1

MR SEDDON AND PREFERENTIAL TRADE.

(The London Times, June 18.)

Mr Seddon was last night the principal guest and also the principal speaker at the annual New Zealand dinner, which had been postponed until after his arrival from South Africa. The Prime Minister of Now Zealand, and the nourishing colony whoso confidence he commands, must be a sore puzzle to our Uadieal friends at home, whose unintelligent adherence to misunderstand formulas has p,uced them in a position of essential antagonism to tho ideas now dominating tho Empire. Mr Seddon is more Radical than our Radicals, more democratic than our most democratic theorists, and at the same timo more enthusiastic and more thoroughgoing in his Imperialism than any good Imperialists among ourselves have yet found courago to become. Among colonial Premiers, none of whom have been backward in supporting the mother country, Mr Seddon has been conspicuous lor tho warmth with which he has advocated everything that seems profitable. for the binding together of the Empire. New Zealand, as Lord Onslow rather strikingly pointed out last night, has actually sent more men to South Africa in proportion to population than the mother country herself. There could ho no more remarkable evidence that Radical principles carried out in a manner which not oven Mr Scddon’s eulogy of the results can commend for our unreserved emulation, aro found entirely compatible with tho Imperial ideas which in this country they seem in somo mysterious way to exclude. Tho main interest of Mr Seddon’s remarks lies, bowovet’i in his references to the relations between this country and tho colonies, wo may presume will he tho principle subjects of discussion at the forthcoming conference of Colonial Premiers. There is a class of persons, conveniently’ described as more royalist than tho King, who contrive to do a good deal of mischief. They have been prematurely busy in setting forth what they represent as colonial views upon the commercial arrangements which ought to be established between Great Britain and the colonies. As their version is eminently open to attack in various ways, it has naturally been attacked with somo acerbity, and incidentally both the Colonial Ministers and His Majesty’s Government have had to boar a considerable amount of constructive condemnation. Mr Seddon last night protested agniDst misrepresentation of colonial views, and very usefully stated iu general terms tho nature of tho ideas which tho Colonial Premiers intend to advocato. In so far as Mr Seddon understands the situation, there is no thought of proposing anything so inadmissible as the imposition of a 10 or a 5 per cent, duty upon British and colonial imports from foreign countries. The colonies want to strengthen the Empire, and they do not suppose that they can attain that end by striking a blow at tho commerce of Great Britain. What they really think feasible is embodied in a resolution which Mr Seddon tells us was framed and forwarded by the New Zealand Government last December —that is to say, long before the registration duty on corn was heard of. That resolution is to the effect that in His Majesty’s dominions beyond the seas preferential tariffs, if not already existing, ought to be established, by way • of rebate of duties on British goods carried in British ships ; and that in the mother country a rebate of duty on colonial products now taxable should be conceded. When it is considered bow few are the articles of colonial produce now taxable upon which we have any opportunity to grant a rebate, and how numerous aro the articles of export now taxed in our colonies, this proposal must at least escape the charge of being unduly favorable to the colonial exchequers. Without in the least prejudging the practicability of the arrangement, we cannot but think that it embodies what must be regarded as a generous offer. It differs toto coelo from tho intentions freely ascribed to the colonial Premiers, and freely criticized with fine disregard of tho propriety of waiting for an authoritative statement of their views.

Mr Seddon observes with truth that it will be a long time before the finances of the colonies can be accommodated to a free-trade system, in the ordinary acceptation of the term. Their main source of revenue in most cases is the Custom House, though they do not always stop at the imposition of duties forpurley revenue purposes. This makes it all the more noteworthy that they should be prepared, as Mr Seddon believes that they are, _to sacrifice revenue for the sake of increasing a trade with the mother country which will make the greater demands on thenrevenue the more it increases at the expense of that of foreign nations. W'e have very few taxes on imports, therefore we have very little to give away or to barter against tariff concessions on the. part of others. That is our weakness in every commercial negotiation. The colonies, as we understand Mr Seddon, are content to take what little we can give: and, for their own part, desire to differentiate in favor of British goods of ail kinds carried in British-owned ships. That is not an offer to be dismissed with the repetition of some mouldy piece of theory deduced by logic chopping methods from circumstances which no longer exist, and from principles which were never at any time of absolute authority.