The Globe. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1878.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1431, 16 September 1878, Page 2

The Globe. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1878.

Me. Riciiakd Reeves, the nowlyolected member for the Grey Yallcy, lias given notice of motion for the imposition of a duty of half-a-crown per ton upon all coal imported to Now Zealand. It is impossible to believe for a moment that the House will entertain the proposition. It would bo too inconsistent with the Government professions of a desire to work in the direction of free-trado for them to accept, or allow tbeir followers to accept a motion which proposes to lay a heavy tax upon the whole colony, working classes and all, for the sake of benefiting one particular industry. But the fact that any member, calling himself a supporter of a Government whoso main principle is to abrogate oppressive duties, should introduce a proposal at direct variance with that principle, and one which is in fact simply a protective duty of the most objectionable and oppressive character, shows how utterly disorganised political parties in Now Zealand are at the present time. That Mr. Reeves was not a born legislator, nor a man whom anybody could accuse of having established a claim by experience or training to make laws for his fellows, was very well known at the time the Grey people chose him as their representative. But that ho would propose such an utterly selfish tax as this, and one so injurious to the colony at large, was rather more than was to be expected

even from him. His object is of course very apparent. Ho is member for a district which hopes to become, and no doubt will become at some future time wealthy by the working of its wonderfully rich deposits of first-class coal. From a variety of reasons, the chief of which is that the deposits lie in a part of the country from which export to the principal cities is exceptionally difficult, the coal is not as yet very largely used. Mr. Reeves hopes then to curry favour with his constituents by compelling the colonists to use it, or pay a half-crown duty on coal of the same quality brought from Australia. That is the plain English of his motion. No doubt when ho comes to speak upon the subject ho will point to the quarter of a million of money which wont out of the colony last year for the purchase of foreign coal, and will argue that his motion will have the effect of saving a similar sum for New Zealand during the present and future years. Ho forgets, however, that neither in his district, nor in that a little further north about Ngakawhau, are the mines sufficiently opened or the facilities for shipment sufficiently largo, at present at least, to supply the colony’s requirements. There is no lack of sale, at a remunerative price, for all the coal that these mines can at present supply, and though a duty of 10s per ton wore imposed that, supply could not bo increased until the works in the mines wore much further advanced. Mr. Reeves may possibly argue that it is in the interest of the proprietors of mines in other parts of the colony, such as Malvern, Kaitaugata, and Kawakawa, that ho brings Ins proposal forward. But those proprietors have not sought his advocacy, and would, wo verily believe, repudiate any sympathy with his resolution. They can already afford to sell their coal very much under the price at which Australian coal can be obtained, their article is steadily making its way into largo and general consumption, and the additional tax of half a crown upon the foreign article would neither accelerate nor retard the process. On the other hand, there can bo no question that, if ever such duty is imposed, it will inevitably be followed by innumerable others. The producers and manufacturers of all sorts of goods who are called upon to pay more for their fuel, in order that the fuel-producers may be benefited, will claim the right of reciprocity. Each will demand that the particular article which ho has for sale, shall bo equally protected. Their dcmamFwould bo unanswerable, and the price ofjnot acceding to it would be their combination to remove the duty on the favored article. And so it would come about, supposing Mr Reeves’ doctrines obtained currency, that New Zealand would bo metamorphosed from a country in which free-trade principles prevailed, to one in which the people, and particularly the working classes, were overborne with the burdens imposed under the pretext of stimulating native industry. There is no one class, except the few proprietors of the coal mines on the Coast, 'who would be benefited by Mr Reeves’ proposal. It is purely of a selfish character, and discreditable to him, as proving how entirely illiberal ho is at heart, whatever may bo his professions. It is possible that Mr Reeves hopes to obtain the assistance of the Colonial Treasurer, by showing that the proceeds of the tax, always supposing that the duty did not reduce the import, would add some twenty thousand pounds to the revenue. No doubt there is in this some temptation to a hard-up Treasurer. But then Mr Ballauce is not one of that class. Has ho not shown a surplus ? Does lie not look to the future for another? It is incredible that the bait should be sufficient to attract, or induce him and his colleagues to falsify their most faithful promises of relieving the working classes from taxation. True, their performance has already fallen lamentably short of very much that they promised, but this they excuse on the plea that they are working up to a distant goal, that they have at worst under stress of circumstances fallen short of that which they hoped to attain immediately; but they urge that they still cherish that hope, and have in no sense abandoned that goal. If, however, they were unhappily beguiled into accepting Mr. Reeves’ idea, and imposing a tax upon coal, they would directly falsify their own political gospel, so strenuously and ably preached during the recess: they would place a burden upon the multitude for the advantage of a very few. They would enter upon a course from which there would bo no receding until they had equalised matters by laying protective taxes upon all kinds of imported goods which New Zealand could produce at a more expensive rate, and possibly of an inferior quality, within her own borders. With all the Ministerial versatility we do not think they are likely to become parties to any such policy, even for the sake of increasing the revenue. But it may be well that the colony should mark that such a proposal as that on which wo are commenting has been made by one of the rank and file of the Ministerial —that is, of the so-called Liberal party. If it shows nothing else, it at least shows what a vast variety of chickens, differing apparently oven in species, are to be found in the brood of the cackling old hen, self-styled Colonial Liberalism.