Hawake's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1870.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 16, Issue 822, 15 September 1870, Page 2

Hawake's Bay Times. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1870.

It v ill be remembered by our readers that immediately on the opening of the present session of the General Assembly an alteration was made in the tariff rates of duty payable on the importation of various articles of merchandise, according to the follow-

ing resolution, which was put to the House of Representatives by the hon. the Colonial Treasurer after making his celebrated Financial statement:—" That towards raising the supply granted to her Majesty, the following duties of Customs shall, on and after the 29th day of June, 1870, be charged on the articles undermentioned, on importation into New Zealand (that is to say) " then followed the schedule, which comprised a long list of articles, principally the necessaries of life, amongst which were grain and flour, beef and pork, blankets, rugs, &c, several of which were before free of duty. These duties became payable at once, and accordingly they have been levied and paid from that time to the present. It was, however, understood that in the event of the Legislature refusing its assent to the proposed alterations, the sums paid as duty should be refunded to all those who might have paid them under the authority of the resolution.

It will be remembered also that much of the opposition manifested to the Financial scheme was occasioned by the fact of these tariff changes being tacked on to it, —so much so, indeed, that the Government found 'it necessary to the carrying of the .said scheme through the Legislature to make, amongst other modifications, that of detaching the Protectionist portion of it from the rest, and allowing the tariff changes to stand or fall upon their own merits ; and the consequence was the passing of the modified scheme of finance, and the rejection of the proposed tariff.

We now understand that according to the assurance given to importers by the Government at the time of the temporary imposition of the new duties, such refund will be made upon application in due form to the Customs authorities, and we doubt not that a very considerable sum will, during the next few days, be so returned by the Customs to the several importers who have paid duties under the arrangement.

So far as the importers are concerned all this it, no doubb satisfactory enough, but the question arises, how will this refund affect the consumer? "Will he recover the extra taxes he has paid during the

past ten or eleven weeks 1 "We think not. From the time of the passing of the above resolution until now, the consumer has been taxed one shilling upon every bag of flour he has consumed, and a proportionate charge upon most other articles of consumption,—these extra payments are gone for good, as he cannot look for a refund. A reduction of duty upon sugar and some few articles of minor importance, which was to have in some degree, counterbalanced the new burdens, has never been *made and will not now be made at all, so that even to that extent he will not be benefitted,

If the temporary pressure of the protection tariff upon the consumer has had the effect of calling public attention to the matter just sufficiently to stimulate an wholesome opposition to the scheme when it is again mooted (as we doubb not it will be), good will be brought out of evil. Let the consumer see to it, so far as lies in his power, that the taxes he may be called on to pay go to the enrichment of the treasury, which is the true object of taxation. In the present case nothing of what he has paid under the late arrangement has done so.