LOCAL INDUSTRIES.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 99, 10 December 1879, Page 2

LOCAL INDUSTRIES.

A . deputation of -the Wellington Local Industries Association recently waited upon the hou. the Premier ana Major Aukiuson, tO'UPfie ;i upbu:the Govei'nuieiit the importance o\ protecting and fostering local industries, by eyory available means possible.' The association re. cognised the fact that the Gove.nnieut had the po\^erto Diafce the Jfevv Zealand -people a peoplej and this 'prosperity bh'e association 'cousiclei'e'd pould.be best pvoiriQfed by the prbtec T tion of trades, now established m the colony, and by offering inducements for the introduction of other bi'auohes of iudustry. - The Association, suggested as a means to th.is end, the Revision oi the tariff infavo.r of.loceii industries ; the developement of pur resoureps and their utilisation; 1 and " the obtaining m the colony, f.rom the manufa.etu.rers, all articles 'which' are or can b^e xnanqPactur^d on the spo^ arid "using, m eVorsy instance practicable; these manufactures only." Anioiig the latter the deputation 1 instanced draiu tiles, and rolling s toc k for die various railway lines. . T. u<'y contended that wiih':rogard to/ railway e:i«'rir\gi v s, these could "be constructed quite as well, and almost' as cheaply m the polony as they could be imported. With regard to locomotives, the Associtition acknowledged • that "there ' was much difficulty m the way o£ their construction m the" colony, under existing eirouiii.stancos, but they firmly believed that if time was given to any contractor to construct a locomotive enginc'it could be done, and they strongly urged that -this branch of industry might be taken seriously into consideration." We are glad' to note that m replying to the deputation, the Premier stated that the Government were equally as' anxious as the Association to promote local inihxstne's, recoernising as they did, that no country could be px^osperous without 'liheiri. It was the only uiuaus by which a large population could be employed • here at a'/eason bit' remuneration, and the Government would do nil they legitiuiaiely could do to promote these interests. : t)ur I^xperierice with regard to promises m the colony, has not been of a very assuring nature, tending, as it dors, to the couvictiou that they are delusions and snares resorted to merely aa. iv alters of expediency. We have form d promises, and .especially Ministerial .promises, m so many instances made to the ear only to be broken to the hope, that we have lose all faith m them, and wo shall watch with some liitle curiosity, to see what effect is iiitoiided to be giveu by the Government to the promises and professiojis of the Premier. There can be no doubt as to the soundress of the vi^.ws eruneiated by the head of the Gavernment. There can be no gainsaying tlu? Fact that our local industries are the only means of employing a large population at a reasonable remuneration, and without this large and reasonablejremunerafed popn> latiop prosperity is impossible. IJitherto our local industries have not been protected and fostered as the}' should have been.. We have now; {however, arrived at a m the affairs of the colony when tKis will h#e to Be done. With j ..an ehornipus' deficit ;in "tho revinne, aftd the live million loan still i« nubibiut it is imperatively necessary thai our resources' , should be developed, and utilised to the ntmost poss,ibje/ extent; . We ;.eanno.t afford to send 'hundreds f of thousands of j pounVls out of th^e colony every year for 1 manufacKired. articles, while we have an exhanstless supply , of the raw materikl m fh6-colr»ny. The folly, m, ■idiiiinoh to (hk i:iiipolicy{ of Kuch a course was fully, iUus.t-I'ated m the House a few days ago* wheu the Minister lor , Public Works, m replying to questions, |

palace cars had been imported from A mei'iua, where they had been conuiructed to order, lor the use of th« ChristcUurch and Invercar^ill line. It was i'ound, liow^vim 1 , that the specifications had been disregarded, and the carriage* oouid uot jiass through the tuuuels ! r^ T ovv, had these cars been con<triu;ted m (lie colony, astkeyoujjlit to have been — steing that we have abuudance of malarial and plenty of skilled workmen — such a waste of the public n)oney eoqld not- possibiy have taken place. With the beuicru attributes with vhich experience is credited, m certain cases, weiuay hope that this little episode will uot be without effect m impressing upon the Executive the folly of neglecting our local industries.