ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. To the Editor of the New Zealand Spectator

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 151, 9 January 1847, Page 3

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. To the Editor of the New Zealand Spectator

Sir,— ln your publication of Wednesday last appeared a long leading article in which you endeavoured to controvert the statements made in the letter signed Anti Protectionist (which appeared in the previous number), in reference to the unpopularity of the new Customs Ordinance recently passed by the Legislative Council at Auckland. This article, I must freely state, has caused me and every person acquainted with, the subject with whom I have conversed the greatest surprise — that you, professing as you do to advocate the opinions of a majority of the colonists in this settlement, should have given even a "qualified approval" of this most obnoxious ordinance, which is universally condemned by all persons who are conversant with itsprovii sions, which impose a most enormous tax upon the consumers of all indispensable articles coming under the 10 and 12| per cent. Ad Valorem duty. The arguments adduced by you, throughout nearly the whole of the leading article in question, are quite foreign to the subject; and 1 shall therefore revert to them merely to correct one or two most striking inaccuracies: — First, then, you state that " in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, while the duty on spirits is much hie/her, a duty of at least 10 per cent, is levied on all imported goods. 1 ' I regret that I am not at the present moment enabled to state what are the duties imposed in Van Diemen's Land ; but let me, however, compare the duties paid in New South Wales with those in New Zealand, and see whether your assertion is borne out by facts. In New South Wales. In New Zealand. On all -wines 15 per cent. 20 per cent, on the market value. On ale, beer, porter, "» duty 15 percent, do. cyder, and perry j free. On all goods, wares, and,. merchandise, (except- I ing spirits of British \ duty 10 per cent. do. produce or tnanu- j free. facture J • British and British co 3s 6d ss. per gallon proof strength lonial spirits, vizt. — I per but no allowance made if rum, gin, whiskey and ( gal. • under proof. brandy J pr.st Foreign brandy and ge-\ 6s ss. per do. do. Neva, J prf. Tobacco, unmanufac-\ if Gd 9d. per lb. tared Jprlb Do. manufactured 2s Od Is. do. Cigan, and mutt 2s Od 2s. do. Tea, sugar, -joflee and>s pr 12J per cent, on the market rice A k / cent value. British plantation '» ' .sugar or coffee very rarely a imported here. Flour, meal,; llieat and! 5 pr 10 per cent.' do other grain J J «ent All other JbfSjn good*) lOpr 12^ do do. . - and merchajflise .. .. / cent

Now, Sir, "look on this picture and on that," and I think you will at once admit nnt only that your assertion is proved to be strikingly incorrect, but that the people of this colony, who are much less able to bear it, are taxed in customs duties infinitely heavier than the people of any colony in the southern hemisphere. I have shewn that in New South Wales articles of luxury only, vizt. — wines, foreign brandy, and tobacco, are charged with a duty of any moment, and that tea, sugar, coffee, rice, meal, and flour, pay only 5 per cent., whilst all descriptions of British manufactured 'goods — the indispensable articles of consumption by all classes of the community — are admitted duty free. In this colony, however, the case is reversed; and by the combined wisdom of our law makers the actual necessaries of life are taxed almost equally as heavy as the articles of luxury ; a principle more erroneous than which cannot possibly be conceived. Besides which it must not be overlooked that the respective rates of the Ad Valorem duty are quite nominal, inasmuch as the duties are now levied upon the market value of the goods at the place of import, instead of upon their invoice cost, as was previously the case in this colony. For example, sugar, tea, and coffee, which formerly paid 5 per cent, duty, by the addition to the first cost' of insurance, shipping charges, freight, commissions, landing, storing, porterage, and the importers' profit, J now pay about 20 per cent, duty in the ordinary state of the market; and, mark, the scarcer and dearer the goods are the duty increases proportionably!! It follows, therefore, that though the Ordinance nominally fixes a duty of 12& per cent on the articles just named, it in reality exacts by a side wind nearly 20 per cent, duty on their prime cost, which is the actual tax upon the consumers. In manufactured goods imported from England, the charges on which, are heavier, the difference is still more striking. Secondly. — You state "that a tax of iOper cent, would be levied in the neighbouring colonies on flour or any other produce exported from New Zealand;" now, this assertion, as regards flour, is also incorrect ; because it would only be subjected in New South Wales to a duty of 5 per cent., though all other articles of produce exported hence to that colony would have to pay 10 per cent. The main questions for consideration, I contend, are, whether it was ; absolutely necessary that the already impoverished colonists should have additional taxes imposed upon them : and if so, whether the best means have been devised to render the burthen of them the least onerous and unobjectionable. In the first place, it is quite true that the colony at the present time is burthened with a debt of about £75,000 ; but by whom was this enormous sum incurred? Not by the unfortunate colonists certainly, or b}' their acquiescence ; but solely by the incompetent and reckless Governors who were sent out here by the Colonial Office in England. Seeing, therefore, that this debt was incurred not only without the colonists in these settlements participating in or deriving any benefit from this vast outlay, surely no rational man will assert that we can justly and equitably be taxed to make good this sum, when we have for yeaib been protesting against its reckless expenditure. In respect to the question of whether the best means have been devised for levying the duties, I think it is a sufficient reply to state that, in England, all Ad Valorem duties weie found, after several years' experience, to be so very objectionable and annoying to the public, as well as the Customs officers, that that system of levying duties is long ago exploded, and fixed duties substituted. As one instance of the vast wisdom of the collective Legislative Council, and that no good or responsible legislation can emanate from it under its present most arbitrary constitution, I find that the learned Attorney General is reported in the Auckland paper to have gravely stated, in the debate on the Customs Amendment Bill, on the 16th October last, as follows, vizt :— ' But in England the practice was the same as he now contended for; and he would instance the article of tea imported from beyond the East India Company's possessions. Was duty claimed upon that article according to its price at the place of export? On the contrary, the Customs officers of England invariably refused to receive the duties until after the tea was sold at auction, and the proper value of it thus asceri tamed, and according to that valuation was the duty fixed," Now, what is the fact of the case? Why it is this, and the learned A ttorney General ought to have known it previous to making the assertion in a set speech, that during the last ten years the duty on ail description!, of tea imported into the United Kingdom has been levied at the rate of 2s Id per Ib. weight. And yet I cannot ascertain that any member of the Council set the learned gentleman right on the point. Oh, sapient Legislators ! Should the learned Attorney General be dubious on the point, I shall be happy to shew him English prices current during several years past. It is necessary for me to observe, that in what I have now stated I have no intention whatever to censure our highly respected Governor ; on the contrary, my earnest hope is that he may long continue to hold his present most arduous, it is true, but highly honorable post as Governor of this colony ; which hope, I know, is also entertained by almost every person in these southern settlements. My arguments are directed not against individuals, but solely against the anomalous constitution of the present Legislative Council. I have this moment ascertained that in South Australia, flour, wheat, other grain, meal, &c, whether of foreign or colonial growth, are all admitted into that colony free of duty. I must apologise, Sir, for encroaching on so large a space in the columns of the Spectator. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, Argus. Wellington, sth January, 1847.