The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 737, 20 August 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1878.

The public already know that we agree with the decision of last Saturday's meeting, which met to the proposed removal of the tax on imported Hour and grain. It acted wisely in concluding thtit it would be desirable to let matters remain as they are. For, even admiring that the removal of the embargo would not ari'eet our grain trade prejudicially. there is 110 reason why we Simula be precipitant in abrogating a restriction under which we have prospered, although i perhaps we may not be indebted to tnai. restriction for even a share of our prosperity. Let us act with the caution or" those w!io. while thoroughly admiring free trade, would make use of even - legitimate means in their power of hecuiiug its | universal adoption. Many who I from this view have never thougut «.ut ! the subject. A little knowledge of that ! branch of political tcononis which I lates to commerce is a dangerous thing. Not a few of the advueatea of Free Trade subject one of the most intricate sciences to a '' rule-of-thumb ' treatment. Not long ago. it was the general cry that Protection"iv'as the only means whereby the Colonies cmi'.d attain to any commercial eminence, or any -older country shoot ahead of its compeers. But political economists arose, who, after mature study, reduced the whole thing to a science, and startled the wsjrld by announcing that, as a rule. Protection" was a fallacy: and America, once the hot-bed of Protectionism, discovered that he:' tti-.-'li"-idea was not all that she could desire when reduced to practice. It then became the fashion to declaim indiscri- | minately agunst Protection as a delusion. J Let us say that, whether Protection is | advantageous ;>r not depends entirely | upon circumstances. It might be food to j a new country, and poison to an old one. In building up a new industry, :"t is a ' useful instrument : and so long as it doe.; j not act prejudicially, it should be c>nI tinned, more especially when it may be ■ used as a means for extending tinj commerce of a new colony. \* e want ! <> : induce Yictori* to reciprocate. In j that Colony wheat is about 25 per cenr. I hi.'her than it w here, and its Goven:- | nient will doubtless soon see the wisdom I ot removing aii restriction from the im- | portation of our produce in order that it f uiav participate iu the advantages of procuring wheat at a cheaper rate than it can -row it at itself, and of better quality. Jt we were told that protection was injuring Victoria we would believe it, for it has put its foot upon the very tilings that it should have received with open arms ; its protection of grain can never be viewed as anything but a means of raisin" revenue at the expense of the •<reater portion of its people. If we reduce the duty on Australian wine we shall teach Victoria and other wine-producing colonies a lesson in liberality. But let us not part with our trump card—the lever by which we may do much to bring about an important intercolonial commercial understanding—until we feel that our own circumstances necessitate it. It is not likely that the grain tariff will be interfered with this session, sjeing that the suggestion has met with so much string opposition. At least Mr. Stout intimates as much in a communication to the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce.