NEW ZEALAND'S PREFERENTIAL TARIFF.

Otago Witness, Issue 2808, 8 January 1908, Page 88

NEW ZEALAND'S PREFERENTIAL TARIFF.

A LONDON VIEW.

fFsou Oub Own Cobrespondbnt.J LONDON, November 15. Referring to- the new tariff of New Zealand, tie Morning Post says: — "The preferences of £he new tariff are something better than degrees of prohibition." One cannot expect the thorough-going Freetraders of Great Britain to see anything but evil in any Protective experiment. But a Protection which offers to British, trade with regard to some articles, & complete freedom which is denied to the foreigner, and with regard to others a much milder measure of restriction than he has to face, surely displays a method in its madnesa whi<;h. deserves some more gracious acknowledgment than puerile petulance about slaming, bolting, and barring the door. " The new tariff which has been adopted in New Zealand, seems to be framed very much on the principles which are adveoated by Unionists in this oountry. The first feature is that of 'remissions totalling £400,000, the abolition of t!he sugar duty of id per Ib, contributing a little more than half that amount.' These remissions are practicable because the Treasury is recouped by the proceeds of duties levied on imported articles whioh compete with home industry. In this country Freetraders are never tired of proclaiming that revenue duties "must be restricted to articles which do not compete, with home industry, leat the home producer should receive some benefit. In other words, the Freetrader's 'tariff for revenue makes revenue a secondary object; the first object being not to raise revenue, but to exclude the taint of Protection.' New Zealand, on the otiher hand, frames her tariff on commonsense lines, and succeeds in reducing the cost of living while 'fostering home industries, and strengthening the Empire. Her measure of preference against the foreigner is generous in the extreme. Besides greatly extending the list of articles in respect of whicib the United Kingdom is allowed a handsome Rebate off the general duties, she has framed an Empire free list upon _ a more lavish scale than her sister Dominions.

"Certain articles have, however, been placed on'the general free list," continues the writer, " the reason given _ being that British manufacturers had 1 joined hands with the foreigners. The warning will, no doubt, be salutary, and perhaps may even help Freetraders here to realise that trusts are not impossible under the existing fiscal system of this country. It will be interesting to see, moreover, whether they will now have the courage of their professed opinions and declare that British industry stands to gain by the substitution of general Freetrade for Imperial preference in the New Zealand market. If they are ready to affirm this, what do they think of Mr Lloyd George, who referred at the Colonial Conference to the 'enormous value' of these preferences? The concluding part of our Wellington correspondent's letter, quoting the speech of the Opposition Leader, reminds us of the political difference between the younger and the older or larger Dominions. It is still possible for a New Zealander to regard preference as a payment for the defence provided by the Mother Country, whereas the modern Canadian or Australian insists upon dealing with the two things separately. In the same way many New Zealanders have failed to Bee any necessity for enohanging ' colony' for ' Dominion' as the official description of their country. The idea of becoming a distinct nation, fully equipped for both peace and war, has advanced rnu£h further in the larger Dominions, and in course of time, no doubt, will become equally popular in ' th© Britain of the South.' ' England and her colonies' no longer mean the same thing as ' the Empire and the Dominions.' "

The case in which a tenant was said to have occupied a house rent free for 21 years ended at the Lambeth County Court the other day in the landlord being declared to be still the owner.