THE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1873.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 93, 4 October 1873, Page 2

THE

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1873.

“ We shall sell to no man justice or right: We shall deny to no man justice or right: We shall defer to no man justice or right.”

The reply made by the Hon. the Native and Defence Minister in the House of Kepresentatives, in answer to a question put by Mr. W. Kelly as to “ whether “ the Government will favorably consider “the advisability of giving a bonus of “ £2,000 for the first 10,000 gallons of “ kerosine oil produced in the Colony,” cannot be considered as entertaining the matter in a very favorable light, or as calculated to convey that tone of encouragement which has been looked for with so much confidence by the shareholders in the company formed to test the capabilities of the oil springs in this district. Mr. M'Lean said “ the Govern- “ ment recognized the advantage of assis- “ tance being given to local industries in “ the way of small bonuses, but the bonus “ applied for by the honorable member “ instead of being a small one, was a very “ large one indeed. It would, at any “ rate, be far mare than commensurate to “ the advantages likely to accrue to the “ Colony." To say the least of this, it is not the sort of reply we looked for from the Government as, independently of all other considerations which might appear to have a local bias, the production of kerosine oil is as purely a Colonial question as anv that have even been entertained by Parliamentary Committees, and is an industry second to none, and most in aid of which the Governmem: are offering substantial bonuses.

Five or ten thousand pounds has, hitherto, been considered a small encouragement in the development of a payable goldfield, and yet goldfields—great as have been the achievements under their influence —are put into the shade, as a wealth-producing and abiding industry, by the comparative, known, results of oil mining and manufacture.

The inference to be drawn from Mr. McLean’s reply, is that the bonuses now being offered by the Government for the production of sugar, iron, steel, paper and fish, are also “ smalland that the advantages likely to accrue to the Colony through the establishment of anyone of these industries, are presumably greater than those derivable from petroleum. It is much to be regretted that this oil spring question cannot have occupied the attention of the Government to the full extent that it warrants ; and, without detracting in the the distinctive merits of each of those productions we have quoted, it is to be hoped that a more favorable view will be taken of it when the recommendation of the “ Select Committee on Colonial Industries ” is being considered. That Committee recommends, a bonus of sixpence per gallon up to 50,000 gallons of kerosine oil produced in the Colony; ( the telegram says fifty-thousand pounds, but that this is a clerical error we thiuk there can be no doubt in the face of Mr. McLean’s refusing two thousand pounds.) The bonus, then, as embodied in the recommendation, is £1,250 only ; now let us see the relation “ kerosine ” bears to a few other items ( for which comparatively large bonuses are offered ) taken fi’Qiil the Import returns for 1872:— V Kerosine. —Quantity imported, 216,692 gals., and cases, value, £45,077 ; bonus, £1250 ; (as recommended) stipulated production in the colony, 50,000 gallons. Prinitng Paper.—Quantity imported, 1,794; value, £25,919 ; bonus, £2,500 ; stipulated production in the colony, 100 tons, Pig Iron.—Quantity imported' 386 tons ; value, £5,739; bonus, £5,000; stipulated production in the colony, 1000 tons. Steel.—Quantity imported, 47 tons; value, £2,259; bonus, £1000; stipulated production, 100 tons. Fish.—Quantity imported, ; value, £25,764; bonus, 4s per cwt. ; stipulated production in the colony, not stated. Sugar.— Quantity imported,-—; value, 381,273 ; bonus, £2OOO ; stipulated production in the colony, 250 tons.

If pig iron and steel, —whose aggregate value imported into the Colony, in one year foots up to only £7,998 less by £37,079, than kerosine—are worth “ protecting ” to the amount of £6o3o—being an excess of £4,750 over that allowed for the oil, surely the latter is worth a better handicap than that recommended by the Select Committee. Take the item of “ printing paper,” whose annual value exceeds, but very little, one-half that of kerosine, and we find exactly 100 per cent., more accorded to the former than the latter. And why ? Aye, why ? That is just the nut we should like the Government to crack. It may be urged that the cost of producing 100 tons of paper or 1000 tons of pig iron is relatively greater than that attending the production of 50,000 gallons of kerosine. We are not at this moment prepared to say that such may not be the case; but it cannot hold good in favor of fish, and is somewhat beside the question. A careful study of the foregoing figures must bring conviction that kerosine is somewhat shabbily treated in the estimation it is held by the Government as an article of home produce. Mr. Kelly did not ask for a sum at all inconsistent with the important issues at stake. The history of the “ oil cities ” of America, — their rise and progress ; their enormous wealth, and subsequent influence and power in the state, —shews distinctly the duty of the Government in this matter. Corry, one of the chief cities of Petrolia —is a notable instance of the marvellous hordes of wealth which attend the enterprise of oil mining.

“Cony, which four years ago was but a poor farm, is now a permanent city ; at the present time it contains about ten thousand inhabitants. It is the great depot of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad, and has nearly twenty banks, two newspapers, and an opera-house in course of construction I The quotations made at its oilexchange have more effect upon Wall-street, New York, than those of the Exchange at San Francisco. It transacts business to the amount of £3,000,000 annually, and the site upon which the city stands, which five years ago could have been bought in toto for £5OOO, is now sold in lots at prices as high as lots of similar dimensions would fetch in Cheapside, London.” What has to be considered is the

maximum amount of good a liberalconservative economy may be to the Colony; by fostering those industries most calculated to keep capital in the country. Of the industries we have enumerated, none but that of sugar-pro-ducing can be awarded a place of equal importance to that which we now press upon the attention of the Government. As with goldfields, only with more stability, the successful boring for oil must end in the planting of large numbers of people, in the interior of the country ; and an accumulation of wealth which it will take “ iron, ” and “ steel,” and “ fish,” another century to accomplish by themselves.