Rangitikei Advocate. THURSDAY, SEPT. 12. 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8919, 12 September 1907, Page 2

Rangitikei Advocate. THURSDAY, SEPT. 12. 1907. SECOND EDITION. EDITORIAL NOTES

If the discussion ou the Tariff Bill does not convince the producers that the present Ministry are allied with those who are their enemies, and who mean to despoil them if they can, then the producers, and especially the farmers and miners, must be extremely blind. Not satisfied with promoting legislation which has resulted in threatening the producers with all the evils of trades unionism in their industries, and devising fresh means of extracting money from their pockets by moans of rates, taxes, etc., they are now arranging to make these industries pay heavier tribute to the factory owners. By the use of party power an increase of duty of 15 per cent has been placed on certain machinery required in these industries'. That there is no excuse from a revenue point of view for levying this increase was proved by Ministers themselves when they pointed out the small quantity that is imported, which shows that the local ' manufacturers have been able to do the work. Reasoning in their usual foolish manner, Ministers attempted to show that as so little was imposed the tariff increase would not greatly affect the producers. But, of course, the imposition of a 20 per cent duty moans that the local manufacturer will be able to compel the farmers and miners to pay 80 per cent more for the articles he makes. It is a 20 per cent increase of the cost of all such articles. "Wo observe that the Hon. Mr Duncan, who has shown some sympathy with the producing interests,Mias cautioned his colleagues that, their action is likely to arouse i the farmers. He deprecated the “pin pricks” Government is giving the fanners, and declared that there will be trouble. We are inclined to believe that he is a true prophet, and that when the tariff begins to •how its effects those farmers who

have hitherto supported the friends of the socialists will turn and rend them.

FROM a return presented to Parliament, the substance of which is reprinted in another column, it will be seen that since the institution of the lease-in-perpotuity no loss than 549! of the original tenants ont of a total of 13,692,.have disposed of their holdings to others. This not only indicates the amount of gambling that has been going on under what was intended to promote genuine settlement, but shows what an injustice .would be perpetrated if the new holders were compelled to pay present valuosfif they desired to obtain the freehold. Nearly half the original holders have clearly made a profit out of the transactions with the new holders, and the latter would thus practically have to pay twice over for the right to acquire the freehold. This return should furnish a strong argument to those who contend that the holders of loasos-iu-perpotuity should bo allowed to obtain tiro freehold title on paying the value at which the laud was originally* assessed. The object of laud legislation should bo to place users of laud on the land with as light handicap as possible, not to penalise them because they have undertaken the work of production or wealth creation.

WE observe that some of the protectionist journals, in their anxiety to place greater burdens on the producers, are arguing that th« cost of living canuot>have increased because the prices of certain lines of farmers’ produce, and certain things that are not universally used, are lower than they were twenty-five years ago. Their allegation is, of course, against all the testimony supplied in our Courts and by the statistics of the Registrar-General, as well as against general experience. It is, indeed, an absurd allegation in view of the fact that the average tax on all supplies is over 35 percent, hut possibly those protectionists are prepared to assert that an increase of the cost of supplies by 25 per cent will not increase the cost of living. Tiro fact that the prices of farmers’ produce have fallen is, of course, so much the worse for the man who produces, and the cost of whoso supplies, machinery, etc., has been increased.

THE Vancouver riots, the San Francisco outrages, and the exclusive legislation adopted by some of tec colonics should serve to bring the whole question at issue into great prominence. It cannot bo supposed that even the patient Japanese will continue to submit to gross indignity and inhuman treatment, and that nation, which now ranks as one of the Great Powers, by reason of its prowess in the field and on the wave, will certainly endeavour to protect its subjects, just as the other Powers- protect such of theirs as dwell in foreign lauds. These riots and outrages are already assuming the importance of an international question, and the Powers may yet ho called upon to decide whether the Oriental peoples are ontitled to''ho regarded as human beings with a right to live.