“THE COLONIST.”

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2507, 2 April 1881, Page 2

“THE COLONIST.”

[From the Melbourne “ Argus ” of March 19,1881.]

Mr William Bateman, of Christchurch, New Zealand, has collected into one volume, under the title of “The Colonist,” a number of pamphlets which he has published from time to time for the information of agriculturists, upon topics connected with farming, grassing and commerce, together with comments upon the Government of the Islands during the last decade. He condemns the gigantic financial experiments of Sir Julius Vogel, and contends that the colony has retrograded since 1870 ; but he has every confidence in the magnitude of her resources and in her powers of recuperation. Upon economic questions he is perfectly sound, and reprints in the Appendix two excellent papers which he read before the members of the Kaiapoi Farmer’s Club in September 1879, and in March 1880. In the first of these he holds up our own colony as a warning to the people of New Zealand, and remarks, ‘ Victoria has lost her leading commercial position. She is now in this respect at the tail of tbe list in place of heading it. She occupied tbe leading place until the fostering and democratic government took the reins in hand.’ And in the second, he explains in detail the unjust

and iniquitous operation of Protection in this colony and in the United States; shows what rapid progress the manufactures and commerce of New South Wales are making in Free Trade, and champions the principle of liberty of exchange with equal vigour and ability. * Protection,’ he observes, ‘means plundering the con* suraers, benefiting the few producer! and completely disabling tbe general productive power of a country, and thus rendering her and her people helpless by unfairly preventing them entering into competition with the people of other nations who carry out free trade principles. The farmers of Canterbury are fortunate in possessing so able and earnest a friend and adviser as Mr Bateman.