PROTECTION ASSAILED

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 362, 24 May 1928, Page 12

PROTECTION ASSAILED

“FARMERISM” WANTED VIEWS OF MAN ON LAND (From Our Own Correspondent) HAMILTON, Wednesday. Protection to secondary industries by means of a tariff wall was strongly opposed at the provincial conference of the New Zealand Farmers' Union continued in Hamilton to-day. The following remit was passed unanimously: “That this conference, recognising the imperative need for reducing costs of production and the close bearing the present high protective customs taxation has to such costs, urgently calls upon the Government to reduce immediately Customs taxation of a protective nature. Mr. R. H. Feisst, who introduced the remit, said he considered it the most important before the conference. “Protection is the root cause of unemployment in New Zealand,” he said. “It is also the cause of war. National wealth is not equitably distributed because of preferential legislation. Capital is drawn from unsheltered industries into sheltered ones, and the politicians build up a superstructure without a foundation.” The Minister of Finance had said that 51 per cent, of the revenue was raised through indirect taxation, continued Mr. Feisst. If protection was caried to its logical conclusion there would be no revenue at all. (Hear! Hear!) The Minister had said a 1 Cambridge that the object of the Government was to reduce taxation on the necessities of life wherever possible. The little reductions he had suggested amounted to putting Is into the hands of housewives and taking £1 out of the pockets of the farmers of New Zealand. (Applause.) Nothing will be done unless the union takes united action.” A more conservative attitude was taken by Mr. Wynyard, who said men had been induced to put money into protected industries and would not withdraw it. The farmers could not expect the duties to be removed immediately. He considered it would be advisable to add to the remit that any industry requiring assistance in its infancy should be granted a subsidy. Mr. C. A. Magner said the farmers should ignore political creeds and fight the protection bogey. All they wanted was “farmerism.” Another delegate claimed that the wheat buyers in the South were responsible for preventing modification of the tariff. The remit, which will be forwarded to the Dominion conference, and will probably be submitted to the Government as an earnest of the farmers’ united opinions, was carried unanimously.