The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 1903. VIEWS OF SIR WILLIAM RUSSELL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 136, 10 June 1903, Page 2

The Dai ly News. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 1903. VIEWS OF SIR WILLIAM RUSSELL.

Wsarenot aware whethtr tha Chamber of Commerce, at their meeting tbi-s evening, intend dealing with the question of a prefeven'ial tarill now ex iting so much interest, but we bopo they will acd deal with it in the broadest spirit. Sir William Kussell, who is j always a patriot first and a pa'itician afterwards, has beea giving bis views on this very important tubj'ct acd 'we think, put the matter in a manner that is b yond question to wellwibher of his country, This will baceen by hid interesting remarks in the course of an interview with a representative of the Hawke's Bay Herald : I' I realise at one?," said Sir William, lin reply to a question, "thit the colo* 1 nies, including, of course, New J2*iland, j will under to circumstances at present alter their policy of protection. Presumably, therefore, any concession made by the to the Mother Country would mean an increase in the tariff rates upon for e'gn good*. In I principle I am a freetrader, and, thereI fore, it may be raid, ought to be opJ posed to any such scheme as Mr Ohim- \ berlain proposes. On the other hand, II am more an Imperialist than lam a , freetrader, and if on mature consi leration I came to the conclusion tra 1 ; tha Empire will be bsnefi ted by such a policy, I should not adhee rigilly to jany preconceived opinions as to the j relative merits of f reetrade and protecj tion. Imperialism can only be t xstend by real comrauniiy of interest, and the necessity for fostering that community of interest is, to my mind, ovorvr helnvn", ! One cannot shut one's eyes to the fac; 1 that there is intense commercial as Wr 11 as political jealousy of England practic- ! ally throughout the whole of Europp, j and tfcoughafter-dirmer speakers in good j society hailing f rom Am-:rica spaak of . brotherly feeling and the love of Ame rica for England. I believe myself that a very small bahnce of profit would upset the friendly feelirg of any nation in Europ?, and also of the people of America. In other words, England acd her Empire must be prepared to Btaud together or probably fall one by one. It is evident thit England's colonies acd dependencies can supp'y everything that Englard requires. I conceive that the colonies cannot be injured by sgreciag to a preferential tariff. It is a question rath6r for the people of England to decide, whether a small tax on raw material rectived from countries outside of the Empire will be seriously injurious to the manufacturing interests and to the cost of food ond other other simplo necessaiies of life. lam inclined to believe thit the increase in cost would be infinitesimal, but whether it be so or not, it behove 3 England to strengthen her connection with her colonirs by the community of interest I have already alluded to. We know . that Germany and France already subsidise their mercantile marine to a large extend and under-cut freights by way of endeavouring to supplant English trade. We know of the American shipping combines, which, I imagine, whatever may be said to the contrary, is aimed primaiily at the carrying trade in English bottoms. Therefore, seeing that there is no free trade anywhfre except wiihin the Briiifh fcmpire, and not only that, but that the Empire is to be fur-hsr hampered by subsidised shipping carrying the products of other countries, it bahoves the Empire to endeavour to counteract this, if it can be done without imperilling the trade of England : r entailing an increase to the cos*; oF food to the p;op!e of England. Of cours 3 , one wants to know tha full t;xt of the scheme before one cxn approve of it in its details or not. Ido not think that New Zoaland would suffer in any degree by the adoption of such a policy. It is true that America stetl goods and agricultural implements are cheaper at the present time than English-made, but I don't believe tint they are es good ia the long run, However, as I have already pointed out, it is essentially a question for the Home Country rather than for us to disturb oursilves with, Our object, of course, ia to manufacture everything we possibly can, and to find a market for it. Thereforr-, if these is a differential tariff in favour of our wool and meat atd grain, tho bulk of wh'eh i< thipped to England, I should s ;y thne will ba a gain to us atd with a tendency to improve our price?." Ifc is extremely gratifying to find the two undoubted leaders of public opinion in this colony, Sir William Rtis ell ami the Right Hoe. R. J. S;c ! don, ngr.-;o'n» on this question, and placing tha good of the Empire firs'-. Their example might well be followed in more than one itißtance that could be mentiyntd