The Daily News WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15, 1905. JOHN BURNS ON THE FISCAL ISSUE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7739, 15 February 1905, Page 2

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15, 1905. JOHN BURNS ON THE FISCAL ISSUE.

The Jcttcr which John Burns has written to the Freetradei Association of; Melbourne is merely a repetition of what he and other free 'iKiieri hive been saying ever si we Mr Chamberlain opened his fiscal campaign. As far ns John lUirns' attack on the personal motives of the late Colonial Secretary is concerned, they may or may not i.e partially true. There is such a thins '« P ol '- tics as the device which- is named by the stale phrase—drawing a red ucrring across the scent. It i» often alleged against Mr Ciwivbeiberlain by the more radical biitish politicians that he was- tuticiun enough to divert attention from the errors involved in. his South Atrican policy. This is the charge which Mr Burns repeats once more to the people of Australia, and repeats with special emphasis too. Whait Mr I Chamberlain's ulterior motives may havo b*?n, or whether he had any I but the most straightforward designs is really, however, a matter of no, I moment to thv people of Australia or | even to the people of England. What lis of weight with both is the question whether or not a scheme may b,e devised by which the continuous recession of Great Britain from her position of commercial supremacy may be stopped effectively and at once. The Freetraders of England —and at present they are in an enormous majority—cannot perceive this backward drift, or, perceiving it, would accept any explanation of its existence rather than the failure |of the worshipped fiscal system which ;at. one time was fondly expected | shortly to domino-lb the comnieriial | intercourse of the world. It ii one of the hardest experiences of an in|inriividuaft's lijfc to find himself face Jto face with facts which necessitate .the dropping of opinions which he has held fix>m- his infancy. The difficulty with the commercial creed of a nation Ls of a similar nature, intensified ten thousand-fold. Thus it is that, despite facts and figures both of her own failure under Frcetrade and the enormous growth of other nations under Protection, the great mass of the British nation—the enlightened as well as the ignorantstill cling to their belief that Freetrade is not to blame. If. England does find her trade falling off and other countries supplanting her,,, not only in foreign but in her own colonial and home markets, still Freetrade is not to blame. These are the contentions of a people who have grown purblind if not wholly incapable of seeing. That we in Australasia do not "see -through Home electoral devices" is not a correct statement of facts. We certainly are not in that close personal touch with men aind- things in the Homeland which enables people not only to understand but to feel the policy which inspires certain actions of public men. But we are not unacquainted with electoral devices in our own lands, and we can easily take them for granted in other places. On the point of the existence of devicesI—of 1 —of a desire on the part of the "euts" to be "ins" and the "ins" to remain where they are— w* need not question Mr Burns' assertion. ; such things go without saying. Neither aro we concerned to ftuesbion his assertion regarding tihe effects of a long period of Conservative Government on the administration of England, or on the maintenance of her status among the nations. What does concern us is that we who know see England commercially dying because her people are too prejudiced to admit that the lime, for Freetrado is past, and that it is therefore proper that she should take stock and start afresh. Apart from our sentimental interests in the welfaro of the Mother Country and the centre of our Empire, we are also vitally concerned in the maintenance of the chief market for our products. If we could secure from England such a measure of preference as would give us some advantage over rival producers under other flags, we believe that both England and ourrslves would 'oenelt't. This is where (he average Englishman does not agree with those who advocate preference. He sees that the immediate effect of preference would be a rise in food prices-. That this would be but a temporary effect is to him nothing. The average Englishman hattfc theorising, and has no patience with investigations and calculations which do not at once show foim hard indisputable facts. Therefore he has no patience with any talk of Protection. It its teiMAigbifor him that Protection causes an enhancement in the prices of articles lie consumes dnilv and. probably of the clothing whach no ' is enough, and he wuijts to hear no more of Protection. But, despife John Hums and the a'hnost certain return to ppwer of the Liberal party, and despite the average Englishman's loyalty to his present fiscal creed, England will yet have to resort to some measure of Protection for her own preservation. With regard to colonial preference or reciprocity, there is no blinking the fupt that ne.it.hcr the States of Australia nor New Zeajand will find themselves capable of doing much more than the latter has already done—'that is, while continuing to tax British goodta to surtax certain products; from foreign countries. That really is the most we can offer England, and it wouttd be well for our statesmen to s-ay so fn plain word* Wo cannot undertake to abate om- dujtJes on English products to any sucii extent as to Starve ,our own growing industries, or kill tlioni by competition w.ith England's* cheaper products. If England its prepared to give preference t» out products*, we in New Zealand may do more than we have already done, but we cannot be expected to injure our own manufacturers for the sake of sentiment or theory. We would like to skte England estnMish Protection against the world, with preference to her own colonies—not necessarily free admission, -but admission at a lower raj.e. Nearly all the colonies are prepared to jijlo as Canada! and this colony have already done, and we believe that on such a foundation England's industries would take a new lease of life and our own progress would be materially hastened. ON THE FOURTH PAGE. Exciting Incident at Onelnmga. The World's News.