The Daily News. THURSDAY, AUGUST 16. TARIFF REFORM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81823, 16 August 1906, Page 2

The Daily News. THURSDAY, AUGUST 16. TARIFF REFORM.

It is hopefully expected that the Cl .Mining session of Parliament will bo n ;>ai tiiilly devoted to tho modification of the New Zealand tariff on imported goods. It is believed that s with a new Minister of Customs s .vho is credited with possessing brains, '' md with a Parliament that is accused of being bright intellectu- , illy, the revenue from imported -y goods may be less when the next j returns are put before the country. | It may even be hoped that the | revenue accruing from necessities of t life may die down to almost nothing, i md that the necessary cash may be I realised in some fairer way. With I the retirement from office of a ' Minister for Customs who always ' believed that the Country was tho more prosperous when the Customs returns wore highest, there are certainly some reasons for hoping that this remarkable belief may not be handed on to his successor, * * * * As we have so often pointed out, the heaviest burden of taxation falls on the people who are least able to pay. Also, it is imposed on those tilings which are made very largely and cheaply abroad, and very sparsely and very clearly here. In fact, the duties are generally imposed to protect growing industries. The local growing industries do not, however, always protect the people by making tiie price of their manufactures cheap. The local manufacturer notes that the duty on an imported article is, say, thirty per cent. He knows this is imposed to protect him and his little factory. But, when he sells his locally made article, he does not take oil' thirty per cent. He adds the percentage, the advance in wages, the price of plant, and various other little items. By this delightful system the people of the country can neither get cheap goods from Home or elsewhere abroad, and they are foi bidden from buying cheaply loc illy. They are in very truth "between the devil and the deep sea." It is a very extraordinary position. # # * * i Oxe might reason that if the now Minister of .Customs desire! to do the greatest good to the greatest immb'i, and not to the miaoi ity of manufacturers, he would work for the temporary suppression of duties on those articles which are not manufactured in the Colony, or are not likely to be manufactured in the Colony for some considerable time. He will tint evoryboly is not jotting twelve hundred pounds ■ a year, and tint tho unuufuctuiers ) are not the A'pli i and Omega of the country. Up to now no tariff' has operated in Njw Zailand for the p otection of our industries wit'icui ih ing harm to the pockets of : tho people, an 1 inciting our mui'i'aetuiers to exploit; the eiruiugs or' the worker. But Australia seems to , have solvod the problem and set it . out in a | artimlarly lucid way.

T.'E Tariff Reform Bill before tho federal House imposes many ad li- . ional duties. But by so doing the I'd;!, if |.is>ei. will net penalise the. ■ien;de for tiie sake id' til:: Australian .u inn, icrurers, who, of course, will .o- b;:i.'!i-:dly affv'ol hy it.' Tin; '.ill proposes to nnko the iinpoi'tel farm implement deic. Tim iiill wrl, therefore, have ;!,. o:l'vt of u;.setting Yankee " duui.io ;." I! it the Bill 'ivesiiorpportuoi'vtot'i ■ A'lstro'ian in .!;,-!■ lo raise his pri-o i:i uoa-.rd.in.-u with llie exoa pct-ei ion for 1,,-nl In ii'.emeids. It, .-peeili.-aHy pruvides that if the local manufacturers; raise the ruling prices of their own implements, the (Jovuriimout may take the extra duty oil' tiie imported article, and give the Yankee a chance to supply the Australians with a cheap article. Which is an extremely sensible plan. * * ''' # SsKi.Vii that the Australian manufacturers cannot nnke an extensive rise through what the L 'gisl tturu has done supposing the Bill gels through—it may be suppose! that manufacturers might take it out of the worker by making li'm work at low rates of pay. This possibility has also been frustrated, for the Coveriiuicnt has adopted the recommendation of the Federal Tariff Commission that if the local manufacturers do not pay the employees fair and leasonable urges after the expiration of one year from tho com ing into operation of the Act, the exvess of protective duty may be removed, and in consequence the great flood of foreign implements be again turned towards Australia to the detriment of tho local manufacturers.

The New Zealand tariff, in a great many instances, has taken tho cash out of the people and given it to the manufacturers. Whenever an additional duty has boon placed on foreign poods it has been the immediate signal for the local manufacturers to bounce up tho local price a few points, although the increase in the fcirill" has not in the least increased the expense of manufacture. Then, too, large protective duties have been placed on foodstuffs duties that all'ecfc detrimentally our poorest class, lint the materials required by New Zealand minufac'urers are in many casos admitted almost free from duty, which is, of course, a distinct pandering to class and a distinct injustice to the mass. It is of the utmost importance to New Zealand that her manufactures should be nursed and shepherded, but it is not of the utmost importance that the bulk of tho people should bo subject to tiie whims and wiles of unv bod-.' of manufactures, it bos been a dUin-l.ly notice ible feature of much of the Customs legislation of this country that the manu 'a-liirers have had a large baud in -c'oe'luling the tai-iIV, .-unfas it is a matter for the people and not for the ■persons, one hopes that any commission set up to advise the Goverunieutou tarill'reform will bj not entirely composed of niinufacturers "on the make" out of the pickets of the pende. I