THE RECIPROCITY TREATY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81841, 6 September 1906, Page 2

THE RECIPROCITY TREATY.

VIEWS OF LOCAL BUSINESS MEN. A number of (he leading merchants and {Train dealers in New Plymouth wore interviewed by a ''Daily News" representative in rcfcrcnM' to the propi.srd rcciiHccal tariff treaty with Australia. The opinion expressed in most cases was that the tariff is unworkable, that it is a menace to several New Zealand industries, and the bargain seemed to be ail in Australia's favour. . laking oats for a start, a merchant pointed out that the duty had been raised. This cotlonv was dependent to a large extent on Australia for its Algerian seed . oats, the Victorian sample especially being scught after and worth a trifle more than the New Zealand grown article. Iho increase in tariff would almost prohibit this trade; farmers, would sow locally grown seed, and the product would deteriorate.

"Mojv about maize?'-—Well, it is so seldom that we have to iniport maize that this is of little moment. The Bay of Plenty district can;supply New Zealand'wants, except in exceptional seasons. At present we are importing- Island maize. Our own maize is superior to Australian, Island, :or American." i

"But l-'can't imagine," said our informant, "why hay and chaff are admitted free." He went on to say tliiit.New Zealand always had a? surplus oat production, thoug h this'yearthe bad spring and caiiy summer had spoiled the Straw for chaff.; Occasional shipments of chaff had come into Auckland and \Ve!|'ington,j and even in face of the duty c-f per ton had held: tlieir own. * ;If chaff were to be iinported ~ free,' the 'New Zealand producer must suffer. Onions, and. the proposed treatment of them, provoked unfavourable comment. The present duty was £i per ton from anywhere. ' This would-remain-in Australia's case; but the duty was to be raised by 50 per -ent. against other countries. This colony 4uust continue to import :Am"ri.can onions between the months of July and November, for the New Zealand and. Australian'crops cou'd not be depended'on to l;pep then. Thy imports from America were considerable, and' would remain so despite increased duty, which would benefit Australia, of course, at the expense of the New; Zealand consumer. " It seemed, lie said, a short-sighted 1 policy to penahse American onions,; just ■vfluyi.Nesy. Zealand was building- up a food trade in' exporting cnions from fanuary tc, April, when America had to impoit. Retaliation in the American tanfi would nip this trade in the bu(j. • '

Tlio;prop.osal to put '/all ofljer'? potatoes on a, fixed tariff of 130/,''JP er - ton struck one' m'efchiirit .as : 'ari tiipouragement to America rather ( than Australia, as there was no import to this colony except at high prices,' and America would" nave the advantage at sfton as potatoes advanced above £/ per ten. "How will it affect our flour?'' echoed another merchant. "It will just about kil! wheat-growing,! and close up our mills." Then hessiated his reasons. In the first place, Australia, on account of the cheapness of rand and labour-, and- its cheaper and juott: rapid method of harvesting, could... grow wheat more cheai'ply . than New,: Zealand, and, duty free, its flour could mvamp the local flour. Tlie proposal to place an import duty on wiieat and alllow Australian tiiur, . cr. come in free would cnliple our mills, and close them up.

Another merchant ventHrCfl the opinion that by tb« of five years ■ rem now, the Nciy consumer \vouk] h'avfj vo pity out- in bigprices jar moje tiian he would gain in the meantime.

Jlow would that come'about?" we asked. ~ . • ,

'the answer was a that the open door to Australian flour would put our wheatgrower out of business. Austialia cotjlcl. hardlv run another five years without having a drought; Off wheat crops would be insufficient, and she ship pane t0 this colony; we would have jvnn; liere, for wheatgroweis wou'd have been forced into other branches of farming, and famine prices would rule. The same merchant considered the adopItoi: of the proposed schedule would c ose down our flour mills.

There seemed nothing but dissatisfaction in reference to p'rodli'ce, so 'f- W niW'-triciJ .general mer i'handis c . "ft doesn't strike us at ali_ favourably,'' said a merchant.' ''The, first thing, that strikes one is the fact that New Zealand gives so much , and, revives , :so. little. Apart ihc proposals seemed to he, aimed at ihe two monopolies, to which the nous, he said, "but there was really nothing in .flowing the Australian aiticle to enter this countrv free, for the simple reason that ' Australia seemed quite able to consume ii'i| (lie raisins she produced, under ordinary ctrannsiances. \\V don't die raisins, so we have none to send out, yel we knock off our duty to let Australia in free. It's a sort : of 'heads J win, tails you lose' arrangement. ' Business men generally lookeel on this as/a sort of a little prtiiminarv flutter to a crusade against m.nop:',lie's, • more particularly hitling at the Colonial Sugar Company and Ihe Flour Millers' Association. 1 his present schedule could never have been meant seriously, and it was a pay we had lost thai master mind which framed and cou'd have explained the proposals . and shown what he had in his mind. The flour and sugar items, would hardly be approved by Parliament. . Dealing with sugar, the merchant thought that if Australian sygar were admitted Ifee, all sugar and sugar-cane should be placed on the same tariff At present the CVloma! Sugar Company imported cane From Fiji, paving a duty of a half-pennv per pound on Ilie output of sugar. This was a Mew Zealand: industry, c.trry■ng duly; ye; Australian sugar was Jo be admitted free; that seemed hardiy fair. The new tariff wouldi aim It. terrible blow at Fiji 3n d, at our own Colonial Works for the pivoable result would lie that the cane. w,. u ld be. taken from Fiji to A list rah a ,„ r rc( j llin im , k , u .l 0 f Auckland.

Taking condensed milk, it s',. vmL , ( | peeu mr to <ll cr an open door to Australia m this mailer, for we had had no Australian milk on this market, in the past 20 years, at any nUo. I here were many wlm'would insist on hVstle\s and oilier imported 11)1,1; roods, and. by the now tariff I'ltee. 1 lie Initter and cheese pro. met n.tb scant support, New Zealand r|,eese being p ' a ,. ( , ( | on „ () te[m:-> in Australia than now, ulnlsl we were asked u, p ay .m,,' vier duty Oil Dutch, Canadian, and I'.n.nl sli eliei.'ses,

'rile line irdeemin;.. I'l-alure ef ilie lanlf in 1 lie ey, s of the mana.e.er of one "I our wliteesal,. houses was the treatment , ; f candles, ihe extra duly imposed on KnOisi, and other eandles he'ii- l.kcly t„ | K .|p „ u , wvn indusiry. Alcntiiai was made of tie big s;titles miu j,. recently in eaiKhe-makine' in ]\'ew /.,'aland, until there was sc.ocely any difViremo be'tween lie' "Meteor" candies (made tn Auckland) and ihe best Knijlisli In appearance, ihe colonial had the advantage, and the hurnini;- nualiI.CM we;,, quite as Hood, The liverai.e censumer ciuu'd net tell i| u . ( |;|. leience. ami ihe colonial ariic'o seemed n, "| n , n,,,,!-,.,." A I le tie le pruleciiun would help this indusiry .niaiK. t| wati sunn what, eneina'oiis, ol' course, thai candil's Irom lint.llll and liiiiisb colonies v.eie peiiiih.'.ed, despite „ u , vaunted preli'ience In Knsllsh itoods. Summin- up, ib s was aliouir side."