FLOUR DUTY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 245, 22 November 1909, Page 4

FLOUR DUTY.

I To the Iviilor. ; I Sir,—There appears mbe .some mis ■ understanding about this duty. In your . report on Mr. Hogg's speech when intro- ■ during his Bill, it is slated "the duly is i 20s per lon, equal in is per ewt"; it should lie lb per cental, equal to uneeigiith of a penny per pound. The Comuuuiiwca llh's duty i.- C2 10s ])cr ton against our XI, so if -Mr. Hogg and hi, following had siti-ci-edcd in the abolition of the duly, it is apparent wheat-grow-ing and Hour-milling would have ceased, as the Common wealth's door is closed lo , the Dominion, though ours would Jiavo licen opened to the Conimonwcaliii. . India, America, Canada, and Argentine, to strangle two of the largest imlustri 's in the Dominion with far-reaching disas- . tor, with railways, Southern cargo steamers, coal mines, and which would seriously interfere with all kinds of ' labor. The Xorth. Island is admirably adapted lor wheat-growing, and this season there is a large area .sown, and why frighten farmers'/ We are continually agitating for the opening up of our native lands, but I am afraid it would be of little use doing so unless the products of the soil are protected again"! the sweated surplusage of the countries mentioned. Several members in buttt districts, .with a protective butter duly oipial to 2'/4d per lb, when voting for the abolition of the flour duly, overlooked the fact that some day thee would ho an agitation for the removal of this duty if there should be a slump in butter in the Commonwealth or elsewhere, and how would I hey like it? It is evident a few town .M.i'. s think there should only be protection for the town I and not for the country, and it is oiiIvious a few country M.L'.'s am blind to this danger. Apart from Hie foregoing, , in the event of unfavorable grass peasons what would butter fanners do for their hran and sharps if Hour-milling ceased here, as the Commonwealtli has never any to export? We arc now having trouble with duty-free sugar grown by colored labor, and if Mr. Hogg and liis following had their way wc would he having flour manufactured by colored labor, thus crippling -white labor in the Dominion. We legislate to keep out ! colored labor and sweated products, vci i Mr. Hogg and his following are anxious to encourage this class of business, lo ruin large industries, and bring down the living wage of their own conn trymen. Might I ask Mr. Hogg and his following, in the event of war, or a scare, or a drought in Hie Common wealth, or a corner in America, how would this Dominion fare if the wheatgrowing and milling industries were ruined by their stupidity? But. tlianl; goodness, wc have a sensible (lovornment in power to prevent stupiditv causing rum— 1 am, etc., FATR PLAY.