The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 1911. STILL DECAYING! RECIPROCITY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 35, 4 August 1911, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 1911. STILL DECAYING!

RECIPROCITY.

It seems rather a pity that it should be frequently necessary to tell greater Britons that the Old Country is not at the last gasp, that there are a few average brains left among the 40 millions or so people who haven't emigrated and therefore ought not to know any- ' thing. A while ago a New Zealander wrote to a British firm of tool-makers and told them they were fools, or words to that effect, for putting good materials into their goods, as the American article sold just as readily in New Zealand and wasn't nearly so good and substantial. This is, indeed, the type of evidence generally adduced to prove that the Britisher at Home is a decadent person who just dodders along and increases his output by millions of pounds' i worth per year. The latest evidence of the decay of John Bull is supplied in the figures showing that he has produced a record tonnage in shipbuilding for the year. The shipbuilding of all other nations has been childs' play in comparison, this going to prove that these nations are fast mopping up poor old John's business and making him sleep sounder than ever. Sometimes he awakes and finds colonial borrowers on the door-mat. He hands them out cash that he made by going to sleep all the while. One of the quaint things about those sleepy folk at Home is that people outside Britain's own dominions think they can do good work. This is surely a fallacy. Thus instead of China getting her cruisers built at Kaiwarra and Brazil in Woolloomooloo, the Argentine' in the Bay of Plenty and Chili on Kangaroo Island, they all go to old Sleepyhead. For unknown reasons he has established the reputation of being the best worker in the world. People don't mean the fastest worker, or the flashest worker, or the most advertising worker, but the soundest, most conscientious worker who admires solidity and achieves it. The British artisan who drops his "h's" and is a very Bmall circumstance to the other kind of artisan with the well-greased hair and the pointed boots, is invited to go to every foreign country on earth to his special class of work. We even get him in New Zealand to lay tram-lines and those sorts of things that anybody could lay in their sleep or by the aid of oratory. Britain, because of her decadence, is at present engaged in patching up, or building or advising about at least seven navies. It is a little curious, too, that those astonishing people, the United States citizens, are most partial to letting contracts to British firms for jobs that are intended to last, and so we will refer to the New York great subway (one of the marvels of engineering) as a piece of British workmanship. For a pale, anaemic, spineless, sleepy old fossil, John Bull is blundering through quite a lot of work in his old age, but, of course, the fact that there are several Australians, Canadian and South Africans always in London and ready to advise him should he go wrong may account for his solvency. The fact that John Bull did not build Dick Arnst's boat is a lasting disgrace to him. He must have been asleep as usual when the tenders were out!

There arc two great parties in both Canada and the United States—the one party eager to squeeze the last dime out of the people and to protect a very small proportion of the population of either community, and the other which believes the people who are producing the wealth of the millionaires should have a better share of the comforts and conveniences. Reciprocity will have the effect of weakening some of the barriers of an intolerable protection which simply plays into the hands of the monopolists and squeezes the eaters. A reciprocal tariff and the disappearance of some duties which a/Feet the food supplies and articles of daily use of both peoples,

will, it is assumed, decrease the cost of I living to the worker, who, although he may nominally be paid a high wage,, has, thanks to high protection, paid ai too great proportion of it for the things he must have. It may have occurred to some of our own people that if reciprocity ia to benefit the Canadian and United States citizens, a finer reciprocity betwoen Australia and New Zealand would help us a good deal. Each country produces similar goods, but if there is a shortage in supply in New Zealand, owing to a bad season or other cause, a high tariff excludes supplies from Australia except at prohibitive rates. Our tariffs exist largely to benefit a small minority, and this minority is frequently heard calling out for increases in the burden. The trade relations between Australia and New Zealand are no more fraternal than those between Canada and the United States.

FARMERS AND PALITIOS. j Interviewed by a Timaru Herald reporter, the Hon. T. Mackenzie, Minister of Agriculture, was asked his views on the present attitude of the Farmew' Union in regard to politics. He said:— "If it means that the farmers are going to form an opposition party—as a good many people say it does —it must, of course, place that body upon a new basis. The motto of the Farmers' Union hitherto has been: 'Principles, not party.' At the moment, I cannot help thinking that the change may bring about a different attitude towards that haij. Speaking as Minister of Agriculture, I may say that I have endeavored to raise my work above party. When party enters a question, there is a tendency, perhaps unconsciously, to see only evil in all that is done by those with whom, for the time being, they are not in accord. No one lias been more devoted to the interests of agriculture than I have been during the twenty-four years that I have been associated with public life. In the government of a country it is not wise for any section of the community to elect members solely on promises given to that particular section. There are developing factors in our community at the present time, which have to be handled with no ordinary care, and in the event of such not being exercised, consequences ( may arise which would take many years to correct, if correction be possible at all. The census returns show an enormously increased urban population, although some years ago there was a difference of 30 per cent, in favor of the country. The urban population now exceeds that of the country. By reason. of the fights put up by other country members and myself, the country districts have enjoyed some advantages over the urban districts, and the rural population should remember this in any legislation that may be sought. . . . . Reverting to the Farmers' Union, I can only say that I cannot help thinking that more good will be done by their striking for what they require, on the lines on which they have been working for some time, than by entering into a party fight. It may be said that in speaking thus I am in fear of the consequences to the Government, but that is not so. I speak quite impersonally and as one who has the best interests of agriculture deeply.at heart. Let the farmers select the man they think is best qualified to help them, and trust him to do so rather than endeavor to make a delegate of him."