The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 1881.

Temuka Leader, Issue 397, 7 June 1881, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 1881.

New Zealand mast doubtless be enjoying good times, have a full .Treasury, and be lightly taxed, when the Government’ think themselves justified in giving away, as subsidies,; L7OOO among twelve industries to be inaugurated in this Colony. We are not of those who believe in universal Free 'Trade without any exceptions. There cannot be a doubt that Free Trade has worked well for England, whose manufactures had reached a very high degree of excellence. In new countries, however,, the various manufactures, if they are ever to be established, must be fostered by- some form of protective tariff: We certainly grant that this is nut an unmixed good, nor is it an unmitigated evil. The consumer will, indeed, have to pay a trifle higher fur goods under Protection than he would have paid under a Free Trade policy, Bnt this is counterbalanced by the increased consumption of all kind* of agricultural .produce, thn manufacturing population) spending their earnings in the Colony, and thus' adding to its general welfare and prosperity. Otherwise these citizens must betake them-

selves elsewhere, if'* European goods only ere purchased in . New .island. cAs jkr natjpn ever became 1 grea merely ‘by agriculture, it is of jipararitftft importance to a new country to (Courage by some modified form of Profile n, the various manufactures suite to the Colony. : The subsidies a be 1 referred to are very objectionable cthpds of .endeAVoring.toJuti'oduca rwbidustriep J into New Zealand. gie of,these .enterprises will be enterfbPPh> with a view, of estal)H<ng a fixed industry, but iol e ly for ♦ purpose of obtaining the bums offer by Government. Let us ance a-bc subsidy of LSOO tor the'firsthundrf tons of meat exported by tke ofrigatlng process. Australia has ahead S( v:ed this "question that meat can be>nt to the Lou* don market and pay, handsome interest on the outlay. 7hat Australia has done can also be icomplished by New Zealand. Henco.uch a bonus is a wilful waste of publicmoney. As a moderate encouragernen-both by individuals and the St e —of local

Industries is necessary, soYy unnatural forcing them into. exieteg dues no { good, but manifest injury. We have uo derabt that the various q»ral products suited to the Colony in the course of time, be raised here \t length from the basis of numerous idustries. Again, this bonus system ismfairto those manufactures already eaiblished , without any aid from tho Stai Treasury. It is also an unjust and partial system, by giving all the renrds to those who rush first into theiew industry, and doing nothing fo those who come after. The membersof the present Government, instead of iorrectmg their own errors, have forraec themselves Into a Mutual Admiratin and Laudation Society. Their strongargument is the attack, on Sir George Grey and other members of the Oppostion. It is a much easier task to vilify and abuse the past Government th-u to expldm their own policy. The tiree most wonderful points in the statecraft of the present wonderful Government are the tax on beer, the tea per cent reduction, and the increase of freight charges on the Canterbury rail road. Any fool could have done the first, and most probably would have pounced on the national beverage as a fitting means of increasing the revenue. The second is unjust, because it favors the nt irW —rjirpciwo \>C tilt? pt^vrlCr, It is perfectly ©utiageous to take ten per cent from salaries of LIOO or LISO per annum, which are barely sufficient to procure the necessaries o? life, whilst you do the same only with salaries of L6Oof and LBooy whose recipients live in luxury. This ten per cent reduction all round is opposed to all the fundamental principles of sound, 1 equitable finance, aud is a standing disgrace' to a ny Government who had the hardihood and shamelessness to perpetrate such an enormity. Oh the third point the Government thought in its shortsighted policy that it would be advisable to increase the freight charges on the Canterbury railroad, the best paying line in the Colony, and thus re-enact the old absurdity of killing the goose that laid the golden eggs. We ask, can New Zealand in its present condition afford to pay a million of money yearly in official salaries, giving many ot its officers L6OO ant LBOO a year, when there sure many men, quite as competent as the present incumbents, who would do the work for one half the Income. Some Ministries lay it down as a good paying policy to provide lucrative berths for their friends and supporters. This shameless doctriae explains clearly the cause ofiour having in New Zealand so many high-salaried officials.