The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 1882.

Temuka Leader, Issue 904, 14 January 1882, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 1882.

The various Chambers of Commerce throughout New Zealand have passed resolutions signifying their willingness to, cooperate with each other, to obtain, from America, the abolition of the duty on wool sent from this, colony to its markets.. We quite agree with them that it would ’ be a good thing for this colony if its wool could bp,- placed, free of’ duty, in, the. American markets,, and we sincerely hope that the project will succeed. But we are afraid that there is very little prospect of, the Americans yielding any such, con-, cessions. There was recently a convention held in America for the purpose of discussing, the question of Protection verms-. Free Trade,, and after long consider-, ation it adopted resolutions approving of the protection polßy as at- present in, [ operation, and; urging, upon Congress the desirability of continuing it, Under such circumstances very, little hope can,be en-. tertained that our, American cousins, will graqt the concessions which the Cham-. bars of" Commerce seek to.obtain. Evidently experience has taught the, “ Yankee” that Protection is goodiapd as that idea has got into his head no. in-, flupnee will eradicate it, Such are our. prospects of, the Americans abolishing the duty on New Zealand' wool ; they have .hitherto taxed it, and they mean to adhere to what they think, will add t 0... their own prosperity. We do not feel disposed to. discuss whether they are right or whether, they are wrong, but we dp think that there is a lesson for ourselves in the per-, sisfency with which America, adheres tp her Protection, policy. There must-be something in it when the shrewd go-a-. head “ Yankee” hugs if to his bosom, so lovingly and will not part , with, it for. any consideration. We are quite aware that the majority of our readers, and indeed of the whole colony are firm believers in the Free Trade policy. They believe that it is the great lever which raised England to the great height of [prosperity which she, has attained, and no amount of, argument can ever convince them, to the contrary. Tax their ciops, their lauds, and their, in comes and they will pay it, but do , not place a : duty on imported goods., for that would, be ruiuous to the. whole colony. We do not mean to,, quarrel; with them, for ~entertaining,these opinions*, but we would ask them to throw off all Old World superstitions, and inquire calmly into . the merits or, demerits .of Protection for New Zealand, .without any-, regard as.tp the., effect of Free Trade,oja the commercial position of England. The first thing to consider js the difference in the circumstances.of; both countries. In,, England all sorts , of, industries have had, a prosperous existence from.; times immemorial.; They are well established, and have branches and markets in all parts of the civilsed ■ world ;. the cost ; of labor is , low,;. the best .of : workmen are plentiful ; and the necessary materials are abundant. The circumstances of America and many other countries are somewhat similar, as, regards their industries, but this cplpny has none of. these advantages, and:therefore cannot compete with them in the. production of ; marketable, articles.' So long,, as . that the., casq factories established in this colony cannot prosper. No map will, .from patriotic motives, buy colpnially-made. gopds s dearer- than he coqld * gel the■ sa.mu-kind,; of imported goodsnU The Quintus Curtins variety of mankind are dead—if [they ever had any, existence—and ■ there can Bcarcely.be a hope,, entertained of seeing prosperous industries., start, up ,in this colony under the present; circumstances, Gr,o,ve.rnmeut .have, offqredlbonusses for certain quantities of various,, articles produced in this colpny, but we, do not think that,that-is the proper way. to . encourage local industries., It seems to [us to partake very, much of the character of prizegiving, to schoolchildren.. There is nor. thing substantialf about it. Let us suppose that the. Government offered £SQOO for • the first 500, tons of beet-root sugar man ufactured in ; the colony, and some-. body of a sanguine temperament rushes into .the project, believing that the bonus will, c.oyer,. hi§ s loss,, if. he does not succeed. What, is. the. result?; After a; year oi; two he finds ho cannot produce, as good and i cheap an article as the-imported one and he has.to .shut up his. establishment, and the £SOOO is lost without any good being done. The bonus ..system will never succeed in establishing industries In this colony, and neither will anything else that we know of, except Protection. Free Trade may. suit an old .country, that) has her foundries- and. factories already, in. existence and;can defy competition from outside sources, but for a colpny like this, which has everything, to build up,, nothing but a judicious system of,protection,cap ever, enable her

to establish succesafu 1 industries. Free-

traders as well ss Protect! -nists must admit that no country can prosper while her whole dependence is on her agricultural and pastoral resources. And, if so, how can they uphold the system that must prevent industrial prog.-ess, and cry down the only means of developing the resources of the country. They argue that Protection would make the necessaries of life dearer ; that it would establish monopolies, and cause such a variety of other evils to the colony' that it is impossible to enumerate them. Very likely the necessaries of life would be dearer ; but this would be doubly compensated for by the facilities which successful manufacturing establishments would give to acquire money. Take for instance the case of a laboring man ; the. man on whom they say it would- press severest. Betweenharvesting,. shearing, and other odd jobs, he earns £BO a year, and it takes £6O of it. to keep biiqgelf and bis- family*, while the balance is spent, in. public houses during the time he is out of employment, and looking for work. Protection becomes law, and it costs him, £7,o l a.year, to five—- . and if would be a very- heavy protective duty thatwquJd.'impose a. tax, of £lO a year on him—but,, he obtains, constant employment: in the, manufacturing establishment at £2 ; los per week wet and dry, and is much.better off at the end of the year. It can be said , that every one could not get employment of this kind. Qeitainly not,-but those who could not», would have more work and better pay in consequence of, the arao.unt of Jabor.which industrial works would absorb. Ha’f the men in this colony have no settled homes, owing to the, unce r tdinty of their means of living, and the distances they have to travel to get work, A great many of these .could -settle down in comfortable homes, if industries wore established ip. this qolpny as .they are elsewhere. As for the question of monopoly, it, should not b# taken into cousideratioaat all, when the good of the colony iu. involved We, have mpnopolies protected by law wherever we go, and will,have to the end of, time, .as,they are necessary in come cams. We have, however., gone into the question as far as space will permit ,at prevent, we may return again to it. on some, future occasi <<r\.