The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1884. LOCAL INDUSTRIES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1243, 25 September 1884, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1884. LOCAL INDUSTRIES.

Thb advocates of Protection in this colony have been greatly .deceived by Sir Julius Vogel. In his Ashburton speech and other pronouncements before his return to Parliament, be gave them to understand that he was in favor of protecting our industries, but now he has turned round on the other tack altogether. He is in favor of pro-, moting local industries, but the way he proposes to do so is certainly not the best one. He proposes to hold an exhibition of our industrial products every one or two years in the principal centres of population ; the first of these

exhibitions to be held in Wellington at the time of the session of 1885, and the State is to contribute towards its cost. The proposal is not a bad one, but it cannot help in the least industries whose products cannot be placed in the market at the same price as the imported article. For instance, if a pair of boots can be made in this colony for fifteen shillings, and the same class of boots can be sold by the importer for fourteen shillings, that industry cannot flourish. The seller of the imported article will always be able to get the lion’s share of the purchasers of boots. It is so with every < Tier industry—not one of them can prosper if the importations can be placed in the market at a cheaper rate. The holding of these exhibitions therefore cannot help those industries. The only way in which they can be helped is by imposing on the imported article a protective duty that will prerent them from being sold at a cheaper rate than the colonially made ones. Of course the advocates of free trade will say at once that to do so would be to tax the purchasers of these articles for the benefit of the manufacturer. They always forget that taxation must be paid somehow, and that if it is not paid one way it must be paid in another way. If it is not paid through the Customs it must be paid through the increased railway rates, stamp duties, or property tax, ana so it comes to the same thing in the end. It is also a mistake to say that Protection benefits only the manufacturer. It benefits the working classes, because it gives them employment; it benefits landowners, because it increases the population, and thus creates a demand for tha products of the land j and it tends to make the country prosperous. But the argument of taxing the people for the sake of the manufacturers can be applied to Sir Julius Vogel’s proposal of holding Exhibitions with greater accuracy than to Protection, AH the good Exhibitions can do is to create a spirit of emulation between the manufacturers, and to advertise their wares. Under no circumstancas can Exhibitions enable local industries to compete successfully with articles which can be imported cheaper than they can be produced iu the colony. Sir Julius Vogel’s proposal is, therefore, a roundabout way of taxing the people for the sake of advertising the wares of colonial manufacturers, and that is not at all what is wanted. It is most extraordinary how men with such knowledge of the world as our legislators can continue “ muddling and fuddling ” with matters of such vital importance to the nation. Would it not have been much better to institute an inquiry as to what industries required protection and to what extent, than to tax the people for the sake of exhibiting the products cf such industries as are being carried on successfully ? The proposal betrays lamentable ignorance of what is really wanted, and has very little in it to commend it to anyone who feels a real interest in the development of our resources. But it has always beeu so. Governments invariably find out the wrong way of doing things, and we suppose they will continue to do so to the end of the chapter. However, we are almost inclined to believe that the Exhibition proposal of Sir Julius Vogel is nothing more nor less than a little garnish to make bis Statement more palatable by showing the inteiest he feels in colonial industries. We shall see as soon as the Estimates reach ui. If there is no sum placed on the Estimates to defray the expenses of Exhibitions, we shall then conclude that Sir Julius’s proposal is only “ soft sawder,’* as indeed are the greater portion of his utterances. LOCAL PATRONAGE. Thh people of Geraldine may be congratulated on the Board of Commissioners they have elected. We cannot, just now, find language enough to give them adequate praise, but we have the satisfaction ot feeling that their devotion to the interest of the public will meet with due appreciation, notwithstanding out inability to poutray their virtues in suitable terms. What greater proof of their zeal could be given than the extraordinary trouble they have gone to to ascertain the cheapest place in the Middle Island in which to get £5 worth of printing done ? All Canterbury was not large enough ; they actually went as far as Otago, and utter all found that the work could be done cheaper in the office of the local paper. This, no doubt, was a great surprise to these civic patriots of Geraldine. They must have reckoned on getting the work done cheaper in offices which have the most improved machinery, driven by steam power, and it must have been disappointing to them, no doubt, to learn that people living at a distance want to be paid for their labor. Yet so it was. After all the tender of the local paper was by far the cheapest, and it bad to be accepted. Now we do not think they have treated us well in bringing into competition with us printers outside of the district. We should not complain so much of Timaru being invited to compete, although, to tell the truth, we think we have well deserved the printing of the Board without having to tender for it at all. The Board owes its existence to this paper. Until we unearthed the Town Districts Act and suggested its adoption to the people of Temuka there was not a man in the district who knew that such an Act had been passed. The agitation which we carried on in Temuka, gave all the information to the Geraldine people, and thus they were induced to take up the same idea. And now, although we

have thus brought the Board into existence, cur recompense is that we are vnado to compete with Christchurch and Dunedin for the printing of the by-laws. It is not treating us well. The Board can now see that we do work cheaper than other places ; in fact, we have to do so, because we live in a district the inhabitants of which would send to Dunedin for £1 worth of printing if they could ewe a sixpence on it. In one instance a fellow-citizen wanted some printing done, and we offered to do it for £1 Bs ; he sent it to Dunedin where he got it done for £1 2* 6d, paid ninepence carriage to the railway, and he was happy. That man complains of persons who buy their goods in Timaru ; yet such is the example ho sets them. The other da j a man came up here from Dunedin canvassing for advertisements for a sheet almanac, and every storekeeper in Temuka and Geraldine gave him advertisements, and he took £IOO away with him. Wo live in the district, we give employment to eight men, we bur goods from some of these people, we do everything in our power for the districts, and yet these people would no more think of advertising in this paper than flying to the moon. And yet they complain of the trade going to Timaru, and of travellers from Dunedin getting so large a share of it, when this is the example they set their customers. One of these actually directed our attention to the fact that buckets made in Temuka, were bought by a Temuka man in Timaru for 2s 9d, while ho might hare got them from the maker at home for 2s 3d. Another drew our attention to some articles of clothing he could sell cheaper than a certain traveller from Dunedin sells them at. And both these thought we ought to point out to the people the folly of taking their money out of the place. We think they had better get Mr Stacy to do it in his Sheet Almanac ; it is to him they gave their advertisements. When they treat us so badly themselves, we cannot be expected to feel a deep sympathy for them if other people treat them in a similar manner. We have done all that lay in our power in that respect ; we have frequently directed attention to the folly of sending the money out of the district, and without doubt did some good. No paper in New Zealand has worked better for its district, and none can show such good results ; yet a “ Sheet-Almanac Man ” from Dunedin can get advertisements that we can not. If we asked for an advertisement we would be told, “ What do I want to advertise for? I am well known.” They did not say this to the “ SheetAlmanac Man yet it would be far better for them to spend £1 in advertising in this paper than one shilling in advertising in the Sheet Almanac. It is quite useless, it is money thrown away, an it serves them right that they have been gulled. Now why is the trade going away so much ? It is because the people do not advertise. Would the man who bought the buckets at 2s 9d in Timaru have bought them there if he had known he could have got them at home for 2s 8d ? Most undoubtedly he would not, and if the maker advertised them at that price he would find he would have very little occasion to send thot: to Timaru for sale. There is not in New Zealand a worse advertising district than this, and what is the result ? The trade of the place is going away through the people being lured by the glowing advertisements of Timaru tradesmen. The mistake people here make is that they forget they have to compete with Timaru, and that unless they advertise like Timaru people they are bound to lose by it, because the advertisements attract the people. Mr J. W. Miles is the only man in Temuka who advertises properly, and the result is that he is doing an immense business, perhaps more than all the others put together. However, to follow this subject father is useless. In other communities people advertise in the local paper, even if they do not want to, so as to help it along ; because they realise that* paper is a necessity in any community. Mere the case is different; the people will not put a shilling in the way of the local paper if they can get the work done for elevenpence three farthings anywhere else. Here there is no recognition of the good a newspaper does, and the newspaper man has no incentive to work. This is very discouraging, but we are getting used to itfand do not mind it. Geraldine has on the whole behaved fairly to us, but we think the Town Commissioners need not have asked us to compete with Dunedin and Christ, church for such a paltry job as £3 worth of printing. However, we are at any time ready to compete with them, and to do work cheaper than they can do it, too.