THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 1909. MR CARNEGIE AMONG THE FREETRADERS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3087, 8 January 1909, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 1909. MR CARNEGIE AMONG THE FREETRADERS.

Mr Carnegie's article in the December "Century" advocating a revenue tariff for the United States seems, judging from the reports in English papers, to have caused quite a sensation, also to have justified the remark of a New York journal, "Mr Carnegie has sounded his trumpet before the walls of the high-tariff Jericho, blowing a blast that will reverberate throughout the land." Around that particular Jericho the enemy was already circling nearer and nearer. Mr Taft had uncompromisingly declared for tariff revision ; the sugar refiners had asserted that their industry could live without protection; the timbermen were agitating for reduced duties; manufacturers of one commodity and another demanded smaller imposts on their raw materials; and the Tariff Committee at Washington had fail-

Ed, in spite of persistent effort, to extract from protectionist witnesses any plausible explanation how it was that American protected goods were sold so much cheaper abroad than at home. "Never before in the history of this country,'' wrote tne New York correspondent of "The Times," London, "have circumstances seemed so to favour those who believe a reasonable reduction of duty would be beneficial rather than injurious to American industry." But even above the general tariffreduction din arose the voice of Mr Carnegie declaring that the time had come when a tarnf for revenue should replace the tariff for protection, and that of the industries which had been tariff-guarded "most can and should stand upon their own feet and conquer." Instancing the steel industry '•■<? wrote: "The puling infant in its nurse's arms that Congress in 1871 nursed so tenderly will appear next year before its guardian as the stalwart champion who has conquered competition in many fights, thus proving himself worthy of the protection bestowed upon mm in his youth, and fully vindicating the protective policy pursued." A New York cartoon, "Lynch him!" depicting Mr Carnegie pursued by protectionist leaders carrying ropes, seems to have pretty faithfully represented what ensued on his pronouncement. Not unreasonably, it was objected that Mr Carnegie was selfish in wanting to prevent others getting something under the protection he made his millions out of. The steel spokesmen were specially emphatic, owing to Mr Carnegie having said that steel was produced cheaper in America than anywhere else, notwithstanding the high cost of labour. "He has been out of the steel business for.nine years, and has no interest in it except the drawing of interest on the Steel Company's bond 3," on a witness told the Tariff Committee. "But Mr Carnegie says the cost of making steel is less here than elsewhere," said the chairman of the committee; "you denied it. Have you information or statistics which would aid the committee to reach a just conclusion?" A3 a ruh the witnesses had not. Some steel manufacturers admitted that the industry could bear some reduction of the duty. One infuriated high protectionist, Mr Zimmerman, father of the Durness of Manchester, who describid Mr Carnegie as "the' most sslfuh man in the United States," triumphantly asserted that even England would presently adopt a protective policy under Conservative guidance. However, Mr Carnegie's declaration of opinion is likely to powerfully aid the Amarican agitation for tariff revision, which, as has been said, is exceptionally strong just now and finds unusual support among those who represent the industries of the country.