FEDERAL TARIFF

Waikato Argus, Volume XI, Issue 1074, 16 October 1901, Page 2

FEDERAL TARIFF

CABLEGRAMS.

[per united press association] [ry electric telegraph—copyright]

MR REED’S CENSURE MOTION,

Melbourne, October 15. There are great preparations for the fight on Mr Raid’s censuse motion tomorrow. Both sides are marshalling forces, and the Ministerial heads are in close consultation. It is understood they are prepared to make certain tariff concessions in response to the dissatisfaction amongst both Freetraders and The Ministerial forecast is a majority of 10 to 15 for Mr Barton when the - numbers go up. Mr Seddon’s complaint with regard y to the tariff shutting out New Ze»land produce is freely discussed, anctf little sympathy is expressed on side. Freetraders point out that New Zealand in having a taste of the policy she deliberately adopted, cannot complain when she feels it cuts the other way. The protectionists say Mr Seddon ought to come into the Federation. If he took no risks over Federation he cannot expect to reap any of the benefits. It would be a very one-sided arrangement if Australian markets were open to New Zealanders and Australia was shut out from theirs. (Received Oct. 16, 12.40 a.m.) Melbourne, October 15. Mr Reid moved the censure motion in a packed House. It condemns the tariff on the ground that it presses upon the necessaries of life, appliances used in the farming, mining, and pastoral industries more heavily than luxuries, and destroys the stability of the revenue by makiug imports for national purposes the source of undue profits to a few favoured industries at the expense of the whole community. His indictment of the tariff was that it had no mark upon it in favour of the pioneers of the country, but instead, introduced a deformity to benefit the artificial at the cost of the pioneer industries of Australia and made a preserve for the great manufacturing centres of Sydney and Melbourne. A red hot protectionist policy was a fraud upon the people of Australia. If adopted it would place the finances of the Commonwealth on an unsound basis. Whatever the fate of the motion he was sure the free list would not be allowed to remain in its present unsatisfactory state. Mr Barton in replying said Mr Reid had not shown in any way that the Government policy was bad. They did not claim it to be a perfect tariff, but it entirely fulfilled the promises made in the Maitland speech.

KILLING THE ISLAND TRADE.

Sv'dney, October 15. The agent for the Governments of Fiji and New Guinea, in a letter to the Herald, points out that the Federal tariff threatens to seriously cripple Sydney’s trade with these islands, The proposed duty on bananas is practically prohibitive, while the duties on sugar, maize, pineapples, cocoanuts, and other products will certainly, as far as Fiji is concerned, drive the trade to New Zealand. He suggests that in order to preserve the trade, South Sea Island products, sugar excepted, should be admitted free. He prophesies that it is only a question of time when all the islands will become dependencies upon the Commonwealth. GERMAN CRITICISM. Berlin, October 15. The German Press adversely criticise the Australian Tariff.