CORRESPONDENCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12629, 17 October 1905, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE HARVESTER TRUST.

To the Editor

Sir, —We ask the courtesy of a very little space to suggest a procedure, which, if adopted, would seem to settle the Harvester Trust question in a manner greatly to the advantage of NeAV Zealand. The crimes whidh we have been so generally condemned for ■are all yet to be committed, but scores of readers, from "Old Subscriber" to "Pro Bono Publico," know just what we are going to do, and having sat in judgment, with du>e deliberation have then donned the black cap, and not only sentenced us to that doom which \vp will no doubt so richly deserve (some time in the future), but also have appointed a day for the. obsequies over our remains; and promised to tako their children. It is far from our purpose to appeal against the sentence of these who, in their eerie wisdom, look a criminal through and through and see at a glance not only the guilt already burdening his soul, but with equal facility foresee the crimes he is to commit next month or next year, but we do feel that we can perhaps make amends to some little extent for the heiaious crimes that we seem foreordained to commit, by pointing out to our victims how easily they can save themselves. We are, it seems, soon to begin to scatter valuable goods about at prices ridiculously below their picper value, losing in so doing a few In-ndreds of thousands, which (if our critics are correct) are of little conseqi.ence to us. Now, we are quite aware that we are to do this with an evil purpose, but none the less it .appears obvious that, while \ve= gre|d&m% soyW'9 are conferring no smalf blessing on the colony of New Zealand—-they are getting richer and \ye poorer so long as this phase of our iniquity lasts But tlje.n. we are to put up prices, to get back our losses and a largo plfofit besides. ~ Right . then,•. just when we start prices on the, upward grade, would seem to bo the psysiological moment for New Zealand to declare a prohibitive tariff against our wares— 200 per cent, if you like—thus compelling us to give up the trade to thoso struggling patriots Avho, regardless of self interest- or the danger to their lungs, are standing in the marketplace yelling bravely. long before they or anyone else are'hurt.. In this way the farmers can stock up on inlplerients at a mere tithe of their cost. The patriotic local manufacturers would after a short time have the proud consciousness of having saved their country, and incidentally gained the right to charge whatever they 'chose, for their,: wares, and "we—but. what does it matter, about us?—-if weare going to be half as bad as our critics say we are, we don*t even deserve our own sympathy.—Yours, etc., INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COMPANY OF AMERICA.