THE CUSTOMS DUTIES BILL

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5134, 19 September 1895, Page 2

THE CUSTOMS DUTIES BILL

MRHOG&'S speech. By Telegraphs —Special. Wellington, Thursday, Speaking on the Customs Duties Bill last evening Mr Hogg said the objoct of a Customs Tariff was twofold; to produce revenue tofflS meet the requirements of Govern* ment and to stimulate industries so that tho people should be provided with employment. Koundly speaking the Colony needed a revenue of between four and five millions. Over a million wasearned by tho railways, and land sales and rents made up a further sum, leaving three millions to bo derived from the Customs, representing indirect taxation, He thought that if there was more direct and less indirect taxation, tho public burden would be more fairly adjusted because reform would bo demanded. He condemned tho TARIFF COMMISSION as costly and useless, Their composition was bad, their report aB worthless as it was voluminous. The evidence taken m secrecy was {.Tfarfe, and tbo Tariff they produced was consequently lop-sided, The Colonial Treasurer, in adopting it, had involved himself in trouble. The Tariff demanded was one that would make the wolfare of tho coin-A munity rather than the wishes importers, manufacturer or artisan the paramount consideration. A blunder was made by listening to the grower, and imposing a duty on fruit. To remove £50,000 from tea and place it on frnit was eminently unwise. Ho adhered to the conviction that the duty on tea might have been advantageously increased, because the revenue thus produced would have onabled tho Government to remove the duty from articles that contributed to tho general comfort Such things as pictures and musical instruments wereeducational and should not be banished by taxation from tbo home of the poorest cottager. An increased duty on tea would afflict no one, because the 1 majority could always be regulated by tho circumstances of tho consumer, and it was no more A NECESSAKY OK LIFE

than tobacco or wliito waistcoats. Ho would liko to see the free list greatly oxtendodaud duties restricted to a limitod number of articles, andJk I tho Customs machinery until taxation could be lifted, The pillars of tho revenuo, such as wines and spirits, boor and tobacco, sugar and tea, should bo kept strong and intact, and articles that interfered with promising industries, for which tho colony was specially adaptod,. should bo well taxed, Heal protection, and tinkering with miserable manufacturers that needed glass cases, woro different things. Hence, ho deprecated the duties on salt, acotic acid, gun cartridges and linseed oil. If fruit-growers, aided with cheap railway freights, could uot hold their own against foreign competition, liko the growors of meat, grain and vegetables, then they must turn their attention tosomething more profitable, but tho PIIOFI'MIHE EMPLOYMENT

of their sons and (laughters, as iveff as tho artisans in the Colony, roquired that their iron foundries, coach building, furniture, woodwaro, A and wickerware factories, soap anfflf candle works, bootmakers, saddleiv portmanteau makers, hat, cap and clothing manufacturers, milliners and furriers should all be adequately protected. This would givo work to the young people who were issuing from their schools, and who othorwiso were in danger of being driven out of the Colony, He lamented that in the ranks of the labour members wero spurious Protectionists, who had voted against the sliding scale. Tho tariff for boots, although it would havo excluded shoddy, increased employment, aud reduced the Customs rovonue, if more employment were created and the wages fund increased, tho people would pay the taxes cheerfully. In conclusion be said ho sympathised with the Colonial Treasurer, who had received something worse than no assistance from the Tariff Commission, and ho feared he was liko tho man with the donkey who had tried to please everyone, but had pleased nobody,