The Westport Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1870

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 694, 6 August 1870, Page 2

The Westport Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1870

In a few days the tariff proposals of the Government will come under discussion in the Assembly. There is this exceptional feature in connection with the present scheme, that it is proposed under it to impose taxation upon goods which had at all times previously been exempt from duty, and in the matter of which taxation, a very largejprinciple is involved. In common with many others we cannot but look upon protection, in any form in which it may be presented to the country, as a grievous mistake, and it would be a deep sou ce of regret if members surrender their convictions as freetraders, and consent to make protection the basis of our fiscal policy. The United States appear to be suffering under the system of protection that has been there introduced ; the same may be justly said of Victoria, and in the instances quoted it has been satisfactorily demonstrated that protection is diametrically opposed to sound trading or national progress ; and that it is a very vulgar, but at the same time, most undoubted mistake to imagine that the imposition of protective duties contributes to the welfare of any country. If protection is introduced as regards agriculture, the principle must be accepted as of general applicability, and consequently every article of consumption, that it is possible to produce within the Colony, might with equal reason be protected. Capitalists anxious to develope, most profitably to themselves, the mineral resources of the Colony, would loudly urge the necessity of a duty sufficiently high to prohibit the importation of iron ; the fortunate possessors of valuable coalmines would as eagerly desire to exclude Newcastle coal from 'he market, even at the risk of altogether sweeping away the small steam navy the Colony possesses ; and as repeated concessions would only lead to increased demands for protection, prohibitory duties would be desired for the purpose of excluding all British and foreign manufactures, as also such products as our climate and soil are capable of producing. Protection certainly cannot be advanced in the interests of the consumer, and, as the latter class preponderates, it can only beinterpreted as aburdenimposed upon the many for the benefit of the few—it must be the means of making " the rich man richer, and the poor man poorer."

It cannot, however, be for one moment supposed that the Colonial Treasurer is a believer in this exploded doctrine. The proposals in question will be the means of an increased revenue, and the Treasurer believes in that if not in protection ; and it will also serve as an allurement to the largly represented constituencies of the middle Island. Canterbury,Olago, and Southland will gain considerably by a duty upon grain and flour, as also by the remission of duty upon the various articles exclusively used by the farmers and agriculturists ; and as these Provinces alone return 29 members out of the 76 comprising the entire representation of the Colony, it will he readily seeu what a very considerable support may be calculated upon by the Government in submitting their proposals. The alterations suggested by Mr Vogel, ser\e as the strongest argument in favor of a redistribution of seats, whereby a largely increased measure of representation should be allotted to the Goldfields. Had the latter enjoyed a fair proportion of political influence, or a voice in the Government of the country, in any way commensurate with their numbers or the amount of revenue contributed by them, no Ministry could have hoped to succeed in retaining the confidence of the country in bringing forward a proposal to levy taxes specially directed against the miners as a class.