The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. SATURDAY, FEB. 13, 1802.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3055, 13 February 1892, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

SATURDAY, FEB. 13, 1802.

Equal and exact justice to all men, Ot whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political.

Tiie British Parliament is again in 1 session and two of the members, 1 who may be said to be self-consti-tuted specialists as regards colonial questions, have been early in the field. Mr Lowther has moved an amendment to the Address-in-reply to the effjct that the Government should terminate treaties with foreign powers which prevent differential treatment of the colonies. Mr Howard "Vincent was the seconder. As both must have anticipated, the amendment was rejected without a division. In reply Sir M. Hicks Beach urged the undeniable fact that the Government was better able to take a broad view of the commercial relations of the Empire than ai.y of the colonies. He added that they would go a long way to secure a Zollverien embracing England and her colonies, but at the present juncture the amendment was injurious. When a favourable opportunity offered they would try to get the treaties revised. The concluding remark of M r Lowther : " That if some change, were not made the colonies would be tempted to act for themselves " implies that the amendment was to urge the granting of the right to enter into commercial treaties by the colonies without referring such treaties to the Imperial Government. They are powerless of course to interfere with the Customs Duties of the United Kingdom, the amendment must therefore be so read. Sir M. HicksBeach's allusion to the Zollverein embracing the colonies infers that this proposal was within the scope of the amendment. Measures on the lines indicated have been proposed by several speakers froua English platforms, and have been met by the accusation, that they were only an attempt to get in the thin end of the wedge of a protection policy. England imposes no duties on colonial produce, so that she has nothing to forego, differential treatment means therefore that she shall impose duties on commodities which she receives from the colonies, when the produce of an alien state, and allow ours to enter her ports free as at present. To do this would of course add to the cost of the food supply of the people. As regards raw material, such as wool and flax, to ask her to impose an import duty is tantamount to urging her ',o add one more difficulty to those she already experiences in maintaining her commercial supremacy; the imposition of a duty on her food supply would certainly have that effect. The very eaceune of the commercial prosperity of a manufacturing country is tne ability to feed her workmon choaply, as cheaply at any rato ns any of her competitors. Some time back we pointed out in these columns that the quantity of

the food supply Great 13 ritain draws from her colonies is only an almost insignificant fraction of the bulk which she receives from abroad— protected under an alien flag. J jet us consider for a moment in what way it is suggested that the colonies should reciprocate. It is proposed to admit English manufactures at a lower rate of duty than those of othor nations. Tho question Eng-

lish statesmen would have to considor is how iar this concession would go towards compensating for the increased cost of producing every article she exports and consumes at the present time, 'l'his could only bo by the colonies taking a much larger supply of manufactured goods, and thus giving increased employment. This, we j fenr, the colonies could not do. As regards the concession to the different colonies to make com~

mercial treaties en their own account, this cannot bo made till existing treaties expire from effluxion of time. The treaties have been made, and any preference shown to the products of any power by any portion of the empire would lead other interested na«

tions to make strong protests, which if not listoned to would cer-

ainly cause a breach of friendly •olations, and possibly lead to ■6taliatory measures, if not to

uctual hostilities. The manner in which the House of Commons dealt with the amendment shows that the greater majority understood the question much better than the mover and seconder; it may be, however, that their action was with

the object of using colonial affairs to embarrass the Ministry. Lord Carrington set a very bad example the other day, which proved that no matter how good a governor he may have been, he is as unscrupulous a politician as any who are willing to be dragged at the tail of Mr Gladstone. Being made a political ball of by contending Home politicians is a process which the colonies are certain to resent, and any misrepresentations made as to colonial opinions and feelings are certain to be as promptly contradicted as were those of the ex-Governor. The proposal of Mr Lowther is impracticable, but the fact no doubt will cause some little

discontont at the action, of the different colonial Governments being restricted. This discontent would be reduced to a minimum

were the off shoots of the Old Country given a direct say as to the policy of the Empire. This will have to be granted sooner or later, and it is somewhat to be wondered at that agitation in this direction has not been very much more pronounced than has so far been the case.