PROTECTION V. FREE TRADE

Waikato Times, Volume XL, Issue 3210, 21 January 1893, Page 2 (Supplement)

PROTECTION V. FREE TRADE

Tiik question of protection v. free trade is one that has always attracted a large share of public attention in this colony, Even now a number of intelligent colonists are looking forward to a heavy protective tariff as the panacea for many of our national ailments. To these we commend the following remarks made by Major A, I!. Calhoun, the managing director of the American Press Association, New York, when on a visit to the colonies a few months ago: I'ou must understand I am not speiking officially, but as a private iudividua 1 , in what I am about to say. The question of lurid'*, of course, involves that of. protection v. five trade. Before New South W.iles adopted her protective policy the Cilifornian mail steamers carried about 2000 tons of eaivo each way, now they are carrying about 300 tons, and if a higher measure ol protection is adopted by that colony, it may cause the trade to fall off so largely as to render it necessary to take off the steamers altogether. Perhaps the United States could not complain of this,, as she has set the example of an almost prohibitive policy, Tho cry in America had been to protect infant industries, and we are now protecting' 'infant' industries 150 years old, many millions of dollars I The consumers—that is Iho great bulk of the people- of tho United States—paid for all this protection. The workmen had only labour to sell, but singular to say were not protected, as foreign labour wns free to come in as it pleased to compete with tho native-born workers, American clocks could bo bought cheaper on tho Continent than in tho United Slates, and American textile fabrics in South America than in Ohio, This was how Protection worked in the States. Maino and .Miobiiran wanted their lumber protected against Canada, but they in return to get this had to ajrrce te protection to iron manufactures in Pennsylvania, to sugar in Lonbitina, to rice in South Carolina, to woollen fabrics in Ohio. Theco were 10,000 peoplo engaged in tho su'/ar trade, and the peoplo had to pay higher for thoirsugar; 40,000 engaged in tho woollen industries iu Ohio, consequently : by protection the workmcu could scarcely look at woollon clothiiig, and 67,000,000 of peoplo were paying higher for this class of goods for the benefit of 40,000 operatives, or rather tho groat trusts which controlled those industries, It was protection all roundbriefly described, a series of infernal compromises of diverse interests, and all suffered by it, After all our boasting of being the richest, and bravest and mightiest peoplo in the world, afraid to take down tho bars and trade with tho woild. When wo liatl frcctrado we had our ships on-every sea, while now ovou tho Atlantic liuers were under tho English, French, and German flags, though largely owned by American capitalists, and in ,case of war would.be used as auxiliaries by the countries whoso flags they fly, even against the United States herself. General Harrison, the President, was for maintaining the stains quo, while Mr Cleveland is for what is known as tariff reform. There was no Free Trade party as saoli, though many individuals were in favour of it. The : Democrats wanted a low tariff solely for revenue purposes, while the Republicans called for a high tariff to protect American industries and American labour, The Democrats in the East, to a large extent, went for protection, bciug interested iu manufactures; but in the West, where the interests were moro largely agricultural, they were inclinud to free trade, In this Presidential election there would be a great deal more independent voting tlmn there had ever been. As showing that the McKinlcy Tariff Bill had not the country behind it, when the Republicans who voted for. it faced the musio they worn badly beaten,. The most popular provision of the McKinley liill was that for reciprocity with the South American States, and if that principle were good as regards South America, why not as regards the whole: of the commercial world? In my younger days I scarcely ever saw a beggar in the United States, except he was a drunkard or' a criminal. Under high protection wo have 700,000 unemployed, tho majority of whom are honest ami japable. Rent, which was formerly a tenth of the workman's earnings, is now i nearly one-third, while purqhasing '< jower of the dollar is not so good as 30 ' fears ago. On protection had risen huge ;rnsts, which practically controlled the 1 State Legislatures, and thrcateuid : to ! control the NatioualLegislature. A trust J row finds soothing syrup for the uew- t

horn baby, ami another trust finds it a shroud when it lias tn go out nf the world again. It was now a question whether the trusts should rule the country or the country rate the trusts, and the patriotism and intelligence of the country had come lo the conclusion that the trusts must give way to the will of the people, and become their servants. As a matter of fact as protection goes up wages come down, the manufacturers gaining at both ends of the line, exploiting alike the State and the workmen. The rich arc become richer and the poor poorer, as the native American is crushed down by the importation of degraded foreign labour."