The Customs Tariff.

Having so recently debated this question and resolved thereon, I shall only briefly refer to it. The Chamber declares for free trade, but the Colonial Treasurer wants money, and has been unwilling to adopt new modes of direct taxation. The compromise, therefore, must be in the direction of simplifying the tariff, exhausting the taxes on luxuries and vanities, and, if necessaries must be taxed for revenue purposes, by all means consider intelligently what effect these taxes will have in initiating or developing natural industries—not those of an exotic nature. I know that this is treading on debatable ground; but much as I would like to see the Custom-house swept away, and its iron grip on the distributing industry removed for ever, no such sweeping change can be effected except after years of patience and of compromise.