The Tariff and Home Manufactures.

It may be proper to state, in connection with the present New Zealand tariff system, which is modeled in part after the tariff system of the United States, that many of the colonists complain bitterly of its being unnecessarily and excessively high. It is asserted, and with much apparent justification for the assertion, that it in no wise protects their industries, for the reason that there are scarcely any to protect. It must be admitted that New Zealand is sadly deficient in manufacturing industries. Upon inquiry as to the probable cause of this, some attribute it to want of capital in the colony, while again others, whom I am inclined to believe have not given the subject any serious consideration, carelessly answer: "What do we want with manufacturing establishments when we can buy our goods as cheap if not cheaper from page 57 the 'old country' than we could manufacture them ourselves?" This is certainly an erroneous view to take of it. They do not attach sufficient importance, or they may have overlooked the fact altogether that it is much better to provide the idle labor of the colony with employment, thereby keeping the money in circulation at home, rather than send it to England to keep the English or other foreign labor employed, while by so doing, they are deliberately taking the bread and butter out of the mouths of their own people. The Government, on the other hand, assert, and, I must confess, with some degree of plausibility, that it is absolutely necessary to the welfare and prosperity of the country to continue the present tariff system, in order to meet the accumulating obligations of the colony. Had they not collected $6,981,955 from the customs duty last year there would have been quite a large deficit instead of the small surplus reported to the credit of the country at the end of the year.

So far as I have been able to observe, I attribute the want of manufacturing interests in New Zealand on a larger scale to lack of enterprise and forethought, rather than to any other cause. There is unmistakably a very favorable field in this colony for enterprising capitalists to engage in manufacturing, provided, however, it receive governmental protection during the years of its infancy, otherwise it would be an utter impossibility to compete successfully with the cheaper labor and products of European countries. I have no doubt, however, such protection would be willingly and cheerfully accorded by the Government if a bona fide effort were made in this direction.