Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-03-29

NeJD 4 OTk COHlHteTCtut bLkStL1L.
The advocates of restrictive com
mercial legislation are accustomed to as
sert, in an off-hand way, that free trade
principles are losing ground, and that
the general tendency of the public mind
in both hemispheres Enthusiastically indl'
Gates a return to exclusive tariffs and
high duties-in other words, the policy
of protection. The assertion, we have
frequently had occasion to show, is easier
to make than to sustain by facts, but
then as assumptions, more or less plausi
BILE, persistently adhered to by class of
economists who are masters of the art of
making the worse appear the better
reason," often do duty in place of facts,
it is not surprising, perhaps, that even
the more candid opponents of commercial
liberty have themselves unconsciously
succumbed to the delusion.
AS directly bearing upon this point,
we trust it will not be deemed inoppor
tune nor lmpertinent to direct attention
to the highly important change of eco
nomic policy which has just been inau-
gurated in British India, TO which pass
ing reference was made in yesterdays
Bulletin. We mean the abolition of all
but few import duties, which substan-
TALLY places this portion of the British
Empire in line with the free trade sys-
tenn of the home country. This re-
suit was not attained without years of
agitation, nor without considerable
misgiving, as to the effect upon
the public revenue; but nowS that the
step has been takeh, with an intelligent
readaptation of income and expenditure
IN harmony with it, the agitation and
the misgivings, we may reasonably anti
cipate, will be succeeded by conviction
on the part OF government and people
alike that the new policy is genuine
step in advance on the path of civiliza-
ton and progress. And we are inclined
to think that, after few years additional
experiment in their present dreary ex-
peTience, other high tariff colonial de-
Tendencies of the Empire, Canada and
portions of Australia, will discover their
interests in corresponding modification
of their economic systems in the same
direction,
In the financial statement to the India
Legislative Council by Major Barring. in
the early part of the current month, the
official announcement of the abolition of
the customs duties was accompanied by
the statesmanly declaration that the col
lections of duties on imports ''involve an
amount of friction, scrutiny and inter-
ference with the trade incommensurate
with the revenue they produce, and that
their maintenance is indefensible if the
cotton duties are abolished If new tax
alton had to be imposed, it might be ne
nessary to bear with some of these evils,
but under the actual circumstances there
is no reason why the benefits of free
trade should any longer be with.
held from India" 1t has, therefore,
been resolved to sweep away all I'M
port duties except on wine, beer, spirits,
liquors, arms, ammunition, salt and
opium. The net loss to revenue at the
start is estimated at 81, 108, 900; but if
the income from opium were taken in
1928 at Sc, 500, 900 net, as in 1881 2,
and the salt duty were not to be re-
duced, there would still remain sur
plus of e997, 900 after the abolition of
the import duties. The financial situa-
ton, hence, could not well be in better
shape for entering upon the change. and
we are disposed to believe that it will
not be long before the wisdom of the
step is vindicated in an enlargement of
trade and the development, by natural
processes, of a wide circle of domestic
Industries, which will now have an op.
pOrtunity to experience the benefits of
those most effective spurs and incentives
to progressive growth, self-reliance and
competition, unfettered by artificial re-
straints