New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-30
PROTECTION FOR HOLLAND.
MOVEMENT AGAINST FREE TRADE.
A PETITION TO TIE KING OF THE NETHERLANDS FOR
TARiTF.


A TARITF.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRfBUNEl
WAsuIxGTox Dec pa report received NJ Ine
State Denartmeut from Consul Eckstein at Amster-
dam shows that q movement IN favor of protec-
tive tariff in Holland has been initiated DIV lhe
Helmond Cham Der of Commerce and ManulactuioS'
Tn a petition addressed by the Chamber to the
King of the Netherlands it is represented tnat the
adyantag es promised to the Nation, when the rec
trade system was adopted, have not been reai1eu'
while the predjudicial consequences felt IN iieh
degree from the very beginning have no" Ieacneu
their climax and threaten Dutch industry NIlh
complete ruin; that the great extension oil haVlgA
t;on anticipated by the advocates of free trade
and which expectation largely conduced to the IN
troduction of the system, have not been verified
Int that ON the contrary comparison with pro-
tected Belgium furnishes most discourag'ng
results.
The fgures given show that the tonnage OF YES
sells arrived in the ports of Amsterdam and kotter
dam increased from 100 900 tons in 1916 to Zo'O'-
600 tons in ISS1-about 800 per cent; while inc
tonnage of Antwerp increased from S3oOOO VouS ~
293s 900 tons or nearly 900 per cent, IN the same
perod The petitioners further say that the sugar
trade formerly 20 hourlshIng, has entirely Ialieh
OF the coffee and tobacco trade has declined and the
I,en dronerv and retail business languish that the
prices of ynecessaries have not diminished; that
"vbole branches Of industry have been entirely
ruined while others are tending to total decay
that excessive importatOns have destroyed nome
markets and competitions; that " important iac'o-
ries have been shut up aud the wages IN many
others lowered -; and that these things must con-
tinue and the unfortunate operative will at last
experience the fatal consequences OF free trade
that even if the prices of nccessaues were
F-,n froA
not been true thus far-the operative
can realize no benefit thcrefrom. un ess his means
bear favorable proportion 10 his requirements;
that for example the man who earns fifteen cents
per hour in a country where bread costs twelve
cents per loaf is better oH than the man who earns
ten cents per hour in country where
bread Is only ten cents per LOAF
that wages are already too low-in Iwente
only sixty to seventy cents per day, and IN Hell
mond ninty to one hundred cents-and the least
dimrnution means poverty and misery.
The petitioners call attention 90 the scale Of pro
tectiye duties i'm France and Germany and con-
cnde as follows:
For which reasons they respectfully but ur'
gently pray your Majesty that II may please your
Majesty to bring in bill to break with the 81 .en
of free trade. and to enact ilrst that the tarlh-
of import duties on foreign manufactured articles
may be brought IN accoTdahce WIN 'Ho '''''i
OF the respective countries. and lsecondl
that between Netherlands and her colonies a fire.,
and unencumbercd commercial intercourse may OBJ
tain. and that as much as possible the same duties
be levied in the colonies foreign productions as
such articles are subjected TO IN our Kingdom III
Europe 80
Consul Eckstcin reports that while the news
ngper, generally are opposed 10 protection and the
merchants are inclined 10 free trade, the rep
resentatyes of the industrial interests throughout
III In. art and . al 4 1
men in all the manufactures. favor the movement
initiated BY the Iclmond Chamber of Commerce
He SAYS that the unsatisfactory financial condition
of the Kingdom and the necessity of obtaining
more revenue To meet necessary expenditure favor
the movement for protective tarlh and ITS adNO
Gates are hopeful of success. In conclusion ne
increase i'm the duties many articles OF import
may be rosorted TO- particularly the states Gen
eral in session AZ the date Of the report had under
consideration a bill increasing the duties on grain
lumber and tea.