St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-10-20
POLICIES CoNTRAsTED.
Protection and Free Trade EX-
emplifed in Two Growing COun-
trrTn

Protection and Free Trade En-
empIified in Two Growing COun-
tries.
To the Editor of the Globe.
The ineXcusable ignorance or willful
disposition to misrepresent facts IN re-
gard to the tariff question was exhib-
tied by the Minneapolis Journal. as us
ual, IN its issue of the 18th ult.. in an
article eXtollIng the alleged merits of
the protective system entitled ''Some
Australian Experience" in which it as
sumed to give the following reputed in
terveW with one Hector Mcdonald, of
Melbourne, Australia:
The Australians think q good deal Of the
United States. Ali our mining machinery
and agricultural implements come from
America. All our newspapers have special
correspondents here and American literature
Is much read. There is always interest in
your presidential elections. ana this dOubly
true this year If President Cleveland is
elected. why. of course we can sell more
wool We had a well fought contest in Vie
tOrla over the protective question. / am
free trader in principle. but am inclined to
think that protective tariff has been one of
the causes that have made Victoria more
prosperous than the other provinces, The
reason probably is that a protective tariff en-
abled Victoria TO build factories and then sell
goods 10 the other colonies where there were
no tariffs.
And, commenting thereon, it says:
"If protection is good thing
for Victoria, it ought to be a good thing
for u.s.
Precisely, and. to be logical, if, on
the other hand, the reverse is true. the
Journal. from its own premise. must
cOncede free trade or low tariff to be
a good thing for US.
What are the real facts? The prov
inceS or colonies of Victoria and New
South Wales are the nearest. if not the
only. parallel illustrations in existence
of this greatest of economic questions
in its practical effect upon national
prosperity.
Starting from practically the same
basis. similar climate, soil. develop
ment, resources and facilities. and
abOnt the same population of the same
race Of people. Victoria adopted a pro-
tective policy of p per cent average.
and in 1866 New South Wales renamed
free trade, and what do we find as a
RESULT, after a period of twenty-One
years under the respective policies?
In that period Victoria has increased in
population 81 per cent and New South
Wales 1S7 per cent. From 1869 to 1871
the imports and exports of Victoria eX-
ceeded those of her sister colony $40
100000. From 1888 to 1885 those of New
South Wales exceeded Victoria by about
SO, 600. 600.
In 1856 Victoria had 2,S13 manufact-
cries and New South Wales 1872.
Sheep have increased 12.50G.O0O in the
latter and decreased in the former over
1.000,000-a fact which puts quietus on
the Republican claim that a tax is nee
esSary for the maintenance of sheep
husbandry IN America, and that free
wool would ruin the same. The Statis-
tics since the adoption of the wool
tariff of 1867 in the United States fully
cOrrobOrate the above. The increase
in wealth per capita in New
South Wales has greatly exceeded
that of Victoria, notwithstanding
the fact that Victoria has mined eS3,-
100000 English of gold and New
South Wales only e16.O0O, 000-Over five
times as much during said period.
Wages averaged from 15 10 20 per
cent higher in New South Wales than
in Victoria. and the agitation of mill
Operatives for the reduction of the
present duties has gotten it before the
Victorian parliament, where an early
revision is assured. Certainly the
Australian lesson does not warrant the
perpetuatiOn of a war tariff here.
Z. ID. CUIREE, Minneapolis, Mimi.