South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), Monday 29 April 1867, page 2


THE PROTECTIONIST MANIFESTO.

One cannot but admire the dramatic versa tility of the Industrial League. In the bur lesque it exhibited last Friday night to an admiring audience of two hundred adult

males, the cast was large enough to compen sate for rather rough acting. The Hon. Mr. Mildred, as transcendental philosopher, raised such clouds of words out of 'John-son's Dictionary,' that they actually darkened the room. Mr. John Clark, re viving the lapsed role of Fenian Head Ctntre, undertook to raise the standard of invasion in Grenfell-street within eight days. Mr. John Northmore, throwing aside for a moment his protectorate of the rising generation, took the domestic part of Tilly Slowboy, and announced amid rap turous cheering, that he was getting his broom ready to sweep away the Register cobwebs. It is very kind in these doughty

champions of native industry to give incorrigible sinners like us so long to say our prayers. After all they may not be such Bluebeards as they look. Then, there was Mr. Skelton as Jeffer son Brick — a perfectly terrifying com bination of the 'sarcustical' and the denunciative. Mr. Mullett's debut as Isaac Walton was evidently intended to strike the audience as a new revelation of truth and brotherly love. like most people when they get out of their native element, he made some astounding discoveries in his new sphere ; but more of Mr. Mullett anon. Next to the dramatic versatility of the League, we admire its pliant humour. It can be grateful or spiteful, pathetic or satirical, sanguine or despondent, at a moment's notice, and without the least regard to external occasions. We cannot remember any one with the same command over his nerves but Mr. Micawber, who found the art indispensable in his long years of waiting for ' something to turn up.' The Industrial League has probably ac quired the Micawber humour from a course of Micawber experience. It has been waiting a considerable time for 'something to turn up,' and notwithstanding a careful perusal of Friday's manifesto, which was to

settle everything, we are persuaded that its waiting is not nearly over yet. At a very serious sacrifice of type we have republished the manifesto verbatim, and now recommend it to the impartial consideration of all the various classes interested. The general reader who has watched the discussion from its outset, will notice that one half of this document is a mere purblind repetition of fallacies that have already been exploded, and of assertions which, though repeatedly challenged, have never been substantiated in the slightest. The other half is mainly devoted to raising points that are quite beside the question. Whoever can contrive to read right through it, let him ask him self when done if it tells him what the Industrial League really wants. He will find that it is only a few degrees more intelligible and explicit than the ordinary run of speeches at the Hotel Europe ; and as for logical sequence, it but helps to aggravate the muddle of self-contradiction in which the League had previously involved itself. There are three classes of the population appealed to as interested in a protective policy— the farmers, the labourers, and the general consumers. The rhetorical blandish ments directed toward each in turn have the unfortunate peculiarity of being irrecon cilable. When brought together theyrefuse to look each other in the face, or to form part of the same system. It would take a bold and a clever man to carry on three distinct

courtiihipa simultaneously. K» might gat on very wall with the threa ladies indivi» dually — one at a time, and the other dear charmers far enough away ; but if he went the length of establishing a threefold domestic economy on Mormon principles, he would soon find the stream of his treble love running rather the opposite of smooth. The League in attempting to adapt its scheme to opposite classes may succeed up to a certain point — that is, so long as it can take them by turns into a corner, and promise to gratify all their peculiar wishes— but when the day of reckoning comes, and the three contrary sets of pledges have to be fulfilled, a disagreeab'* lack of harmony will be the result. In this manifesto the League promises the farmers a great increase of population to consume their surplus wheat; then it whispers over its left shoulder to the working man, naturally apprehensive of competition, that there is labour enough in the colony at present to 'start manufactures on a large scale.' Turning to the farmer again it grows bolder, and to make sure of his support it confesses its belief that 'immigration will be neces sary to keep the labour market well sup plied.' Lest this should reach the working man's ears a clatter of big words is got up about attracting capital and creating more employment. For the hundred and third

time, ye protective seers, we ask you how is this foreign capital to be attracted ? how is the large increase of wheat consumers to be obtained before the surplus wheat rots in our granaries, supposing, as you pretend, that our export trade is hopelessly ruined ? The if orking men may easily see for themselves that protection and immigration are radically inconsistent things. All the manufactured wealth which the League promises us would be only accumulated labour, and why give it protection if you will give none to the original labour as embodied in the thews and ainews of the working man ? This is why — because the manufactured labour would belong to manufacturers — to capitalists ; but the labour in its human form would belong only to the labourer himself. Protect him, forsooth ! — the industrial zeal of the League is too 'cute for that. One rather amusing argument is sometimes used by Protectionists, based on the alleged practice of bringing out skilled labourers as immigrants, and in the same ship with them large consignments of the very goods that would give them employment in the colony. Such a course is foolish, cer tainlv: but the remedv for it succrest.pd

by the Protectionists would be worse than the eviL We ought not to allow our importation of labourers and of manu factured goods to stultify each other ; we should choose between them which will be most advantageous for the colony. If the goods can be obtained at home in exchange for our natural produce far cheaper than we can make them by means of imported labourers, let us give the goods a preference. To labourers .already settled in the colony it will be. of little consequence whether the unhealthy competition complained of is checked by restricting the human or the material competitor. Practically, the restriction of immigration is easier and safer than the restriction of the import trade, without saying anything at all about the rela tive cost. The idea of adopting a protective system as a cure for the existing glut of labour and food must have been derived from some ingenious Sangrado, who used to put his apoplectic patients into strait jackets.

Not to detract from the very limited ori ginality of the manifesto, we may note that it proposes to give the farmers protection on a list of articles like bacon, hams, cheese, fruit, potatoes, oats, hops, malt, &c. On the most favourable assumption, namely, that all of these articles could be grown here, but only with some degree of protection, the aggregate addition they would make to our produce would be £128,000 a year. But con sult the farmers themselves on the subject, and they inform us that some of the articles could not be raised here at all, or only to a limited extent, and that those which are suitable to the colony might be grown profitably without protection. It is not the fault of consumers that colonial bacon, cheese, olive oil, &c, are not more used. The difficulty of getting a tolerable article has been almost the only obstacle to a native provision trade. Prices have had very little to do with it. The farmers do not and cannot claim protection for an industry which they have never condescended to give a fair trial to. There is no evidence that it would not pay without protection if so tried, nor there is any evidence that if protection were given it would be taken advantage of by native producers. At all events, if bacon and cheese be the best bait that the League can throw to the farmers, the hitter should look at both sides of the hook, before they nibble. They have here a good deal of negative service done them in the way of impressive

warnings about the prospective loss of a market for their wheat. The secession of Victoria is made the burden of a grievous lamentation, and the Victorians are praised, of course, for keeping the capital at home which they formerly sent to us for breadstuff's. From the frequency with which this childish delusion, that what we pay for foreign goods is so much money thrown away, is paraded by the Protectionists, we are tempted to regard it as the foundation-stone of their system. Well, if it be the glorious and beneficent principle which they represent it, the best proof of this will be the univer sality of its application. Suppose we take up the cue of the League, and follow it out. The League argues that the nearer home the circulation of capital is confined, so much the better for its owners, lib is better, says the League, for South Aus tralia that all South Australian capital should remain in it than be sent to England, no matter what may be received in exchange for it. On the same principle it would be better forNorwood that all Norwood capital should remain in Norwood than be

sent to Adelaide, no matter though Rundle street shopkeepers may be able to undersell their suburban competitors by 10 or 20 per cent. Carrying out the beautiful principle another step, it is better for Brown, Jones, and Robinson— householders in Norwood — to circulate their personal capital in the bosom of their own families than allow it to pass into the hands of Norwood storekeepers, no matter how much more convenient it may be to supply one's wants with ready-made articles than to have to make everything for oneself. If all of us were to take the advice of the /Industrial League we would soon revert to the primitive age, when every man was his own farmer, his own baker, his own butcher, his own tailor, his own shoemaker —his own everything, in short. Then was the climax of the ' circulationofyour capital-at-home' doctrine, and the doc trine might have worked well but for one drawback — there was no capital to circulate, or rather there was no circulation for capital. Every consumer was his own producer ; he was a self-contained man ; a self-supporting institution ; gloriously independent of his neighbours, as the League would say. Hence there was no need of a circulating medium, and no danger of its being withdrawn by greedy foreigners. These were the palmy days of protection, in the pre-historic age when Romulus imposed an octroi of a thousand per cent, ad valorem on

| Sabin* linsu and. Etrasosm v&;m—iw ths ' Hon, Mr, Mildred's dissartatioa on Aaglo. Saxon tariff's. But to return to modem times. We may complete our illustration of the advan tages of circulating our capital at home by an argument um ad hominem addressed to the shopkeepiug members of the League. England is a shopkeeper like themselves, though perhaps on a somewhat larger scale. South Australia is a customer of England, buying at the rate of £16 per head of her population, according to Mr. Mullet. If this portion of our capital which -we send annually to England be lost to the colony, it follows that what every individual con sunier spends on such goods is lost to him as an individual. If he understood his own interests he would rather supply his wants by means of domestic industry than part with his money over the counter. Why, in the name of consistency, then, do these protective shopkeepers not ad vise him to circulate his capital at home instead of taking it from him by a process of exchange which, according to protective principles, is little better than swindling?

The English Mails.— Mr. R. H. Caldecott, of the General Post-Office, resumes his position as Mail Agent and Sorter on the present trip of the Wonga Wonga to and from King George's Sound. Adelaide and Sydney Direct Line of Tele graph.— Mr. Todd has kindly informed us that this important line of communication is now com pleted throughout the entire length, and will be available for through business between South Australia, New South Wales, and Queensland in the course of the present week. On Saturday the New South Wales wire was brought into the office at Wentworth ; and shortly after Mr. Cracknell, the Superintendent of Telegraphs in New South Wales and Mr. Todd, exchanged signals between Adel laide and the different stations along the line, speaking successively Wentworth, Balranald, De niliquin, Wagga Wagga, Gundagai, and Albury— a distance of 900 miles in direct circuit, Mr. Cracknell is now in Adelaide, and intends return ing to Sydney overland, inspecting the line and stations en route. Adelaide Educational Institution. — The well-known Freeman-street Church is being rapidly transformed into a schoolroom for the use of Mr J. L. Young's pupils. The whole aspect of the place has been changed. The pulpit and the pews have been displaced by desks aud the usual furni ture of a schoolroom, and the fittings display great neatness. The first two classes are to occupy the ground-floor, and the third the gallery. The accommodation will be abundant, and those attending the school cannot fail to appreciate the improvement upon their old quarters iu Stephens place. Mr. Young is also turning the rooms in

the rear of the building to good account, aud is making thorough provision for keeping the pre mises clean, and well suited for the new use to which they are to be devoted, The duties of the school are advertised to recommence to-day. Confirmation.— On Sunday morning, April 2*. the rite of confirmation was administered by Pastor Christian Machsmidt, in the German Evan gelical Lutheran Chapel, Pirie-street, to 17 young psnsons of both sexes. There was a crowded con gregation present to witness the solemn and in teresting service. Kent Town Wesleyan Chuhch.— A tea and public meeting will be held this evening in the Kent T«.wn Wesleyan Church in connection with ihe anniversary of the Sunday-School. Sixth Creek Mining Company.— la our report of the Bpecial meeting of this Company held on

April 18, by a printer's eiror it was stated that a call (if 10s. a share was resolved upon,- whereas it should have been ' two shillings.' ' Thk Hospital.— We hear that Mrs. WhiteMde, the MaUou of the Hospital, has resigned her office. ACCIDENT.— On Saturday last, Mr. James Virgo keeper of a small store at Sonierton, near Glcuulg having occasion to ascend to the rafters forming part of the roof of his shop, accidentally fell to the ground, and so severely injured his head that fears were at first entertained of a fatal result. On the same day information reached Ulenelg of his daughter-in-law having died in her confine ment at the Hetdbeds. Mr. Virgo may be remem bered as ha\ ing formerly been the proprietor of a chafi-cutting establishment at North Adelaide, which was destroyed seven or eight years ago by an explosion of the engine. We were glad to hear yesterday that he was progressing favourably under the care of Dr. HalL The V0LUHTEEB8. -Upwards of 200 members of the Volurteer Force, represeBtini; N09. 1, 2. 4, and 6 Infantry Companies, assembled in front of the Armoury for parade, on Saturday, April 27. The companies having been proved, and the !«ttalion told off, they proceeded to the South Park Lands, where, under Colonel Big s, Lieutenant-Colonel Mayo, and Major Clark, ? assisted by the Drill Instructors, they were put through a course of skirmishing diill until sundown, when the whole marched back to the parade-ground. Before dismissal the Lieut. Colonel informed those present that there would be drill every Saturday at 3 o'clock until further notice. The Adelaide Artillery Company also turned our, aud proceeded to the North

Park Lands, where, with three or four guns, they were put through a variety of evolutions. A correspondent writes:— 'During the drill of the Adelaide Artillery, Sergeant Dar ling, in comraaud of No. 1 gun. whilst unlim bering to prepare for action, had a narrow escape of being crushed. The horses swerved to the right, jamming him between the wheel and trail of the gun ; and had it not been for the prompti tude of Corporal White (Keedbeds) in instantly seizing the wheel and holding it back, the conse quences would have been frightful to contemplate. As it was, Sergeant Darling escaped with an abra sure and his nether garments torn.'. Victoria THEATKE.-On Saturday night the amusing melodrama of 'Bobert Macaire' was produced. It gave Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Young considerable scope for their comic power?, and both ttiese actors made the utmost of the oppor tunity. The house enjoyed the fun, and applauded the piece amazingly. The 'Ice Witch' followed, and was, as usual, well received ; the brilliant stage effects being much admired. To-night the per formance will consist of 'Jocrissi-, the Juggler,' and ' The Young Widow.' Mh. and Mrs. Case.— There was a good audience at White's Boom on Saturday evening, when the 'Trip to the Rhine' was produced most successfully. A new illusion was presented, called 'The Enchanted Heads,' which excited great interest. In performing this trick, Mr. Case I enters the room with a wooden box, about a foot square, which he declares contains the head of his ' better half.' Placing it upon a small table on the platform, sure euough the head makes its appearance. The operation was performed twice; iu one instance Mrs. Case representing Lord Dundreaiy's phiz, adorned with the tradi tional mustachoes and whiskers, and in the other the (iolef; 1 visage of Romeo Gultin. in its most depressed mood. Each character or each head gave its favourite song in capital Btjle. Another novelty was also introduced -Mrs. Case represent ing three distinct characters at once. The enter tainment was a comprehensive and excellent one, and will be repeated in its entirety this evening. Football.— The opening match of the season in connection with the Adelaide Football Club was played on the North Pork Lands, on Saturday afternoon, April 27. There were al-out 30 players present, and these weie divided into two bodies Mr. H. Sparks being chosen captain of the blues, and Mr. Geo. O'Hallorau of the pinks. There was a considerable number of spectators on the ground. Play commenced at about half-past 2, and was kept up with great spirit to the close, at nearly 5 o'clock, by which time the two sides bad suc ceeded in making no less than three goals each. Adelaide Police Court.— On Saturday, April 27. a defendant, charged with assaulting and beating his wife, was ordered to take his trial at the Local Court on the following Friday. The same defendant, charged with thrcatB of violence which hod put his wife in bodily fear, pleaded guilty, and was required to become bound for his keeping the peace for 12 months-himself in £100, and two sureties in £50 each. A man, charged as a lunatic, was remanded for three days. A charga of obtaining money on false pretence was dis missed. A female prisoner, charged with stealing glass tumblers, was committed for trial at the Local Court. The Buemer Mine.— Subjoined is an abstract of Captain Prisk's report on the bremer Mine, dated 21th April: — 'The engine-shaft is down five fathomB below the 73 level; the progress this last month has been slow, owing to a hard floor crossing the shaft. In the 73-leveI, south end, 21 fathoms from the shaft, the ground has become very hard, and we have stopped the driving, and commenced stripping the side to the west, in hopes of finding an easier course to drive on; the lode here is of great width, but dredgy. The ground in the cross-cut to the west in this level has eased very much during the month, and in ihe rock there are facts of yellow ore running parallel with the fluocan. In the til-end sou ;h the around Ls verv

hard, and the progress in driving very s-low. The stopes throughout the mine are as before r ported, except what has been t;:ken away; 230 tuns of ore were raised and ilresssd durini; the month, of an average of 11 per cent. The machinery and dressing goes on as well as usual. We have T4 men and boys employed on the mine. Wood is stocking in large quantities, so there is no fear of the smelting being stopped during the ploughing season.' PoPL'LATlON.-The following passengers were reported at Port Adelaide during the week ending April 20:— Inwards- S m n, '3 women, and 2 boys. Wutwards— 49 men, 12 women, 1 boy, and 1 girl. Costoms Receipt.-*.— The Customs duties re ceived for the week eudiag April 20 amounted to £2,356 10j. 9J. Cereal Expohts.— The breadstufls exported during the week ending April 20 were:- Wheat, 9,419 qrs.; flour, 1,616 tons; bran and pollard, 40 tons.