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THE SYDN 'T 1 MOTOR.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON, JUNE 13, 1829.
In a long article on " Exports" in the Syd
ney Gazette of Thursday week, the Editor
gives way to the erroneous notions of the,
very ignorant people of New South Wales,
by deploring the amount of our importations;
and by ascribing to their excess, part of our
present calamities. An excessive importa
tion of English and other foreign goods, by
promoting ruinous prices (ruinous w* mean,
to the Importer) through an excessive com
petition among Importers t. sell, and so far
deterring future, importations, may be, by
pos.ibility, injurious to us at some very distant
day. Tit our importations have Lever yet
arisen to such an excess as this. Nor does
the. Editor arnthe very ignorant people who
advocate his doctrine, mean this, when they
foolishly. exclaim against imports as if
they were the cause of6'ur embasrrasments.
Plenty of imports , by promoting cheapness
of English clothes, tools, gear, and victuals
and drina (spirits &c.) are necessary to the
well-being.of the Country. If our imports
were contracted, these necessaries of life
would 'then be dearer ; and. our small
stock of money would buy nothing; and
so far, our. distress would be increased.
Whereas at present, if our stock of money
be small, it will at any. rate purchase Eng..
lish goods at moderate prices, (say 25 to
so per Cent advance on the English prices.)
But the wise-acres in question, wish for few
imports forsooth, in order that we may pay
a hundred per Cent on English prices ! A
dozen )ears ago, the ordinary price of cups
and saucers we remember, was 3s. each;
plates a shilling; spirits £'2. a gallon; and
common wine l.1.--,coarse cloth, (now sel
ling for 15e.) fetched 30s--and tea now
selling for 2s. 9d. per lb. fecthed ds.--and
sugar Od. and IOd.-and so in fact of every
thing in proportion. WVe have ourgslves
given 4s. for a cup and saucer; and 64. a
gallon for Hollands, and 70s a doz. for
Sherry. These men of wisdom blow hlot and
cold; they confedh we have but little money
in the Colony, and thlerefore (say. the numn
Ssculls), let us- have but few imports, . that
we may be compelled to pay high prices for
thorn r`' Plenty of imports are t/e foundration
of all Colonial prosperity.. If any loss arise
to 'any one by. plenty of goods arriving, in
the Colony,.it must be to the selltr ; i.e.to the
importer of the goods.4 , -noto the btitr': 14
is stb kt "11" aJ
t-he yd consumer or hie ei?e-r ? t?it?
fie? ,ll he profits he inmporter loses, are so
stiuh. clear` g·ain tio t:e peo;ple of N. ..
t ." "' beiefore as loe p ices a c the atttend
ants oily of PrLF.IT:~¶ o coons (i. e..plenty
oi Competition) to complain of our exports
being loo great, is really to.complain of tea,
cloth and tools being too cheap! Yet the
blockheads say, we have but little money;
why then do you wish to pay- great 'prices
for English cloth, calico, shoes, hats, stock
ings, rumn; gin, wine, porter, paper, scap,
crockery, &c. &. ?.
Our Sydney ignorami, with the Gazette at
their head, alwzys talk too, as if the Colony
.ecaime innmmediately, indebted to London for
all the goods imported into Sydney. But
the more correct view, is to consider, that
tie Colony is in debt to London for only so
mauch as our shop-keepers actually buy of
importers. The goods on the shelves of the
importers, are like being still on the shelves
of London. They may never be wanted ;
they may be of the wrong sort of goods;-
they may in fact be returned to London.
When the English went to, Buenos Ayres,
among the unsuitable goody they took there,
were fire grates, and leather breeches. The
Spaniards use no fire places in their houses;
hence the grates were useless; but the grave
Spaniards were most amused with the lea
ther breeches. A' Spaniard in English lea.
ther breeches, quite relaxed the gravity of
the noble Castilians, and they laughed most
immoderately at the idea of wearing them,
So, if our Sydney importers choose to import
goods into Sydney unsuitable for the Co
lony, we consider ourselves just as little in
debt for them, as if they were still lying, in
the-warehouses of London. The Colony is
never in debt for more than what it actually
buys, or orders out and out. If formerly
through the Bank discounts and plenty of
paper money,. our middle-men over-traded
and bought to sell at a loss, such over-tra
ding was no loCs to the Sydney consumer or
the Settler consumer. For the latter bought
their necessaries the cheaper. The loss fell
on the over-trader; or on the over importer,
if the trader broke in his debt.
We deny that there has ever been an ex
cessive importation ofuseful goods into New
South Wales, but assert the contrary;
namely, that with half the commodities suit
able for the Colony,. we have never at any
time since the 'Colony was founded, been
. efficiently supplied, and have consequently
commonly paid a price much' too high for
thetm. And this Colony will never be pro
perly and sufficiently supplied with usefull
and necessary clothing,.tools, and gear, until
the London Merchant, by his. partner or
agent resident in Sydney, sees it essential to
sell his goods, by the piece, in lieu of by the
package. What has eaten the vitals out of
the people of this Colony, (the great body
we mean of tLe consumers) has been, your
middle-men, who have first given the impor
ter a large price in' paper money for his
goods, and then re-sold them at a great ad
vance to the shop-keeper, who has finally
retailed them to the people. Let us calcu
late the price at. which such goods for
merly reached the consumer, (say 15 years
ago.)
First cost .... ..IO.
O50per Cent to:merchant.. ... 50'
B3ayer's profit tO' fhbd'Sydney re- '
S ail dealer,, 33 per cnt " .
Sydney KRetniler's profit " '. ? ,.
S'?~3percent. : 5: :': :•:
Thus the Settler has hlad to give £267.
for.wvbat the importing merchant only got
1501. for. The difference (£117) being
pocketed by your middle men.
But in consequence of the Colony having
lately been rather better" supplied with goods;
(we say rather better supplied ; for we flatly
deny there has been an excess ofimportations,
but. the contrary; N. S.. Wale, s is no; half
,o well stocked at this moment in proportion
to ;its population with English and forcei'gn
goods,. ans the Canada;s, Nova ?'cotia, te
.est l'ndie, andl other British Coloni?jc arc;)
we oay that in consequenec of S3ydncy
having within the last cighiecn month, I
been rather better supplied withl' goods than
itused 'to be, and the Jankshaving pr
(ently restrained, their issues of false capital
; ·,- .
Smedium has be -o n :c
the production s. a ...
bilities of the ) 'o ; ..
the pleatg of ;.. bb` a 6e
scarcity or ¬ on3 e > a
]ately dicappearedof "hey ave a··l h;e
tal aid industry to -come la mor« rUýseo?-: a cu
pation. And hence, 'he ",ýi e t :a3e " etelv
found it necessary to op-en %,' ale s sell
by the piece and s0Fma liu:d e.,? to 1 'tJSe
who bring him the cash. The peopale xvho
britig the cash are t retal sho ' p-zeepers
and families, pa:'ticulary thbe salriced drones
of the Colony, v.0ose salaries on two, bre,¬
seven, and eight hundred a - year, on eonse-.
qucncee of land, cattle and sheco and goods
being all reduced to half price, are now
equal to six, ten,. fourteen, and si:tcen hun
dred a year. They can, and do, lend their.
savings now at 5N5 per cent; whereas for
merly they had little to lend; and wt
little they had, they could only get 1.Z or 15
per cent for., This by the bye.
In consequence of the importer we sav.
opening his boxes and bales; and selling for
cash by the piece as he ought to do, and as
great numbers of the importers do in Ja_
maica, Quebec, and New York,. he gets ia
better price, while the consumer also gets:.
his goods cheaper. As for instance..
First importing cost ......... 10`
50 per cent profit selling
by the piece.
: What our consumers 'therefore gave fonr
merly £267 for, they °can now buy '(fuor.
ready money by the piece or smina package).
for £1'50. And hence we learn the ineBtia?
mable value to the people .of New. c.eutli
Wales o; p plenty of imnportatiozs.. Th conl"
party who can be injured thereby is th e fo
reign merchant. But we people of N. So
Wales, have nothing to do with that:: Let
us umiind our ow n businaes, anInd leave the:fo
reign merchant to mind his. , Do not let gu
fill our newspapers with , lies to kidnii
and to cheat himn, on the plea of benefiting
the Country. Do not let us, in order.to be
patriots, become swindling scoundrels, and
deceive the unwary :foreign: nerchant .andn
emigrant adventurer, who,, thninkin we are
still honest Englishnmen though removed to
New South Wales, believe ivf?ur published:
statements, and come over to us to be die
appointed, and to sink into penury and mi-'
ecry. Do not let us do any thing o" that
sort. Whatever we advance in our letters
or public Journals, let it be open, fair,:can
did, and manly., Let: us tell our Counttr
man and foreigners our wants, and pt the
same time our capabilities ; and if after that,
they come' over to us, and keep Ware
houses in Sydney, and keep very large stoeka
of goods in them, the same as is done in Ja
maica, New York, Quebec, St. John's.and'
Calcutta; why, le-t them do so. It is all the
better foi" us. We shall be supplied with
goods the cheaper, and so far from being
brought into greater debt thereby, we, the
people of the Colony, shall be brougcht into
less. It may in fiact be laid down as a mar
im, that the greater the importations (so far
a's it does not partake of a manirc or is not
the effect of deceit and lies. propagated
through our private letteris and ,public Jour
nals,) the more New South Wales wil.pros,
per.
When bullocks were at 101. and owes at
31. and 41. we sawV our graziers comn ing nto.
town in curricles and co;achtes and four. Now
that bullocks are at S?I. and merkis at three
dollars, they come into town on their gal.
loways. But, are thliey not just. as .warm,
and well-fed'and happy with plenty of beef,':
(and if the harvests were seasonable). with"
plenty uf bread milk and bnu(ler, as thry
were in their coaches 8: four ? A ioiany
Bay fairmer forsooth in a coach.! Did tihe.nAe
rican farmers ride in.coaches t'e frs ce" -
tury of, thelr .stb:.iant ? ' : .. ,
which is as much superior.in ii? .:,s ao u
mines and rivers to this Couinr,', as : ag
land is teo Anerica; did Amermica co a- be
a great nation, by spending ? d i?O hz- .
come so by ?producCifn and :rVain" ? -
prices prod(uce any ~'!l'g' ?> .:
highi price coaze ort. o sonc:?o, ,
WV1hen our Gt.r...ers g:9o . f ...
w-ho ,cl. it--:ayvc, 1: - 0 0 th"
not the tunhap y ; .....?,r , an 2: , -_
led Lnono me men cora atL.. e:
Port Stephens Compan;iy n

t?thr- ' i?,t se heo s?ntieati hupjad by
the e~--n, ta. i s ig a?nd Heunter's R? -
2v C?- Yoe moµ tre the a their arm?ma
.e ac.. . : .. Sgi's Of lec loudly
,ear ?nith f our egaro mew-ch-erd-f~oi?
peo, ht ch d ::0 l, whi d h t ae r wi!! end
Qat &e kno,) at ae l by the vi t3le of
h J;o:y.:'-c;oi; the h,3hose O ureL s
If ac 4 I the i O: ogets bu e Et S uo. ard three
dolirs o hisE'' bllck'l and ewe, he caan get
clot'i:g, te s ug'a , at conething 1ikec pro
torti. e priacec3 utAherefu o e the Country, as
S.to good -nhaitanto, is n os. the vo r ta^dj
cali a rcnd with regard to Ne.-comero, it is
~'bting rourght, which however will end
JeCr o. .Z?tly, if he hietory off i'our seasens
dosc, not deceive us) infinitely improved.
.. 00S, th&ce year ago, would not support the
Snost frugal and industrious family. who ar
Hi?ed among us. Noir, with infinite care
,?ad good mnalge nent, is i possible for a
?imily jtest arrived with de500 to make a
TIing, by buying or.renting a small farm.
o wais for one of General Darlings free
Sa fu as they are ludicrously called, is utter
c? ?erction. An emigrant with o2,000
bad very great circumspection, may now be
i fre ien pyears perhaps, na man of landed
'i edlth and importance.
STiTo mier of the present moment is two-fold.
Mris, the misery which is produced by the fai
lure of three harvests and the dread anticipation
of a ourthd and secondly, the maiser; of having
to pay old debts, contracted when money was
cheap and plentiful, with money which is now
very dear and scarce,. The effect of a drought,
is like plague, pestilence, and famine; it is an
irremediable evbl, and -incapable of mitigation.
But the other evil is local and t i2orary, not
national,, paramount, or radical. It is very
partial. It is exceedingly distressing no doubt to
persons in debt, but it is rather a proof of the pre.
sent sound state of the Colonje, (alvars'batlng the
drougrht.) If ioods once more bless the land,
arties- in debt may still not recover them
selves, but gradually dwindle away into penury
and obacurity; but the Country eill flourish.
.n short, the high prices produced by the Port
Stephens bubble, had a most baneful effect on
the Commbrity, moral as well as political. In
the height. of the frenzied prosperity which it
created, who does not recollect the gambling
scenes at the Parramatta Races? With bullocks
fit 3. and Csheep at three dollars, would such
eenes occur now ? We trov not. Low prices
o more gfood than .sermons. Sermons are good
things, especially when the deliverers them
selves slicw in their own behaviour, a pattern of
what they recommend with such becoming zeal to
others; but a fall in prices; that is, cheap bread
and meat and beer, are infinitely better preach
ers than moiidern .parsono. With all our Bible
Societies' and Missioury Societies, the contribu
iors 't those Societies, and the speechifiers.
thlreat, with the iMagistrates at their head,
ttii latter could not help playing at Blind Hoolcey
Sat the Ir &amatta Races on the Sabbath day;
1esides cockfighting &c. &c. on other. days;
whereas now; the very same men are seen, in
their own homes of a'Sunday, and in all proba
' bildity reading a sermonto their fathilies at night.
Such is. the virtuous effect of a fall of prices.

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