To the Editor of the "Nonra- nina Darty News."
Sin,—As an ardent advocate of tariff reform as far back as the year time practically when n> one)
listen to me, I may, I suppose, be allowed to reply to your correspondents "M'" and A," wheerer they may be. In there twenty-two years I have! had ample time to study the subject of tariff reform, end all my study of the subject only tends to confirm my that a reform tariff in essential to Breater quantity of floor on board than you can graip, auloss it may be in specially coustracted grain vessels. It is then a question of freight. I will go forther and say that under free trade the price we are forced to pay by trast-tonnd America for our loaf is far higher than it should be, due to the lack of competition in that country. By placing " tariff on corn and flour, chiefly the latter, yon would create that competition which ix th life of trade, and competition means reduced prices, ax the old hange of Shanghai know to their sorrow. A tax on corn really means as far as Great Britain is concerned a tax on flour, for the reason above stated, Our colonies, encouraged tu extend their wheat areas; would flood ne with all we would requi to bring about a very healthy competition io the grain market to redaco Prices. Nor is this all. The now order would restart the thousands of, at present derelict, mills in both Great Britaio and Ireland—also a very healthy competition to reduce the price of the loot. Nor is this all: the by-product of mannfactare would be retained in the country to reduce the cost of manufacture, the consumer getting the benefit la the reduced price of not only hie bread but of hia bacon I mean we wold have the bran as the by-product of out own manutactured flour instead of having to import it as at present as a separate commerial commodity in order to feed our page and cattle, The Big Loaf and the Little Loaf ory is so absord, as typifying in that order Free Trade and Tariff Reform, that it can only be put upon the same plane with the Chinese Slavery cry of the election of 1906.
Even for the sake of argoment eupposing our theory broke down and that oot increase the price of living but tax on corn and flour did pot reduce the will actually reduce the price of bread, price of the loaf bat only left it where strange as it may seem to your two it is, your correspondents "M." and correspondents. must admit that the reopening of Your two correspondents are not the mills at home for the manufacture lently themselves actaall -Jof flour would broaden the field of taring gentlemen or even allied closely labour by so much if no more. But to manofactaring or maintain that it woald be by more, would rofe Jas the supply acd repair of the Goald's cartoon as remarkably clever. machinery would broaden thy field It la not argument to be facetio {of Isboar in that direction, Tariff reform stands or falls by arguing © very healthy compet i meat, so let your correspondents cot the labour market. Un the facetious side out of letters to be hand the present system offers no broad-read by bard-thinking business men. ening of the field of Inbour. Why, I maintain that tariff reform will therefore, offer the Iaboarer, or the reduce the price of bread and I have would-be Inbourer without labour, a two-good grounds for the statement. It pence halfpenny loaf if he has only fiom of lied science twopence to pay for it. Wo on the other ization of the by-product of hand offer to give him the means of recarmanafactare reduces the cost of producing his twopence-halfpenny and give him tion to the msnafactarer. The mannfacthrough healthy competition a twopenny tare of floor cannot under any cireamloaf of the same weight us at present, stances escape the trath of this axiom.
Let both your correspondents go into Most of the flour consumed in Great the matter scientifically and study the Britain and Ireland question of the utilization of the by-products of manufacture and they will agree thet anything that tends to keep chiefly in Ram ipped these by-products in the country of flour to Great Britain and Ireland not manufacture, unless sold as separate becante it is cheaper to manufacture in commercial commodi 0 advantage there countries than on the home to that country as against the country British soil, bat because bulk for balk deprived of them. When they have got and weight for weight you can stow a to this stage they will begin to under-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.