TARIFF REFORM AND ITS EFFECTS. 87 



afraid to go a step fiirtlier — that step further 

 being to tax the foreigner to a small extent (the 

 5 per cent, referred to) for the privilege he has 

 of taking profits from our ovrn people. There 

 are many who urge that the foreign goods ought 

 to be kept out until such time as the English 

 articles are ready for market; in which case, 

 they could all compete on equal terms, and the 

 public would benefit by the double supply and 

 the lower prices which would naturally ensue. 

 Under the present regime, however, if, as one 

 small holder put it to us, the " bottom " is knocked 

 out of the potato trade by the existing foreign 

 competition, at a period of the 3'ear when the 

 climate turns against our own growers, and our 

 goods are by consequence two to three weeks 

 later in maturing, it is " hard lines " that the 

 British growers should have to bear all the 

 anxiety, trouble, and loss, and that the foreigner 

 should benefit at their expense. It seems only 

 reasonable, that if the foreigner is to benefit, he 

 should pay for it to some extent at least. There 

 would be no fear of his not sending the goods. 

 He would be only too glad to pay the 5 per cent. 

 (Is. in the £) which tariii reformers propose 

 to charge him. Moreover, those who now wish 

 and are content to buy at high expense the 

 foreigners' early crops, could not reasonably object 

 to or complain of this arrangement. They could 

 not, moreover, even if the tariff resulted in their 

 paying the 5 per cent, duty themselves. As in the 

 case of the late registration duty on corn, hov/- 

 ever, we believe the foreigner would be the person 



