TARIFF REFORM AND ITS EFFECTS. 93 



opponents would like to have him believe he has 

 done. For our part, we cannot help thinking, 

 that sooner or later, the agricultural labourer- 

 like the sensible and patriotic indivudual he is — 

 will prefer to believe that it is better for us as 

 a nation, to, so to speak, dig our own garden, 

 rather than to allow our foreign neighbours to 

 dig theirs, and then to dump the produce of it 

 into our dwelling. 



Better Wages and more Employment. 



We have briefly indicated in the foregoing part 

 of this chapter to what extent those who occupy 

 land and who keep live stock would benefit by 

 tariff reform; but we think a further word may 

 be desirable — perhaps necessary — to indicate that 

 not merely will great benefit accrue to each of 

 those coming within the category referred to, but 

 that the wages paid in the rural districts to 

 agricultural labourers, are also certain to increase 

 at the same time. 



For instance, we have everywhere found that 

 the labourer who looks after live stock for his 

 employer is paid some two or three shillings, and 

 in some cases more, per week than the labourer 

 who does not have stock to attend to at all. 



Now it stands to reason, that if an employer is 

 able to feed his stock at a very considerably less 

 rate, he will very likely increase his head of stock 

 proportionately, or at any rate to such further 

 extent as his farm will allow. In view of such 

 increase, it is obvious that there must be required 



