CRAP. SIX.] 



SPICE MONOPOLY. 



28y 



can produce nutmegs so cheaply as Baiida, but the pi'ofita 

 of the monopoly would have gone to a few itidivi<liials 

 instead of to the nation. As an illustration of how a state 

 monopoly may become a state duty, let us suppose that no 

 gold existed in Australia, but that it had beeu found in 

 immense quantities by one of our ships m some snuill and 

 barren island. In this case it would plainly become tlie 

 duty of the state to keep and work the mines for tlie 

 public benefit, since by doing so, the gain would be fairly 

 divided among the whole population by deci-ease of tuxii- 

 tion \ whereas by leaving it open to free trade while merely 

 keeping the govemmeot of the island, we should certainly 

 produce enorunous evils during the first struggle for tlie 

 precious metal, and should ultimately subside into the 

 monopoly of some wealthy individual or great company, 

 whose enormous revenue would not equally benefit the 

 community. The nutmegs of ]3anda and the tin of Banca 

 are to some extent parallel cases to this supposititious 

 one, and I beheve the Dutch Government will act most 

 im wisely if they give up their monopoly. 



Even the destruction of the nutmeg and clove trees in 

 many islands, in order to restrict their cultivation to one or 

 two where the monopoly could be easily guarded, usually 

 made the theme of so much virtuous indignation against 

 the Dutch, may be defended on similar principles, and is 

 certainly not nearly so bad as many monopolies we our- 

 selves have till very recently maintained Nutmegs and 

 cloves are not necessaries of life ; tiiey are not even used 

 as spices by the natives of the Moluccas, and no one was 

 niaterially or permanently injured by the destruction of 

 the trees, since there are a hundred other products that can 

 be grown in the same islands, equally valuable and far 

 more beneficial in a social point of view. It is a case 

 exactly parallel to our prohibition of the growth of tobacco 

 in England, for fiscal purpo.^es, and is, morally and economi- 

 cally, neither better nor worse. The salt monopoly which 

 we so long maintained in India was much worse. As long 

 as we keep up a .system of excise and customs on articles 

 of daily use, which reqirires an elaborate array of officers 

 and coastguards to carry into effect, and which creates a 

 number of purely legal crimes, it is the height uf absurdity 



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