MCCARTHY— TRINIDAD AS A COMMERCIAL CENTRE. 245 
? and as the local consumption is about 250,000 gallons a year we 
have £15,000 unfairly extracted from the consumers of rum. 
The results of protecting these two articles, then, are that the 
producer could sell his goods more cheaply in the Arctic regions, 
after paying the carriage thither, than he sells them at present at 
the gates of his factory ; and that in order to help one interest 
the purchasing power of the community is diminished by £40,000 
a year. There are other protective taxes, but these, which I 
have selected for their importance, sufficiently illustrate my 
argument. The reason usually assigned for the protection of the 
articles named is lest Demerara rum and sugar should flood our 
market, but it is curious that Demerara, presumably having the 
sane fear of Trinidad, has similar protective duties. Such duties 
W in essence wrong, as every man has a natural right to spend 
\ his money to the best advantage, and they are equivalent to a 
I COI[ ipul3ory reduction of wages. Further, they interfere with 
other industries. For instance, while sugar is at its present 
high price in the local market a jam factory would have no chance 
of success. Nor is a protected industry in a dignified position. 
The producer is, of course, too proud to go hat in hand to the 
humble consumer, and say, “ pity a poor producer and drop in a 
penny,” but he persuades the Government to do it for him. 
Another example of mistaken legislation which is injurious 
trade is to be found in the prohibition of the importation of 
cocoa, except from Venezuela. The idea was to prevent the 
n rr, . . , 1 ■ • 3 V»xr + Vi£» orlmiY- 
reputation of Trinidad cocoa from being injured by the admix- 
rare of inferior cocoa with the superior local article, but 1 
believe that every producer of good cocoa protects himselx by a, 
brand, so that the prohibition only protects cocoa which is not 
Worth Drotfinh'nrf Tim r: -.wLi or St. Vincent peasant sends us 
l bat we have probably by this step done ourselv 
as Venezuela does with her 30 per cent, duty, t 
protests against which make the heavens ring. 
