Page:Speech by Sir John Forrest - Western Australia - 1900.pdf/14

 pastoralists, in the North-West at any rate, in any scheme by which the duties will be retained. Then there is the dairy producer. I would like to know why the growers of cereals should be protected, and the dairyman (who really wants protecting and stimulating in some way or another) should be deprived of his small protection. I think myself that there would be a good row amongst them all. (Laughter.) That is my idea. If we will not tax one side and tax the other I fear the other fellow will say, "I will take care you don't get a concession if I don't." (Laughter.)

But it will be asked pertinently (and this is a very important matter), what guarantee have the farmers and manufacturers—the people who grow from the soil, and those who manufacture—what guarantee have they that, as soon as we enter the Federation, the local Parliament will not remove the duties? They will say that the first Parliament which meets will sweep away the duties, I say, in reply, that there is not the same likelihood of their doing that if we enter the Federation as there would be if we did not enter the Federation—(applause)—because there is an honourable understanding that the retention of these duties was specially placed in the Commonwealth Bill by the whole of Australia, by the statesmen of all Australia, for the very purpose of protecting the financial interests of this colony during the early years of Federation, and also to protect the infant industries of the producers throughout the colony. (Applause.) This is clearly understood by the people, and when it is understood that the duties will gradually come to an end in five years (one-fifth every year), the honourable feelings of the people of the colony will lead them to say, "Let the Bill take its course. We have Federation—that clause was placed there to protect the industries and finances of Western Australia during the early years of Federation—it will disappear gradually in five years and we will keep faith with our fellow colonists who are producers and manufacturers, and will say no more about it." (Applause.) I think that will be the feeling in the minds of the public of the colony. I say to the farmers, producers, and manufacturers, trust the people to do justice to you, and to carry out the compact in that Bill rather than (by throwing away the Bill and not entering the Federation) irritate the people and probably lose the lot, (Hear, hear.) We must not forget this, that during the next six years—I mention six years for this reason, one year before uniform duties come in and five years of what we call the sliding scale; six years altogether before we have absolute free-trade—during those six years we will have the right to send everything we produce into Eastern Australia free of duty, whereas the people in Eastern Australia will have to pay duty on all the productions they send into Western Australia. (Applause.) There is some advantage there. If we have anything to sell, flour, potatoes, timber for instance, we can send it there free of duty, while our neighbours can only send it to us under our tariff subject to the sliding scale in the Bill.

Our timber is a very great product. We sent away over £500,000 worth of timber last year, and there is no reason why that quantity should not be largely increased. It is very much used in the Eastern colonies. During the last 18 months over £60,000 worth of jarrah and some karri have been shipped to the Eastern colonies (mostly Adelaide). I am glad to find that notwithstanding the duties, £60,000 worth of timber found its way to Eastern Australia, and that one-half of it was sent from the well known port of Bunbury. (Laughter.) Whatever disadvantages there may be under Federation to some people (everyone knows where the shoe pinches, and I have no doubt it will pinch somewhere; it will be curious if it does not), for the life of me I cannot find what injury it will do to the timber-cutter having free-trade not only with the mother country but also with all Australia. What harm can Federation do him? The existing customs duties on what he imports will be lost year by year, and he can send his timber to