We are delighted to find in the Times of Wednesday
a protest from Sir Robert Giffen in regard to the proposed Imperial Zollverein. He notes that a Zollverein presupposes and requires geographical contiguity, and that therefore the British Empire cannot become a Zollverein. Even with a common tariff, if that were possible, the Customs barriers and the delays and obstructions incident thereto would remain between the different parts of the Empire. There would be great difficulties besides, he points out, in a common tariff, "owing to the different countries, of the Empire consuming different things and wanting to tax different things; and to the fact that the things one country wants to tax are very often mainly the products of another." Our self-governing Colonies, for instance, find it convenient to impose duties for revenue purposes on the manufactures imported mainly from the Mother-country. "India, again, taxes at least one article—salt--which is untaxed in the United Kingdom, if not throughout the rest of the Empire: The Mother-country in turn taxes the wine, tea, and sugar which some of the Colonies produce, as well as other articles which they would probably send to us if we allowed them to pass our Customs barrier freely." We agree most heartily with these wise words of warning. We are, as our readers know, most anxious to maintain the solidarity and unity of the Empire, and believe that if wise counsels prevail they can and will be maintained. Any attempt, however, to establish an imitation Zollverein would, we believe, be fraught with the greatest possible peril to the Empire. It would be sure to lead to a, furious outbreak of jealousies and disputes. Free-trade, subject to necessary national octrois for revenue purposes, is the only safe commercial basis of Empire. It has had the most satisfactory results during the last twenty years. Why, then, should we desert it for a doubtful and dangerous experiment ?
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