§ MR. T CURRAN (Sligo, S.)I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware that the largest cellars for the storage and exportation of Australian wines are situated in the Albury District of New South Wales, and that this Colony has long pursued a policy of free trade, levying no protective duties against the manufacturers of the Mother Country; and whether, in view of those facts, he will reconsider his decision to subject the wines imported from that Colony to the operation of the proposed increase of duty?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Sir M. HICKS BEACH, Bristol, W.)I believe it is the fact that the ariff of New South Wales is more favourable to our manufactures than that of the Colonies which I named yesterday. But New South Wales only sent 9,000 gallons of wine to us last year, which paid a duty of £450. I cannot think that so small an interest is sufficient to justify a departure from the fiscal system to which we have adhered for many years, even if there were no practical difficulties in treating one of the Australian Colonies separately in the matter.