The elected members were compelled to threaten the
only course which appeared legally open to them--namely, that of not
voting the supplies, if the goldfields regulations, and receipts and
expenditure, all of which the Government had claimed as entirely their
own independent matter, were not of reasonable and suitable character,
and in accordance with the colonial representatives' views. At the last,
however, there was happily mutual agreement.
The "Protection Question" was early brought on, of course from Geelong,
by my worthy old friend J.F. Strachan, its member, and both its income
and, for that time, its exit, were amusing. "Why lose so much revenue in
order to set up colonial brandy-making?" he was asked; "was the domestic
article we were to make such sacrifice for to be superior to the
imported?" "On the contrary," he replied; "it was because it would be
inferior, and must therefore be thus bonused against the superiority of
the rival import." So then we were to lose revenue, and pay a higher
price, in order to substitute bad liquor for good. Let us still keep to
the better quality at the lower price. So the proposal was laughed out,
Strachan himself, with his usual good humour, joining in the laugh.
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