common sense of the community revolts, as in the instance given.
The reason Protection has obtained such sway in Victoria is that it secured the adherence of the working classes, being at the outset advocated by Liberal politicians: thus it came to be regarded as the Liberal policy. In New South Wales the reverse happened. And there the working men are clamorous in their defence of their favourite doctrine of Free-trade. Nothing is more surprising, to the traveller, than to hear the working men of Melbourne "boo-hoo" whenever Free-trade is mentioned, and to hear the same class of men in Sydney cheer it lustily. The truth is that in Australia the question has never become one of principle, but has been considered rather, as, after all, perhaps, it ought to be, as a matter, for the balance of local and immediate expediencies. Both parties are gratified by the arrangement come to for the Federal Commonwealth: which provides for Protection against the outside world, and for Inter-Colonial Free-trade.
A law which has been found to work well in Victoria is that which enables the Government credit to be made use of to provide money at a cheap rate for settlers who have security to offer. Commissioners are appointed to administer the Act; they make advances up to two-thirds of the value of freeholds at 3 per cent, with a small amount for a sinking fund added, the repayments being spread over a long series of years. The system has been in operation for several years, and hundreds of thousands of pounds have been thus advanced; whilst the default has been so small as not to be worth mentioning, though the colony has been passing through a period of prolonged drought. The working of the Act is strictly guarded from political interference.
