to bis mind the Protection League, iiiu>t*l_ it had secured its objects entirely should not'."fk them _by going into any side*, issues, no matv er now important they mightbe.. The efforts, of s^e league, backed up by the. J general consensus o~f publio opinion, had, he was glad to say, led to a considerable: amount of Protection being, affot^d to the colony, for which, as far as ifc had go_Je> fchey had reason to be thankful. But to his Hjind the battle was not won, they had only butfiai».^ea the opposing army, and checked it. ! They we_~ c undoubtedly indebted to Sir H. Atkinson for t_u.' .measure of Protection enjoyed at present^ bnfc wiT at puzzled the speaker ahd crippled his appreciatiu -1 -•*!•.. tne - Premier's efforts in this direction was tt_~e fact that in all his public utterances he decline-^ to assert that the present was a protective tarii.% This caused him (Mr Fish) to look upon the Premier's remarks as diplomatic, and as ia-. dicating that,he meant to retrace his steps i£ found, desirable.' What he should like, seeing that the Premier had done what he had done,, w-ould be to hear him declare emphatically that; the tariff was protective, and that he himself was a Protectionist. Until the Premier or some other leader avowed this, the speaker would nofc give him unhesitating faith and unswerving loyalty. As regarded Protection, they would) have none in a true sense until upon their banner was inscribed the word " prohibition." There, was no dividing line. If they were Protectionists,, they must be to an extent Prohibitionists. Not forthe purpose of unduly raising the price of articles to the consumers, bufc in order to ensure a market to the producers. They must have a. market, or a Protectionist tariff failed to dc what it could and should do.; They must first , be careful to know what jfcev. agM Jprotecfci fairly without disadvantage' tb'theceDSume'rs^ "" and then theie password, their catch cry, the word in the mouths of their representatives, should be the one word " prohibition," and no other. Therefore, he said, if they valued the cause they had so ably npheld, let them keep their, attention confined at present to this one, subject. 