Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-03-29
RUTLAND HERALD.
THURSDAY, MARCH %, 1866.
Reciprocity.

No State is more interested In ialr
commercial arrangement with Canada
and other British provinces, than Yer
mont. The recent failure 10 effect ~
legislation some arrangement for re Clip
rocal trade with our Northern neig' Abors
Is well known. The Commits sioners
who went to Washington - induce
Congress to adopt measures Tat might
answer the purpose of ne7I reciprocity
treaty, have published the result of their
hbors in the form of = report. The
commissioners held meetings with the
Committee of Ways and Means, which
were continued from day to day-from
the Gath of January to the 9th Of Feb
ruary.
The points made on either side, as
given in the report are of sufficient in
terest TO call for notice. The British
representatives labored in vain TO pro-
cure from the committee the proposal of
some principle of reciprocity, by which
the arrangement of detail might be sim
plifed. Mr.. Gait of Canada, would
agree to an equal scale Of duties on both
sides. Mr.. Smith would be liberal as TO
the fisheries, so far as New Brunswick
is concerned, if other points were made
satisfactory. They were even willing
we should make the duties on the old
free list correspond with the internal
revenue duties, with the understanding
that the state of affairs in this country
Is exceptional and not permanent. "If
il were to last" said Mr.. Gait, "then
plainly your manufacturers could not
compete with those of other countries
in any foreign market" And "if were
move the duties from any articles we
now buy from you, we cheapen those ar
tlcles TO our own people and increase
their ability to buy, and they will buy
more" He added that our superior cap
ital and our access to the sea at all sea-
sons give us advantages which far
more than compensate for our load of
taxation; while the provinces have the
same local burdens, probably even
heavier ones, their communities being
poorer.
Mr.. Morrill, agreed to the principle of
making the duties on Canadian products
equal to our internal taxes, in regard to
about half the articles on the old free
list but on the others he wished to raise
more duties, but mot enough to exclude
them altogether" He said, "What we
make free to you, we must make free to
the rest of the world" And he affirmed
that "our rates are fixed solely with
view to revenue" But he would not
enlarge the free list.
But the vital issue, the crucial ques-
ton of all, related to the fisheries, en-
braclng the right Of our people to fish
in British waters on the provincial
coast. Mr.. Morrill, enquired whether
we might be allowed the use of the fish
cries, if we would repeal our fishing
bounties and admit colonial fish free, or
nearly SO? Mr.. Gait thought there were
many other questions involved In that.
The amount of Canada fish sent to US Is
very small, and the interest of the Unit
ed States in the fisheries is very large;
not less than seven hundred fishing YES
sells are now fitting out in the port of
Gloucester alone, for British waters, for
next season. He was willing to contiu-
ne the present arrangement; bnt if it
were changed, the Stree admission of a
few unimportant articles was no equiv
alent for the right of fishing on if
teen hundred miles of coast. Mr.. Hen
ry, Of Nova Scotia, said that the mack
erel fishery within the three miles limit
was an ample equivalent for the rightof
entering the United States markets on
equal terms Mr. Gait said that
the right of fishing was given
by the treaty in consideration of the
general arrangement concerning colo
NAL products. The proposed duty of
twenty-five per cent. on flour and twen-
ty cents on wheat was absurd. Mr..
Henry added that by the treaty, in effect,
"the interests of Nova Scotia were bar
tered away to get good bargain for
Canada"
Here the commissioners and the COM
mittee parted. The provincial commits
sioners regarded the fisheries as their
chief card, for which they hoped to OBJ
tain advantages equal, nearly, to those
which they enjoyed under the old treaty,
while the committee were determined to
make the products of the colonies yield
as revenue through duties imposed upon
them. /
CONGRESS AND ITS ADJOURNMENT
The House has fixed by resolution some
Thursday in Nav for adiOurnmant The