The Republican journal., 1874-05-21
A Reciprocity Treaty.

| 1t is asserted that representatives OF the
British home government and of the DO
minion of Canada have been for some
time at Washington arranging the pre-
liminaries for 4 new reciprocity treaty
with the English provinces. 1t is pro
| posed by this, as by the one which was
terminated in 1868, that specified natural
products OF each century shall be recipro-
cally admitted into the other without the
| payment of duty
Under the Washington Treaty the en-
oyment of the shore fisheries of the ST.
| Lawrence was leased to the United States
for twelve years on condition that their
cash value during that term should be de
termined by arbitrators and the amount
paid over to Canada. A few months ago
Mr. Rothery, an eminent English iuris-
consult, was sent out by the British gov
ments for giving effect to this arbitration
and he was busy getting up facts and
evidence when the Canadian government
suggested how much more reasonable and
profitable to both countries it would be
We're the war of their fisheries merged, as
formerly, in treaty of commercial reel
procity. Communication between our GOV
eminent and that of Great Britain on this
suggestion resulted in the present effort to
ascertain If tho substitution can bn mad a
on terms satisfactory to both parties. Mr.
Fish, Secretary of State, conducts the
negotiations on behalf of our government,
and Sir Edward Thornton British Minis
ter here, and the Hon. George Brown,
Senator of the Canadian Dominion, act as
Joint plenipotentiaries on the part of Great
Britain. The negotiations have been go
ing on for some months, and it is under
stood that a rough outline Of Il new treaty
is now the subject Of investigation and
discussion, Mr.. Rothery, the English law
agent in the fishery arbitration, has gone
to the Pacific until the result of the latter
negotiation is determined, but should the
treaty fail, the fishery arbitration will be
at once proceeded with
The old treaty, it will be remembered,
went into operation in 1854, and was dis
solved by our government in 1868, in re-
taliation for the forays over the border
made by Confederates who were protect
ed in Canada. That treaty was upon the
whole advantageous to this country. 1t
admitted Canadian lumber which Maine
producers thought to be detrimental to
their interests-but they soon perceived
that they could go into the more abundant
growths of the Dominion, and make more
money than here, while consumers of lum-
Der could get their supplies much cheaper
1t was not found that the removal of duties
on hay, oats and potatoes seriously affect
ed the prices of those products in Maine.
Looking at our positive and certain
gains by such a treaty, the most important
will be in the fishery privileges. By the
repeal of the old treaty we were excluded
from the best fishing grounds, which are
within the marine jurisdiction of the Do
minion, and from the use of the shores.
Without the shore privileges the deep sea
fishery is of small account. 1t is we'll
known that the fisheries greatly prospered
previously to 1863 and have fallen off very
much since. Certainly on account of this
,,,<1
neighbors should be carefully considered.
Again the coal of Nova Scotia, although
entirely of the bituminous kind, will tend
to reduce the present enormous prices of
fuel in New England. Nine or ten dollars
per ton for Pennsylvania anthracite is
rulnous rate, where the need fer fuel is SO
great as in our New England climate. And
if hard coal is held at those figures, the
soft coal of Nova Scotia, admitted duty
free, will bring down the price to reason
able figures.
The southern, middle and western states
would find in such a treaty a larger mar
ket for their breadstuffs, tobacco, &c. And |
there can be no doubt that experience and
more general intercourse would open new
and profitable fields of trade and com
merce.
The New Orleans Republican, in esti
mating the approximate damages of the
overflow in Louisiana, has carefully PIE
pared table which contain some inter
esting figures. The whole area of the State
is 80, O94 square miles, OF about 20 600, 900
acres. OF these about one-tenth are i'm
proved. There have been seventeen par
lshes more or less injured by the flood,
587 $40 acres. which produce
10, 1874 1856 lbs. of rice, 1872, O7O bales OF
cotton, and 1887 hogsheads of sugar, in
addition to live stock and other farm pro-
ducts. Estimating the probable crop of
rice, sugar, and cotton OF these parishes
as below, the Republican thinks the pro-
portion of damages may be approximated
at one-sixth of the probable product. Thus
On the crop of
Sugar, 4s.s17 hogshead estimated with
mOlasses $4,000, 600
Cotton, 132,070 bales 100000
Rice, II, 600 600 pounds 100000
Total S17, 500 900
would give about $3,O0O,000 as the nom
production OF these staples alone, to which
must be added a great loss in live stock,
poultry. vegetables, and other articles of
farm produce The severity of this i'm
mense loss is tempered somewhat by the
fact that crops and land damaged by high
waters have great powers of recuperation
Congress has resolved to adjourn June