The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-05-23

The Reciprocity Question-some Facts
and Eigures.
As negotiations are going on for another
treaty of reciprocity with England for the
trade between the British North American
provinces, now known as the Dominion, and
the United States, o brief review of the amount
and character of that trade win be interesting.
The aggregate exports and imports of Canada
and Newfoundland in 1873 amounted to
1895, 301, 203. A little over third of this
trade was with the United States, the amount
being $50, 381, SAG. In 1867 the total exports
and imports Of Canada and Newfoundland
reached in value $139, 2O2, 615. This was the
year after the termination of the Reciprocity
Treaty with this. country and the year in
which the Canadian Dominion was estab-
ished. From 1868 the trade of the
Dominion steadily advanced year after
year, and increased in the course of
six years nearly eighty per cent That is to
say it rose, when there was no treaty, from
$780, sos, 615, in 1868, to $685., 3O1, 2O3 in 1873.
This was remarkable progress. Our people,
looking with pride upon their own national
greatness and power, have been too apt to re-
gard their colonial neighbors as slow, unen-
terprising and of little account comparatively.
Yet four millions of people. tenth of the
population of the United States, have an i'm
port and export trade of $235, 301, 203. The
aggregate of our export and import trade for
the year ending June 80, 1873, was, according
to the report OF the Secretary of the Treasury
last December, 81, 164, sos, 431. Including the
export Of specie 1858, 127, $50. the total is
81, 227, 1886, 068 If our import and export
trade were in proportion to that Of the
Dominion and Newfoundland, taking the
population as basis Of reckoning, it would
amount to 50, 353, O12, 900, or nearly hundred
per cent more than it is. 1t is evident we
have no reason to think little of the actual
and rapidly developing trade Of our colonial
neighbors.
Just before the treaty of reciprocity expired,
in 1866, the United States had 52A per cent of
the foreign commerce of Canada In 1873 the
percentage was IS. The decline the first
year, 1867, was to AZ per cent Notwithstand-
ing the vast increase of the exports and i'm
ports of the provinces our share of the trade
has never been as large as when it reached the
highest point under the treaty. In fact it
was nearly 100000 less in 1873 than in
1866, though the aggregate foreign trade of
the provinces had risen from S139, 500, 615, in
1868, to s235, 3O1, 203 in 1873. Had our trade
increased relatively with the provinces as
theirs increased we should have now traffic
amounting to $3.50, OOO, 900 at least, instead of
Did it arise from the expiration of the old Rec
iprocity Treaty, the want of new one, or
from other causes? Here is an important
question for the consideration of the govern
ment and people of the United States and for
Mr.. Fish to ponder over now that negotiations
for another treaty are pending
Our exports were greater to the North
American provinces than to any other country
in the world, except to Great Britain. Even
now Germany only takes the next place to
Great Britain and precedence of the Domin-
ion In 1873 the exports from the United
States to Germany amounted to s68. 724, 421;
to Canada, $685. 1867 to France and her
possessions, $50, 083, 266 to Spain and her
$29, 257, 121, and to all other
countries together, except Great Britain,
500, 234, 468 Then, while our imports from
almost all other countries are much greater
han the exports to them, the balance of
trade being consequently against us, our ex-
ports to the provinces amount to far more
han the imports from them. There is diff
ference in the statistics Of the provinces and
the United States as to the balance of trade
during the twelve years the Reciprocity Treaty
was in operation, but both show balance in
favor of this country. The difference arises,
perhaps, from the former reckoning values in
gold and the latter in currency. According
TO the United States returns the gross bal
ance was $40, Asa, 246, while the returns of the
provinces make it sos, 796, $780, During the
first ten years of the treaty the balance in
favor of the United States was $62, OILS, 545.
Looking at these facts it is clear that in the |
broad field of our commercial intercourse with
the world the trade with the North American |
provinces is more valuable to us than that of
any other country with the exception OF Eng
land- NOR nave our statesmen Jailed to see |
that The most enlightened and far-seeing,
and those who have not been blinded or influ-
enced by mere local interests, have advocated
a free continental system of trade, or Zoll-
verein, similar to that Of the German Com
mercial Union. The members of Congress
from New York have generally taken
broad and liberal views on this subject,
and naturally SO, for there is no State more
deeply interested than this. When it came up
before Congress in 1862 and for
several years after, first, in consider
ing the concurrent resolutions of the
Legislature of New York in relation
10 the existing treaty, and afterward
upon the joint resolution Of Congress to give