The Portland daily press., 1889-05-07
BATTING THEIR YANKEE NEIGHBoRS,
An Increase In the Export Duty on
Canadian Logs,
Which Gives Uncle Sam a Good
Chance to Retaliate.
Admiral Porter's Answer to the
Charges by Gen. Butler.

WASHINGTON, May 6.-The Canadian
government has at last defined its position
in the matter Of an export duty on logs. The
Canadian government, by an order in Coun-
ell. based upon an act previously obtained
from Parliament, has increased the export
duty on logs from So to So per thousand
feet By this action the Dominion govern
ment has evidently sought to accomplish two
purposes. One is to please the Canadian
lumbermen by relieving them of the oner-
Gus competition OF American lumbermen.
The second is to irritate or ''bait' the Yam
kee. The latter policy seems to have been
adopted by the Dominion government now
in power on different occasions, land is ap-
parently very popular among the Tories in
Canada. The lumbermen Of the Province Of
Ontario particularly feel the competition Of
the American lumbermen. The practice In
Canada is for the Provincial government,
which controls the Crown domain, to put up
what are called limits at auction. These
limitsa re privileges for cutting timber The
lumbermen from Michigan. Ohio. New York,
Wisconsin and other Of the Western lumber
States 60 to Canada and enter into competi-
tion in this bidding with the Canadians.
The result often is that the. American lum-
Dermen are the highest bidders and secure
the right to cut the timber. The new export
duty on logs, however, will effectually pre-
vent.this, asIAmerican lumbermen cannot
enter into competition with the Canadians
with any such burden upon them as an ex-
port duty OF from two to three dollars per
thousand feet. One of the indirect effects
intended is to induce Americans to build
millc in tbQ n0pniuinr which than
doing to considerable extent. The
theory is that this would establish
Industries in Canada, even If some
Of the Canadian manufacturers of
cheaper, or it is assumed by the Dominion
government evidently that it would be
cheaper, for the Americans to establish saw
mills in Canada, and to pay the duty Of two
dollars on admission into the United States,
than to purchase the right to cut timber on
the crown lands and to pay the Canadian ex-
port duty of three dollars per thousand on
logs. The effect has not been what the
Dominion government expected, for very
few Americans have established lumber
movement Of the Tory government is that
Americans are practically excluded al
together from the lumber business In Cana
da. The Canadian lnmbermen have, there
fore, now very little to fear from the bids Of
their. American competitors but Sir John
Macdonald has accomplished his purpose of
batting the Yankees" The Ontario lum-
bermen are beginning to fear that they have
overshot themselves, and anticinate that
Congress will retaliate by increasing the
two-d0llar import duties on lumber into the
United States to three dollars, and in this
manner equalizing the Ca anadian export duty
on logs. Such a movement on the part Of
the United States would, of course, be
very serious injury to the Canadian lumber
men, and would undoubtedly force the
Dominion government speedily to repeal the
export tax.
One curious fact in connection with this
movement in Canada is that the importation
OF saw logs from the United States into
Canada is infinitely greater than the exports
OF saw logs from Canada to the United
States. Last year the total export of pine
from the Province of Ontario amounted
only to about one months supply for a first
class saw mill. The greater part of this ex-
port consisted of long. round timber not de-
signed for lumber and absolutely requiring
larger outlay OF money In Canada than the
same timber. II converted into saw logs and
EXPORT OF pine logs. long and short, from
Ontario amounted to only 100000 feet.
There were imported into that Province dur
ing the same period from Northern Mime
sofa 2 100000 feet of pine logs, which were
sawn in Canadian mills at Rat Portage, and
this large amount was undoubtedly in
creased during the season which has Just
passed. Every year the United States gov
ernment permits immense quantities of saw
logs to be fioated down the st. John river
from the State of Maine and sawn into lum-
Der in Canadian mills at ST. John, New
Brunswick.