Omaha daily bee., 1889-07-08
AN OFFER OF RECIPROCITY.

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Advices from the Canadian seat OF
government report purpose on the
part OF that government, with imperial
approval, to propose reciprocal trade in
lumber with the United States. So far
as known nothing has been heard
Of this intention at the state
or treasury departments, but the
information that comes from Ottawa
appears TO have the sanction OF author
ity, and there is nothing improbable in
it. The assistant secretary Of tho
treasury is quoted as soying
that Canada has everything to
gain by shipping its lumber free
into this country, while we have every
thing to lose by such transaction,
from which it is to be inferred that no
support for the proposal, should it be
made, is to be expected from the treas
ury department. The matter, however,
is one which congress alone can deal
with, and in the event OF its coming be-
fore that body there might be found
very considerable popular sentiment in
favor of it.
There is already considerable
amount of lumber coming into this
country from Canada, chiefly from
Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and
the Northwest territory. The
Canadian logs come almost entirely from
these sections, while over three-fourths
of the shingles, boards, planks, ETC., re-
ceived through the northern customs
Offices are from those Canadian locali-
ties. A larger amount Of unhewn logs
was formerly received in this country,
especially in Michigan, tho lumbermen
OF the country bordering on the lakes
being accustomed to tow their logs
across to the American side and have
them sawed by the mills there. The
eXpostulations of Canadian millmen
were responsible for the increase Of tho
export duty to three dollars per
one thousand feet, and the pro-
posed reduction would unquestionably
benefit American millmen.
The benefits of reciprocity would not,
however, stop with this. 1t would lower
the price of lumber in the United
States, and the far-reaching advant-
ages of such a result cannot easily be
overestimated. 1t would enable hun
dreds of thousands of our people to
build homes who cannot do so under the
present tax of two dollars on every
thousand feet OF lumber, and it would
have the further good effect OF re-
ducing the tremendous demand upon
our forests, under which they are
rapidly disappearing. The theory that
the price of Canadian lumber would
eventually be ra1sed until it reached a
figure little below the price of Ameri-
can lumber of the same grade will
doubtless be advanced as all argument
against reciprocity, but 1T can hardly
have great weight with those who are
not predisposed in favor of maintaining
the. existing tax on imported lumber.
Tho vast forests of Canada would supply
all the demands of the two countries, it
has been estimated, for the next
hundred years. and under policy
of reciprocity there would be every
reason to expect a competition between
Canadian lumbermen SO strong as to
keep prices at an adequately low figure.
| The west and northwest want cheaper
lumber It would be a great boon to
the thousands OF settlers who will
shortly flock to the prospective new
states. 1t would benefit millions of
others of oar people. 1t is one of the
country's most urgent needs. and in the
event of Canada proposing policy that
would bring it about there is nothing
more certain than that the proposal
will have wide and earnest popular
support,