, 1890-12-20

$1,000 -
HarrOw =. l in. II do
Vineyard >. l in. 50 do 3St. Philip.
Three Houses. l in. 81 do
Native provisions are not 50 plentiful as is
usual at this season of the year. American
foodstuffs are consequently more in demand,
and prices have advanced.
A meeting Of the Subscribers Of the Com
mercial Hall was held at II o'clock on Fri
day last, at the Chamber of Commerce, for the
purpose Of receiving from the Rop, G. E.
Foster, Minister Of Finance of G. ada, a
statement in reference to proposed reciprocal
commercial and tariff arrangements betwee
Canada and the British West India Isl1 As.
Robert Arthur, Esq, Chairman of the COM
mittee of Commerce presided, and exp. med
that the meeting was convened in pursual e of
a letter which he had received from His
Excallenby the Governor a day or two wi
ous. asking him to convene a meet of the
Committee of Commerce only 1T as the
subject was one Of some intereho and impDr1
lance to the Commercial body and the Island
generally, he had not only summoned the
Committee but had issued invitations to the
subscribers of the Hall as well. Notwith-
standing the short notice there was "a very
large audience, including the senior represen-
tatives Of the leading mercantile firms, the
Hon'5les Oswald Jones, w. X. Chandler, and
John Kellman. members Of the Legislative
Council and Messrs. E.. I. Grannum and j.
II. Lynch. members of the late House Of
Assembly. The Hon. Mr.. Foster having been
irtrQ3uced to the meeting, made a long speech,
explanatory Of the nature of the reciprocal
tariff arrangements which the Dominion Of
Canada was DESTROYS should be effected be-
tween themselves and the several British
West India Islands. Shortly stated, the pro-
posal is as follows The Dominion Of Canada
proposed to give a diffeyential in favour Of the
British West India Islands Of about 2poIo as
a first 90 of, on the duties at present enfc ced
upon sugar exported from these islands, W ich
would he equal to about $3.50 = er ton, and
also a differential on fruit, wr CHI would be
sufficient to secure the merkets III Canada for
the sugar and fruit exported from re British
West Indies. In return, the Do4lnlon of
Canada asked these Islands to cone lie a diff
%erential on her products, which v IRE briefly
combined under the following heads the FRO
duce Of the sea including fisheries the pro-
duce Of the forest including all huber and
woods the produce of the Aeld including
AGRICULTURAL produce of every description
animal produce, or ARTICLES manufactured from
animals, such as butter nd cheese and coal.
They ana not ask US 10 make o SooAAho0 ~ V0
Wholesale removal of our duties on foodstufs
imported from them. All they asked was
that we should give them a differential equi-
valent to the dinerential which they offered
as, At the instance of the Hon. Mr.. Chand-
Ter. a Public Meeting was held at o'clock
this afternoon in the Council Chamber, at
which Mr.. Foster consented to be present and
70 state his views in reference to the proposed
+-oo+x, Thare were fully two hundred per-
sons present, including the members of the
Legislative Council, several members of the
late House of Assembly, and the leading =
chants, Planters and, business men of. he.
island. The Hon. Mr.. Forster again laid
before them the purpose of his visit to the
West Indies, aud after a very pa'ent and
attentive hearing, the meeting, hav.~ accor-
dod a.vote Of thanks to the hon. gentleman,