New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-27
CANADIAN AGRICULTURE.
,s.S1RoUsIY AFFECTED BY The PROTEC.
1rvE, TARIFF OF THE UNITED STATES.
,rxnEScE OF THE DOMINION UPON THE
sr,rFs FOR A MARKEr-IHE DRIFT

y. ca,da had been adopted, the late Sir John Mac
s a made a speech in which he rected some of the
e which that arrangement might be expected to
-, upon the farmers of Canada. Among other
49, he said that the treaty would enhance the price
ses rroducts as they exported to the United States,
s...use when those products taxed by Congress
y. spy had TO be paid by Canada. This opinion has
,.ys been entertained by Canadians. All parties,
a.als and Tories. Protectionsts and Tariff Reform
- ,se,rd it ms indisputable that where man has n
,,,lyely small surplus to dispose OF with only one
sble purchaser in sight, which purchaser Is able in
suary times TO supply his wants from within his own
sehold then the customs taxes levied by the latter
- mad either in whole In great part By the former.
~ iohn used TO illustrate the in this manner
Nm, a case I'm the Eastern townships OF a man
-, Inc imaginary line which lies between this country
"a the United states. suppose man has 100 acres
sn =, side of the line. suppose he grows 900
shes Of barley on each of his farms. lie takes his
1899 SsSel for IT, lie takes his 600 basse,s s, "t
Essisn barley 10 the American market aad gets but
q GEMS per bushe because he has to 10 cents for
~ case be said that the pays the duty IL
p nes out OF the pockets OF the Canadian farmer
az David Macpherson, who was n member Of Sir
tam, Administration few years ago. stated IL In this
ey;
mere Is very simple rule by which a man can
.asrtsin for himself who pays the duty on almost
ssry article. If we produce that which our neighbors
nave not, and which they must buy from US, we can
M our own price upon IL and leave them 10 pay the
gfy imposed by their Government. In that case the
Consumer unquestionably pays the duty. But our
,ssyshors and ourselves produce similar commodities
nd ON producers have 20 compete with their producers
an their way 10 the American market producers
O Sy 'e MSen beT bSse
nsy can obtain no more for their commodities than
he American producer v who pays no duty suppose
.Sa 10 Detroit 10 SELL The duty on horses In the
United states Is 20 per cent, which the Canadian farmer
sst Is. he must pay $50 for each horse, and on his
srs horses 800, the value OF one horse, at the
United States custom house before he take them to
Ne market. And then he will get no more than
Michigan farmer would get for FIVE equally good horses
Il Is. horses in each case fetched $500 the Michigan
nan would take the whole OF that sum home with him.
whereas the Canadian farmer would return with only
500
Ayear ago Sir John proclaimed his faith in this view
BIZ his works Paragraph 2lS of the Mckinley bill
rauces the United States duty on pine lumber from
q per 1000 feet, with prOviso, moreover, that
\, hmber coming from any country which imposes
n export duty on logs shall not enjoy the benefit of
tie rdncton. This aimed at Canada. Sir John
ts capped an export duty logs for the purpose OF
compelling American lumbermen to build sawmills and
cut Canada the logs taken from their Ontario timber
limits instead Of floating them across Lake Huron as
tkey had been in the habit of doing. When the Nc
Epley bill with this provision in it was passed by
Congress ne made haste b. repeal the export duty.
But Is obvious that he would not have done had he
imagined that the United States duty on sawn pine
was paid as some in Congress alege, by the United
states consumer. II Mr.. Roger Q. Mills had been in
Canada lust before tine Mckinley bill went into force
October G. 1890 he would have seen for himself that
rightly or wrongly the Canadian farmers adhere to the
belief that they and not the American artisan are the
prime sufferers by the agricultural schedule. There
tremendous rush TO get barley, sheep, horses,
potatoes eggs beans hay and other commodities across
The line before the law became operative. From one
end Of e 1900 miles of frontier to the other railroads
lake vessels and farmers wagons worked night and
day With all the energy they could muster. Those
who failed to pass their goods in time had the sympathy
Of their more fortunate Deghbos. One or two Tory
papers, from tho sheer cnssedoess Of parisaHship at
tempted to persuade the farmers that the duties would
fall upon the American people and that prices In
Canada would rule as high as ever Sir John himself
did not say He confessed that the act was
grevous blow at Canadian agriculture. already de-
pressed nom other causes, and promised to find new
markets fr the products which were hit hardest.
After a twelve months experience everybody IN
he Dominion allows that the Ola Man. as he
was familiarity called, had Level head on this sub
ect without doubt, II the Mckinley duties were
epealed the in the United States would get
ne articles little cheaper IN some instances, but in
Tiers the price in the States would not be diminished
hrtling.
Barley furnishes q case In point Ontario barley
lat been known to New-York brewers for long time.
grows to perfection in the Bay of Quinte district
nd IN the central portion of the province generally.
he barley is the six-rowed variety. In times past
immense quantities OF IL were exported to Buffalo,
)svego and Albany. The market OF the United States
as and is the only really available market for it, 1t
Tas good paying crop, much more than wheat, for
prairie soils In the Canadian Northwest fast drv
BE- the Eastern Canadian farmer out of wheat lie has
urdened himself with debt in building the Canadian
Pacific and minor railroads for the development Of
hat region only to find that its prolific wheat yield is
trowing linn back upon the cultivation OF coarser
PRODUCTS while its cheap lands attract his and
leighbors and are thus deprecatng the value OF his
arm Shortly after the passage Of the Mckinley bill
he price Of barley at Toronto fell 80 cents below the
price at oswego that is, was diminished by the amount
4 the duty and this state OF things has prevailed
.yer since There was no shdden rise ut Oswego or
Buffalo as would have occurred had the duty been
added In lump TO the price payable by the American
consumer. Not at all. AS the market adjusted IL
et TO the new conditions the Canadian price rapidly
declined. On october A, two days before the duty
'ook effect, the Toronto price of No. extra-tho
grade for barley which has been stained-stood
ut O. cents BY December IL had dropped to 46 cents
Meanwhile tie price at Oswego had climbed little
above the quotations OF october A. AT present the
fuonto price Of No. 3 extra is 40 cents, although
considerably smaller acreage Of barley was sewn Tins
year In consequence OF the Mckinley tariff. The
Price for Canada No. 3 extra at Buffalo and Oswego
IS cents the cents over and above tho duty rep
resethg the freight charge. The price received by tho
sr farmer who grows the barley is OF course, less
several cents than the price at Toronto. The way
us buyers in the country towns throughout the
p"sne DO things is TO take the Buffalo or os~ego
qstAtka and deduct from 1t the sum of the middle
meas profits plus the transportation rate TO those
Pans Plus the McKlaley duty The grower thus OBJ
ANS about 81 cents for No. extra. This year there
Wa al abundant CROP forty bushels TO the acre hay
Tag been reaped in rsny places, so that the Mckinley
GUY means a tax OF Sl2 per acre which the Ontario
lsnef has 10 pay TO the United States Treasury for
le privilege OF selling in the United States market.
AZ pat differently the american farmer who raises
oarey Is just that much better of than his Canadian
fiends by reason OF the Mckinley tariff. while the
american consumer though lie may suffer some trilng
hoonvesienee is virtually worse of. In year or
"o when the farmers in the Western States and else
has. tl.fAa 81 Larl0 rrr1