Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-05-13
Senator Morrill's Tariff Report.
How the Tariff Laws ATect Our Trade
Relations with Canada.

Relations with Canada.
The report of Chairman Morrill, of the
Senate finance committee, who, with Sen
ator Mcpherson, constituted sub-com-
mittee to inquire into the effect of the tar
iff laws on our trade relations with Cana
da, was submitted last week. The CON
illusions are those which were given in brief
in The Phoenix last summer, just after the
journey of investigation, from Eastport,
Me-, to Detroit, Mich, had been completed,
and as they were outlined by Senator Nor
rill when he was in Brattleboro on his way
home to STAFFORD at that time. The main
points in the report, as summarized in the
press dispatches, are these:
From the beginning to the end, all of
the places visited in our own country were
increasing in population, while on the 9th
er side of the line, as the committee were
informed, the population was everywhere
diminishing. st. Johns, opposite to East
port, has 1000 less population in 1891 that
in 1881. From the testimony taken it was
clear that the United States offered better
markets and higher prices for everything
that Canadian farmers had to sell than can
be obtained in Canada, and the price there
of horses, cattle or sheep, hay, peas, beans,
potatoes, butter, eggs and poultry invaria-
bly, was as much below the selling price in
the United States as the amount of duties
imposed and the cost of transportation.
When the duty on imported horses was in
creased the price of horses fell in Canada.
1t was the same with eggs and barley.
When the duty on pine lumber was re-
duced 81 per 1000 feet, that amount was
at once generally added to the price of
lumber in Canada; so that no advantage
was derived by the United States from the
reduction of the duty. So far as the Ca
madam Dominion is concerned, there is no
doubt they bear the entire burden of du-
ties imposed on their exports into the
United States.
1t was ascertained at Eastport from the
owners of the sardine factories, being
among the largest consumers of tin, that
the increased duty thereon had increased
the price to the amount of 81 per box,
amounting to one mill on each can of sar-
dimes, but that it had not affected their
business nor the wages of their workmGn,
and consumers were supplied with sardines
at less cost than ever.
More or less of emigrants appeared to be
entering our country from Canada all
dlOllR llt DOIupI line. 1 he wages were
much less in Canada than in the United
States, the difference amounting to from
- to IS per cent, and in some cases to 50
per cent, the average difference being
above % per cent. The difference was
less in the border towns, but wages de
creased by going further into the Domin-
ion, while the reverse was true in the
United States.
The increase of the duties on horses is
said to have resulted in advantage to the
state of Maine, rs it raised the grade of the
animals imported. No hay was imported
last year, as the result of the increased
duty on that staple. At Newport, a lum-
Der centre, the wages are % per cent high
er for common labor than in Canada.
Skilled labor, however, taken into Canada,
receives the same wages.
The merchants at Ogdensburg complain
loudly of the 20 cents per ton charged by
the Welland canal, which gives the Cana
| dian vessels rebate of Is cents per ton at
once. The report suggests that the only
| remedy for the discrimination would be an
/ independent American canal on this side
| of the lakes. 1t maintains that this dis
/ elimination Is violation OF The treaty.
| Touching the barley tariff the report says
! that it has injured Oswego; and that al
though the competition is really with our
Western barley-growing states, it is felt to
be a great grievance by the malsters of Os-
wegO, and ruinous to the capital invested
| there i'm this industry