New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-01
THE DINGLEY LUMBER DUTY
POLITICAL EFFECT IN CANADA Or Ai'H
ITEM IN THE TARIFF BILL"


AND GEORGIAN BAY LUMBERMEN-pif-
rERENr METHODS PROPOSED
TO MEET THE DUTY
roro,,o Oc, q (SpeciaD.-The lumber Item OF the
D,ncIev act Is a thorn In the size OF od""u" 'N.'
L. causing rather an angry sore H'e's o.' "
rorkles deeper. Now the Ontario "o'e, '''ie'
gins 10 feel it's point, and is frettihs apou' !" IA
g., this question Of the American iuihoer outy
Kids fair TO be n ripe issue, and an eNrei'eiS n'e
no bv the time Premier Hardy is reaoy lot me
general elections OF the Province Ahese nc may
hiring on any time before the en-" Vi "'N' '"Ne,
.,.n tho life Of the present Legislature CEASES II
&c an awkward moment Tor inc ios queS''oN ~ NC
80, unon him. and his political opponents are
III, 20. 49, .ayontagc Of the embarrassing s!tua-
49,, rhs lumber paragraph of the wood schedue
w." lated states tariff Is now in Ontario poll
,,cs and is likely TO be a pivotal issue
pARRYING THE PROvIsO
u- Hardys Government. would never nave peeh
.-oubIed with the question II the Dlngey iuniDer
,.n, had not been constructed with SUCH ingenuity
mat II checkmat,s the Dominion Government and
divides the lumbermen OF Canada In ordinary
circumstances any interest that desired retaliation
cains. the tariff Of a foreign country would go to
the Dominion Government for 1t, which has the
sole power TO impose customs duties or export
duties. Now, while stiff duty on American lum-
ber which at present comes in Free would be ac-
only kind OF retaliation that would really give
,bono much satisfaction would be stoppage OF the
supply of Canadian logs to Michigan mills a high
enough export duty, imposed by the DOMINION Gov
eminent would effect this. but II would be a
boomerang 1t would at once be followed by an
increase equivalent to 1t In the American duty on
Canadian lumber, for. under the proviso of the
lumber item Of the Dngley act the duty will rise
automatically and equally against any country that
imposes any kind of discriminating tax on sawloSs.
etc. entering the United States. If. therefore. the
Ottawa Government should show its sympathy with
the lumbermen under the blow which the Dingley
act has dealt them by putting an export tax of 81
per Thousand feet. board measure. on all sawlogs
carried across the border. hence. 1t would bring on
them 81 more Of Dingley duty. The American duty
on Canadian lumber Is now g per thousand feet.
board measure; such a Canadian export tax would
make Il g. OF course the lumbermen OF Canada
would prefer some form of retaliation that would
not recoil quite so heavily themselves. 1t was
manifest in fact. almost from the day the new
American tariff became law. that they would not
unite to press for an export tax Shortly before
that. It Is true, they had presented momentary
appearance Of solidarity in support Of such an i'm
post Some time after tho American Tarir DILL as
amended by the Senate Finance Committee, was
reported the lumber kings Of the Ottawa Naiev
and OF the Georgian Bay district. accompanied by
representatives Of the banking and transportation
interests, waited on the Ottawa ministers anu
eminent to put export duty not exceeding u per
thousand feet board measure, on all sawiogs ana
pulpwood sent to countries which impose an I'M
mort duty on Canadian lumber. etc. The Govern
ment granted their request. and INTRODUCED mo
Parliament bill drafted on the lines OF the petit
ton.
The massage OF this bill by almost unanimous
vote was one Of the last acts of the last session
There is therefore. an export duty law on the DO
minion statutc-book which may be brought ih'o
effect whenever the Governor-!n-Counch chooses 10
nrocIa,u, II. But many OF the lumbermen who
foiped in the demand for II did not expect IL 10
come into effect. Their object IN supporting II was
70 influence the course Of tariff legislation then
going on across the border. BY preparing 10 nlee'
the proposed high American DUTY On Iuihoe' WI"
restriction on logs. Canadian iumoermeh hopeu "
weaken the supporters Of that duty ana strengthen
The opponents OF 1t In Congress. The ottawa VAL
lev men have no other use for the export tax law
than that and joired In the petition Tor IL on tho
tacit understanding that IT would not be enIosceo'
When. Notwithstanding this threat OF retaliation.
the American lumber duty YVES hxed al ~ 'he DO
ninion Govern nent was called on by me pulp In
tsrests 10 procllim the export tax law de Ottawa
Valley men the first to oppose jhat demand
They did not want to take any risks OF having the
American duty increased against them.
The Georgian Bay men, who had hesn put In thu
worst pinch Of by the protective ccnr1vance IN
the Dingley lumber paragraph, and who were
therefore more In earnest In their demand for re-
prisals stood by the export tax They declared that
a 81 duty could do them no more harm than -
duty as the latter was practically prohibitory.
Without the cooperation. however, or the moro
powerful Ottawa section Of the lumber Industry.
the Georgian Bay men could not bring sufficient
pressure to bear on the Government to get the
export duty law into operation The Government
Itself had no desire 70 take such step. as II stu
cung TO the hope OF securing better trade relations
with the United States. And the Georgian Bay
v1oG f,r
attitude Of offence that ~ould enable them TO strike
back with equal force. and al the same time cover
them from the counter-blow OF the proviso IN the
lumber paragraph. They began to look round Tor
such a substitute for the export tax An order-ln'
council or an act forbidding the expectation OF saw
logs would answer their purpose. Beng mere
prohibition, imposing no tax or duty OF any Klho'
II would evade the retaatory proviso of the Ding
ley lumber clause. 1t would efectually stop the
movement OF logs to United States mills, ana would
offer nothing by watch the American duty on lum-
Der could be increased. But here again Joint ac-
ton was out OF the question The ottawa men
were Altogether opposed TO restriction, and. OF
course the Dominion Government could not De
moved without them. Thus II came about that inc
Georgian Bay men. being now the only section OF
their Industry In favor Of retaliation fell back on
the Province and made their appeal TO the Ontario
covern,oent This is how It has happened that the
matter properIy a Dominion question has arrived
IN Ontario politics.
ONTARIO CONTROLS THE SITUATION
The Ontario Government could apply checks that
would satisfy the most extreme advocate OF refala
tim In the first place its authority covers almost
the whole ground from which Canadian sawlogs
are exported. Ontario is the only province from
which pine sawlogs are taken into the United
States In the second place. that Government Is
competent 10 put embargo on virtually the total
log output of ontario, a. the Crown lands on
which nearly all Of It Is produced. belong to the
Province not to the Dominion. OF course the
standing timber which is being made up into logs
has been purchased from the Government, but the
llni. holders are by no means independent or the
Crown Lands Department To operate on 'heir
limits they must have licenses renewable April 80
70 cnInrlX with certain