New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-29
= IN the tracks Of our forefathers. where we can
"neither wander nor stnmble'T'
CANADIAN TARIFF AND TRADE.

| CANADIAN TAHITI AMI JniDbs
/ We quoted n few days ago some official re-
| turns. In which Canadian trade with Great
Britain In August. 1897. was compared with
that In August 1898. In the former month the
12h per cent tariff discrimination In favor OF
goods imported from Great Britain prevailed. In
the latter the full preferential system, granting
British goods 81 per cent reduction from sched-
ule rates. was in force. 1t appeared from the
returns that in nearly all lines Of goods import
ed into Canada from Great Britain the latter
month showed n marked increase over the for
mer That seemed to indicate that the prefer
entail tariff was working well; that 1t was in
creas sing trade between the Dominion and the
mother country, which 1t was its object to DO
But 1t would be premature to conclude that 1t
was doing so ut the expense OF other countries.
or, at any rate. of the United states. Other
official returns, more recently published, indl-
cate with equal clearness that imports into
Canada from this country are also increasing,
and that they have markedly increased since
the adoption Of the preferential tariff which
discrimlnates I'm favor Of Great Britain ana
thus against the United States.
The comparison Is made on the basis not OF
n single month"; but OF the three months or
August September and October. In those three
months in 1896 the old uniform tariff was in
force: in 1897 the new tariff, with 12la per cent
discrimination In favor Of British goods, ana
In 1893 tie full % per cent preferential Sc
lectlng twenty leading classes OF goods, includ-
Ing the bulk OF dutIable articles OF trade, 1t Is
seen that in all but one Of them our sales to
Canada In 1898 exceeded those In 1897, and in
all but two those in 1896. Generally speaking,
under the 121a per cent discrimination In favor
of British goods, Canadian purchases from the
United States increased, and under the 70 per
cent discrimination they increased still more
Thus of agricultural implements, on which the
tariff against us Is now from 20 to 80 per cent
ad yalorem and against Great Britain only
from Is to 27a4 per cent, Canada bought from
us $S1. 1873 in the three months OF 1896, $780,
OD4 I'm 1897. and 1901, S45 in 1893. or vehicles
lii 1885, on an even footing with Great Britain,
we sold Canada S21,150 worth; in 1897, with
12k per cent against us. we sold her S4Oo4I
worth, and In $685. with % per cent against
us, we paying from 81 to 80 per cent and Great
Britain only from 1873. to 27A per cent, we sold
her SSO961 worth. Builders hardware Is some
thing British manufacturers especially excel
I'm. vet, despite the preferential tarh In their
favor our sales to Canada rose from $l6662S
in 1897 to S2O8,755 In 1898, though upon 1t we
must nav from 30 to 80 per cent ad valOrem
and the British only from 221a to 27a4 per cent
Eaualy significant is the increase in steel rails
n great British staple. In 1897, when we had
to nav 30 per cent ad valOrem duty on them
and British dealers only 26A per cent, we sold
Canada S44O016 worth Of them; and IN 1875
when we had TO pay 30 per cent and the Bit
ish only 22la per cent, we increased that amount
to SS4O,044. And so on through the list In
the single item Of fruits and nuts our sales III
1898 showed a small decrease from those OF
1897 though a large increase over those ol
1896; and in the two classes OF cotton manu-
features and manufactured tobacco lSoS shower
decrease from 1885, though an increase over
1897
II IL true that some lines OF goods are alto
gether omitted from this comparison, ana IL
Is quite possible that In them there mas peen
decrease In our sales TO Canada. But such de-
crease cannot ana does not by any means onset
the great gains to which we have referred'
Tint Il proved by the grand totals OF all cana
dian imports from this country which were IN
the three months named S1f,IOl,IS0 IN loof'
s174SI175 in 1906, S10,S4O,1a In 1S00 No.
All 65S in 1897 under the 1871 per cent prefer
ential in favor Of Great Britain, ana SZo'oo''-
G31 in 1898. when that preferential had peeh
raised 10 % per cent. In other words, the
granting of preferential rates to Great Britain
while II has increased purchases from Great
Britain. has not checked the steady and rapid
increase of purchases and imports from the
United States. Canada still buys more from
rs than from Great Britain, despite the 20 per
cent tariff discrimination In favor OF the ia'-
fer. Indeed. she buys more from us than from
al, the rest of the world. Just what that
means economists may decide for themselves
zach according to his own taste and fancy. 10
nc II seems TO indicate two things. One Is that
Canada Is growing more prosperous ana rlcher.
and IS buying more goods In all markets vi
that we are heartily glad. and upon IL we con-
cratulote our northern neighbors. The other
Is that this country is increasing It's productive
ability IL becoming more formdapie rNai
NJ all others I'm manufactures and commerce.
and. despite the hideous "shackles ana I'm.
nose wall" and what not of our pagan tarin'
ovar which 50 many Cobdenite tears are annu-
o,,v shed Is steadily. surely and swiftly increas-
inc ,ts foreign commerce, even where 1t comes
into direct competition with those who enjoy
tho ;noffoblc and incommensurable advantages
Of Free Trade