The herald., 1898-12-25
WASHINGTON AFFAIRS
WORK OF THE HIGH JOINT COM
MISSION
Some Disputes Settled and Hope for
Future Action-The Alaska
Border Line

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20-(Special Cor
respondence to The Herald) The high joint
commission has nearly finished its labors
with results stated by the press associations
to be practically nil. This is no doubt ac
curate so far as any general measure Of
reciprocity is concerned. But no one really
expected any great measure OF success in
this line, and few will be disappointed, while
the commission has undoubtedly succeeded
in settling good many disputed points that
have caused such friction in the past.
In this connection it is worth while men,
tioning fact that has been generally forgot
ten in considering the question of customs
between Canada and the United States. 1t
is well known that Canada makes reduc-
ton of rs per cent on all articles imported
from Great Britain. What is not generally
known is that this reduction is open to all
i. e., it is offered to every country in the
world that will give Canadian products a
similar reduction. But as Great Britain
happens to be the only free trade country
and no other has made such an arrangement
as Canada has indicated, Great Britain j:
the only one that gets any advantage. The
United States could get it without the
least difficulty if it choose to admit Cana
dian products at 25 per cent reduction.
However, the Mckinley administration
will not do this. The eggs, potatoes and hay
OF Maine must be protected even if the great
center of the country suffers through its
manufacturers being kept out of Canada
Mr.. Dingley is largely responsible for this.
He has never had the broadening influence
of travel and his influence is all-powerful
with the commission in protecting the farm
ers of his little corner of the world.
1t will almost certainly be found that the
fisheries question, whether it concerns the
Pacific seals or the Atlantic cod, has been
settled Probably the first has been termi-
mated by an agreement that the United
States should buy out the sealing vessels
owned by the Canadians at fixed price per
ton, perhaps 5000, perhaps less. The sec
ond may have been settled by a slight reduc-
tion on fish imported from Canada and the
grant to Americans to send their fish in
bond from Canadian ports to the United
States.
The general question of bonded privileges
has, it seems, been settled by an agreement
that Canadian railways making use of the
bonded privileges shall be subject to the
interstate commerce commission, violation
or evasion of the rules of the commission
working forfeiture of the bonded privilege
The roads are all willing to subject them
selves to the commission now, but are not
yet legally so. There will probably be no
change in the present general bonded sys-
tenn, again out of concession to New Eng
land, which demandsits continuance against
the wishes of the great center and west. 1t
will be remembered what howl came from
New England some years ago, when Cleve-
land proposed to revoke the privilege unless
Canada would give concessions to our fisher
men.
Arrangements will undoubtedly be made
abrogating some of the restrictions in re-
gard to building men-of-war on the Great
Lakes entered into by the Rush Baggott