The times., 1898-10-31
OUR TRADE With CANADA
1t Grows in Spite of New Dis
criminative Tariffs.
AMERICAN GOODS WANTED
Imports From~thc United States Into
the Doninion Show IL Stendy In
crease British manufacturers
Given Many AdVnntages-SIo, TO
Recognize the Value of Them.

The first month of the new Canadian
tariff does not appear to have had the de-
pressing effect upon exports from the
Unitti States into Canada that was anti
cirated by some people. The report OF the
Department OF Trade and Commerce in
Canada. covering the month of August.
1898, and comparing ii with the cores
ponding months of 1897 and 1896. has just
reached the Treasury Bureau of Statis-
tics.
The figures which it presents are espee-
tally interesting since they cover the first
month of the operations OF the new tariff,
which gives to goods coming into Canada
from Great Britain and certain British
colonies 25 per cent advantage in tariff
rates over those coming from the United
States.
The new Canadian tariff law, enacted
in 1897. provided that when the customs
tariff of any other country is made as
favorable to Canada as her own tariff
rates, the duties upon the products of
that country should at once be lowered
one-eighth, and after the expiration of
one year, should be reduced another one
eighth. The u 1-2 per cent reduction went
into operation August !, 1897, and was
held to affect goods coming into Canada
from Great Britain, Germany. Belgium,
and several other countries thus giving
10 most of the imports coming into Can
ada advantage of u I-2 per cent in
rates of duty against those from the
United States. which were required TO
pay the full rates named in the new law
Additional legislation in 1898 so modi-
fled the act that the reduction of % per
cent, which was to take effect on August
l. 1898. is held to relate only to goods COM
ing into Canada from the United King
dom, Bermuda British West Indies. Brit
ish Guiana. or ANY other British colony
or possession the customs tariff of which
is on the whole as favorable TO Canada
as the British preferential tariff is TO
such colony or possession
This modification of the tariff act of
lSSi gives to goods from Great Britain
and most of her colonies an advantage
and after August ], 1855 of . per cent
IN rates of duty over those from the
Jnited States, or in other words, re-
quires goods from the United States 20
pay y l-3 per cent higher tariff rates
than those from the countries in queg-
tion. The figures showing the imports
into Canada during August, the first
month under the new arrangement. are,
therefore, especially interesting
1t was expected that the imports from
Great Britain and her colonies in August
1s9S, would be abnormaIly large because
of the fact that importers, knowing that
they would obtain better tariff rates in
August than in June or July, would,
" hers To- t,ap oil hot
ports until the new rates should go into
effect August !, while no such condition
would apply to goods from the United
States. 1t was presumed, therefore, that
whatever might be the final effect upon
the relative growth Of British or Ameri-
can imports into Canada, those of the
month Of August would show much
greater gains for Great Britain than for
tie United States.
The figures presented in the report,
however, do not justify this expectation.
While the report does not state the total
amount of goods from Great Britain i'm
ported into Canada during August, 1t
does give a table containing quantities
and values of principal articles of mer-
chandise exported from Great Britain to
British North America during the month
of August, 1895, compared with August,
1881 and 1886" The total value of these
principal articles" exported from Great
Britain TO Canada IN August, 1898, was
Iii per cent in excess of the same class
OF articles exported to Canada in August,
1897, when the tariff advantage was but
u l-2 per cent. and is actually less than
in August, 1896, when the tariff gave no
advantage to articles from Great Britain.
On the other hand. the reports of the
Bureau of Statistics of our own Govern
ment show that the exports from the
United States into Canada in August,
1888, were u 1-2 per cent greater than
in August. 1897. and more than q per
cent in excess of those of August, 1896.
The fact that the advantages thus
given to goods imported into Canada from
Great Britain were expected to especially
affect manufactures adds interest to the
following table, which shows the imports
of leading manufactures from the United
States into Canada in August, 1898 COM
pared with August, 1897. and 1896:
Aug, '9j. Aug, 81. Aug, '9s.
Agricultural imDle-