The sun., 1900-11-13
VIII Great Britain Betray Canada?

What il Canadas reward for the prefer
ence Of SO Ia per cent which she has given
to imports from the United Kingdom? Her
reward is that the mother country has con-
sented to exclude her from the benefits "
the modus rirendi arranged between Eng
land and Germany. and that her exclusion
Is likely to be rendered permanent by the
new treaty now under negotiation We find
all the facts connected with this extraor-
binary transaction set forth by Mr. f. r,
WILLIAMS in the November number Of the
National Rcrie,r
TWAS in 1897. the year OF the d amond
Jubilee. ta q the Dominion Government
offered 10 he mother country and to the
other Colonies of the Empire preferential
import tariff of % per cent, since increased
10 33 L. per cent. That offer made Sr
WIIFRID LAURER, the Canadian Pre-
mier. the most popular non-royal person
age in the jubilee procession The offer.
however, could not be mmed lately &C
cepted. The treaties Of commerce entered
into by England with Belgium and
with the German Zcllverein contained
s.ipulations thHt Belgian and Ger
man products should he subject 10 no
higher duties IN the British Colonies than
those imposed on similar articles Of British
origin. Obviously the Salisbury Govern
Inent had either To denounce those treaties.
which were subject TO years terminating
notice. or to repel Canadas gift 1t took
the former alternative; the treaties. being
duly denounced ceased 10 he binding, and
the preference offered by Canada became
operative Aug /. 1895.
Mean while but little II any, progress lad
been made toward the negotiation ~ new
treaties. Indeed 80 far "a Germany is con-
cerned. she seems desirous of deferring any
definite convention until she can acquire
a thorough Acquaintance with the con-
ditions of foreign trace and the pos
sihities OF furthernc her own inter
ests Accordingly, a modus rirend, was
arranged between tho German and the
British Foreign Offices. whereby all the
provisions of the oil treaties remained tenn
porarily in force. exceptthe article en- body
ing the stipulation that Germany and
England should have equal tarifY privileges
IN the British Colonies Germany, how
ever. demanded that Canada should be ex-
cuded from the benefits of the modus
rtrend,. with a view to her permanent ex-
clusion. which the Berlin Government pro-
poses to enforce in tho rev treaty This
means that. while British products enter
ing Germany receive the most-favored-
nation treatment. Canadian products are
suhiected to a much heavier tariff The
reason given by Germany for her discrim-
iration Is: Canada by insttuting the
inter-imperial preferential tariff, has de-
MED most favored treatment TO us
We therefore will not give II to her "
As matter OF fact. the Berlin Govern
ment cannot point TO single foreign nation
which pays in Canada n cent less duty upon
any import than Germany pays The sole
ground, therefore. for The German arglI-
Inent lies in the assumption that Canada
ought to treat her mother country and her
sister provinces Of the British Empire
us foreign nations. That the English
Government should have assented TO
this assumption is pronounced by the
National Rsrier the most ironical comment
upon It's professed imperialism which its
worst enemies could wish to put upon Il.
What makes the German argument es.
p,cialy prepos,erous in the eyes II the
icr-eu is the fact that Germany herself il
an empire. compriSing number of semi
ndepeSde States between which there is
perfect freedom OF trade. Would England.
or France, or the United States he
justified in contending that the German
Empire did not give them most-favored-
nation treatment because Prussia, and