Evening star., 1901-04-30
CANADIAN MARKE T
Our Products May Be Met With
Higher Duties,
MATTER OF RETALIATION DISCUSSED
Magnitude Of Our Trade With the
Dominion Ignored.
GOLDEN OPENING NEGLECTED


Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
OTTAWA Canada April ~, 1901.
Canada was the first country with which
the United States made a strictly CONNER
ciaI treaty, but this was forty-seven years
ago, and at present the two countries
jogging along best they may without
any agreement or mutual concession. In
the full swing of her prosperity and with
prompt market for all her goods through
out the world thesUnited States Is apt to
overlook the fact that her closest and most
sympathetic neighbor, the one on the north.
Is her third largest customer. and an in
riting field for the exploitation of business.
With a population of less than six millions,
Canada now buys from the United States
over one hundred million dollars worth of
goods each year, or nearly $40 per capita
in this proportion, when Canada has a
population of 12,OO.GOO. which will be with
III fifteen years, she will buy more goods
of the United States than Germany does at
the present time, and Germany il Uncle
Sans second largest customer With the
population of Canada at 2J.O00,OOO, which Is
predicted coming to pass in less than
twenty-five years, Canada would then buy
more goods of the United States than does
England, and England is now America s
greatest customer
The United States Is needed by Canada
as market in which to buy and sell and
her relations to that country are contin-
TALLY a matter of deep concern. The profit
is not at all One-Sded. however, for the
consumers and carriers of the United
States are benefited by access to Canada's
resources and in Canada Is found a great
and profitable market for United States
goods of nearly every possible description.
notwithstanding the close association and
the mutual interest however, the most
strenuous efforts to bring about a better
understanding in matters of trade failed to
aCcOmnlISh desired n
nate a. ii is,there is considerable bitterness
in Canada toward the United States, and q
marked indifference in the latter country
toward Canada's claims for consideration.
The multiplicity of American interests
and the momentum of great national pros
perity carry the United States over many
difficulties and past dangerous places
which would be looked upon with more
seriousness and concern under any other
circumstances. In the full tide of success
minor local interests are allowed to do,ni-
nate national legislation to the detriment
of larger interests. 1t is inevitable that
the time will come when this policy will
not he looked upon with such Indifference
as it now encounters and when that time
arrives the producers of the United States
will realize with greater clearness the tre-
mendOus value of the Canadian trade to
their nation.
4 High Tariff Wall.
Under the present status of affairs be-
tween the two countries, each presents to
the other high tariff wall. each stone of
which is laid to obstruct some particular
branch of industry in its flow across the
border one way or the other. From Canada
the United States buys over S4O.0OO.OOO
worth of goods each year. over 30 per cent
of which pay the maximum import duty.
The United States sells to Canada
each year over one hundred million dol
lars worth of goods. over 10 per cent of
which pay the maximum import duty into
Canada. The Canadian tariff law contains
reciprocity clause allowing reduction of
- per cent in import duties in return for
concessions by exporting countries
The average rate of duty paid upon Cana
dian goods brought into the United States
has gradually increased during the past
five years from - to - per cent. This is
caused by a change in the character of
the importations, larger proportion of the
goods now carrying higher duty. The
Canadian import duty is lower than that
of the United States. except upon manu-
faCtured articles. Canada's total impOrta-
tions have grown in thirty years from S14,-
oR,,ts1 to SlG2 otn nn. and her exports from
s13.oO0 600 to SIS .O60 900 In the earlier days
of this commerce England sold Canada 30
per cent of all she bought. and the -nited
States sold her about 20 per cent. During
the past year England's share of Canadian
imports had dropped to % per cent. and
that of the United States had increased TO
nearly 81 per cent.
This growth in the trade between the
United States and Canada is despite the
fact that in 1897 Canada gave to England
a special concession reducing all duties on
English imports one-third from the tariff
assessed against the imports from the Init ed
States. England's trade under this stimu-
lus made a gain of about 40 per cent and
Canada increased her sales in England but
at the same time this increase of business
with England was in progress the United
States increased her sales in Canada over
% per cent and Canadian trade In the
United States made the same gain as il did
in England.
"a adj
These concessions to England having
failed of their purpose, which was to arouse
the United States to the value of the
Canadian market. the Canadian statesmen
are now talking special retaliatory legisla-
tion against the United States imports
Under pressure from the northwestern
provinces the Canadian import duty upon
agricultural machinery was reduced from
81 To ~ per cent and lumber was placed
upon the free list. 1t is now proposed to
attack the American trade by restoring
the import duty on machinery to 80 per
cent, the original figure and by placing an
import duty of s. per thousand upon Amer
lean lumber.
In carrying out it's policy of substituting
home industry it is also proposed by the
liberal party to direct the subsidy expendi-
ture as much possible toward the de-
velopment of such home Industries as will
take from the United States Canadian busf-
ness which crosses the line England
w
against American trade by granting >
or 10 per cent advantage to Canadian pro-
duce. though the Canadians themselves ac-
knowledge that no English statesman has
Yet seen fit to express any interest in this
proposition. No steps toward retaliation
will be taken at the present session of par
lament. which will come to an end some
time in May. but the subject will be thor
Oughly discussed during the coming sum-
EIer. and unless hope is renewed that some
treaty be made between Canada and
the United States within reasonable time
retaliation will become prominent topic
in the parliamentary proceedings Of an
other year.
The principal exports of the United States
to Canada on which duty is collected are
animals, bicycles. coal. fruits iron and
steel manufactures jewelry. paper. pro-
visions. sugar and wood and it's manufac-
lures. The principal articles of export
which enter Canada free of duty are an
thracite coal, lumber hides, unmanufac-
tured tobacco, seeds, corn, cotton Wool
drugs and certain articles manufactured
from metals A considerable proportion of
this free list is credited to the United