The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-15
FREE TRADE IN NATURAL PRODUCTS

A perusal of the full text Of the speech
Mr. John Charlton, delivered in the Cana
dian house of commons on Feb. "a, in sup
port Of his reciprocal trade resolution
shows that the latter is not so much Of
'bluff'' as has been inferred from brief
accounts of the resolution and the speech
heretofore given. The resolution, Mr..
Charlton frankly states, contains the
threat of what Canada may do If the
United States does not awake to the de-
STABILITY of reciprocity with Canada. 1t
is intended. to stir up feeling on
the subject in this country. It
does not represent the basis of negotia-
tions, but is ultimatum in case no ef-
fort is made to arrange reciprocal trade
relations between the United States and
Canada. The resolution is as follows:
That this house is of the opinion that Ca
madam import duties should be arranged upon
the principle OF reciprocity in trade condi-
tions far may be consistent with Cana
dian interests; that a rebate Of not less than
40 per cent of the duties imposed should be
made upon dutiable imports from nations or
countries admitting Canadian natural prod
uctis into their markets free Of duty; and
that the scale of Canadian duties should be
sufficiently high to avoid inflicting injury
upon Canadian interests in cases where re-
bate of 80 per cent or more shall be made
under the conditions aforesaid
AS it stands this is practically a threat
to raise the Canadian duty 40 per cent if
the United States does not admit the nat
ural product of Canada free of duty. But
in his speech Mr.. Charlton makes it clear
that while he is willing to resort to such
a. measure he merely desires it now as an
expression of parliamentary opinion,
which may be used as trading stock in re-
! ciprocal trade negotiations. Mr.. Charl-
ton contends that the United States
should, without any further concessions
from Canada, grant that country free
trade in natural products--that is, he
would have neither country levy tariff
duties on the natural products Of the
other If we don't do that, then he would
have the, Canadian customs revised in
such a manner that, not freely admitting
Canadian natural products, we would be
confronted by a Canadian tariff about 40
per cent higher than it, now is, which
would be reduced to the present basis for
itself Of the natural products provision Of
the Canadian tariff policy set forth in the
Charlton resolution.
In presenting his resolution Mr.. Charl-
ton delivered long and highly interest,"
ing speech, which is a carefully prepared
history of Canadian and American trade
> relations fov the last SIS years with much
throughout in good temper and with the
utmost consideration of American sensi-
tiveness. He admitted that he had at
one time favored zollervein between
Canada and the United States, but that in
the course Canadian development had
Z been forced to take by American alooish-
ness it was now too late to abandon the
tariff altogether. He took the ground
that trade in natural products would be to
the benefit of the people of both coun-
tries, and that while it would, in itself,
8 be, somewhat more to the advantage of
Canada than of the Unit ed States he ex-
pected that, after all, the annual trade
balance in our favor would be large But
in view Of the fact that Canada now buys
from the United States three times as
much as it sells, he holds, and we think
rightly, that she is entitled to such re-
vision of our tariff laws as will somewhat
reduce this tremendous adverse balance.
Mr.. Charlton shows that although Canada
is looked upon as raw material country
as compared with the United States, it
takes at the present time 21a times as
much OF our natural products as we take
from 1t. But of course with the great
development of agriculture now proceed
ing in western Canada, this condition
would not long remain with free trade in
natural products.
AS one peruses Mr.. Charlton's figures he
is convinced Of the error American
statesmen have made in the past in deal
ing with Canada, During the period OF
reciprocity, between 1856 and 1885, the
United States was the chief market fol
Canadian produce and most OF Canada's