The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-31
LAST WORK OF
PARLIAMENT.
Session Of the Canadian Law Making
Body Has Been Notable
One.
Action Taken by It Said to Have
Revolutionized Britain's Fiscal
Policy.
Greatest Work Probably Was the
Substituting Of Grand Trunk
Pacific Road.
Special to The Journal.

remarkable sessions in the history OF
thes Canadian confederation. It mas,
in the first place, been the longest ses-
sion the Canadian parliament mas
ever known. Commencing on March
70. it lasted until October 24,za period.
of seven months and twelve days. Inc
only session approaching 1t IN length
was that Of 1885, the year OF the
Northwest Rebellion. That session,
however, continued only for i've
months and twenty-one~ days.
The session has been important In
many other respects. To the Budget
speech delivered on April 16, by W..
s. Fielding, the minister Of finance,
may be traced the political crisis IN
England which has resulted In the
disintegration of the Balfour ministry
and the Chamberlain campaign for a
revolution of Britain's traditional lis
cal policy.
The Laurier government came into
power in 1896 advocating low tarlff
policy. To-day, however, the tariff IS
practically as protection1st as wnen
the conservatives were in power, with
the exception Of preference of SO 1-3
per cent in favor of Great Britain.
Before the session commenced, great
pressure was brought upon the gov
eminent to revise the tariff in the d.
rection of higher protection. Hon. j.
Israel Tarte, the minister of public
works, had resigned in October be-
cause his colleagues were not suffl-
GENTLY pronounced in favor of protec-
ton, and, backed up by the Manufac-
turers' association, was conducting a
high protectionist cam paign turnout
the country This forced the govern
ment's hand TO meet to some extent
the rising protectionist sentiment, the
government was evidently prepared
to sacrifice the British preference. At
the Colonial conference, held on the
occasion of the kings coronation, the
Canadian ministers had failed to Sc
cure any assurance of a return prefer
ence from the British ministers. On
the contrary, the value Of the Cana
dian preference to Great Britain had
been belittled by British officials. At
the time Mr.. Fielding delivered his
budget speech, Mr.. Richie, the Brit
ish chancellor of the exchequer, had
not presented in the imperial parlia-
| ment his budget by which the corn
| tax was repealed: and Mr.. Chamber
lain had not returned from South
4Africa. rs There was still a lingering
hope that the British government
might make an exception to the corn
tax in favor of colonial wheat Mr..
Fielding took advantage of these cir
| cumstances as an excuse for 5deferring
a revision of the tariff for the present.
| At the same time, he served notice on
Britain that, if Britain did not wish to
rciprocate preference with preference,
| Canada would feel free to withdraw
her preference to Great Britain. The
proposed reassem bling of the joint
| high commission was also brought
! prominently forward, as a significant
reminder that Canada would probably
enter into reciprocal trade relations
with the United States if Great Britain
continued to spurn Canada's advances
for reciprocity. Also, since ~Great
Britain had done nothing to resent
Germanys tariff discrimination
against Canada for having giver
Great Britain a preference, Canada
took the matter in hand herself, an6
imposed a sur-tax Of 80 1-3 per. cen
on all imports from Germany. !,
What the Speech Meant.
Mr.. Chamberlain was not slow tt
recognize that Mr.. Fielding's bulge
speech indicated a parting of the ways
He lost no time after his return tt
! England from South Africa in press
ing upon his colleagues the import
ance Of granting a preference to tn.
+ colonies if the solidarity Of the en-
pire was to be conserved. The result
Is known to the world. In this re
spect, the session of the Canadian
parliament just closed has made al
epoch in history.
/ The session was likewise re1narkabl,
for the large expenditures authorized
by parliament. In this respect, also
all previous records have been broken
The minister of finance, in his bulge
speech, showed a remarkable increas
in Canada's trade. The total expor
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