Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-04-07
If CHAMBERLAIN SHOULD WIN.
Possible Effect Of British Tariff Revo-

minneapolis MIMI, April "a
good deal of attention is being paid
in the Northwest to the prediction
made by J. ]. Hill in recent speeches
that within a short time, possibly two
years, Chamberlain's tariff scheme
would prevail in Great Britain and Ire
land. Mr.. Hill assumed that the dis
elimination under the Chamberlain
scheme in favor of Canadian-grown
wheat would be IL cents a bushel.
That would amount to a premium of
IL cents a bushel on Canadian wheat,
because both the United States and
Canada sell large wheat SURPRISES in
the United Kingdom, and the price for
both countries is largely fixed in Liv-
erpool. If there were a duty of II
cents a bushel on American wheat ar
irving in Liverpool, and none on Cana
dian wheat, it is apparent that as
soon as Canada began to raise enough
wheat to approximately supply the
British demand the American wheat
producer would have to stand the tar
if difference in order to get his wheat
to the British market. In time of high
prices the American producer might
be able to stand this burden, but with
wheat at 60 cents a bushel it would
be absolutely ruinous to him. 1t is
proposed to extend the tariff discrim-
nation to other agricultural products,
for the American output of which
there is a large and profitable market
in England, so that If Chamberlain
succeeds all the American producers
of agricultural products that can be
successfully grown in the British col
onies will be apt to suffer. The wheat
farmer will suffer. the dairy farmer
and the cattle man. In this connec
ton it is suggested by the advocates
of reciprocity with Canada that the
early negotiation of a satisfactory
reciprocity treaty with Canada might
be a mean of heading off the Cham
berlain scheme. 1t calls for W
larger preferences for British goods
in Canada than are now granted. Be.
sides, there is easy market in Great
Britain for all that Canada raises with
out the imposition of any discriminate
ing tariffs. On the other hand, there
are a number of Canadian products,
such as coal, fish, lumber and some
agricultural products, which would
gain a new market IL the American
tariff could be reduced to a reciproc-
ity arrangement. Since Mr.. Hill spoke
there have been some changes in the
political situation which makes it
seem probable that it will be some
what longer than he thought before
Chamberlain will succeed, if eve
This delay will tend to divert Cana
dian attention to the advantages of
free trade with the United States.
And once a reciprocity treaty were in
effect, it is exceedingly doubtful
whether Canada will become a party
to the Chamberlain scheme If to do
so meant, as it probably would, the
termination of reciprocal relations
with the United States.
The removal OF the duty on lumber,
by the way, would be of great benefit
to the farmers and other inhabitants
of the Northwest. 1t is generally ION.
coded that now that the white pine
forests of the United States are so
nearly exhausted, the tariff of $500
per thousand on lumber is of no value
as a protection either to the lumber.
man or his employees, though it un-
doubtedly does help him to exact more
than a reasonable profit from the sale
of his lumber. Last year sixteen mil.
lion dollars worth of Canadian lum.
Der was imported into the United
States, and the tariff on it was about
2 ,000, 900. Advocates of reciprocity
argue that all, or a larger part of the
tariff revenue from lumber is an
unnecessary tax on the consumer.