The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-20
Canada Also.


new Tariff Commission will begin its
work Of investigating the tariff OF the
Dominion with q view to its revision.
The commission will move from prov
inoe to province, and probably from
place to place in the various provinces.
Individually and as representatives OF
trade organisations and associations
the business men Of Canada will be in
vited to appear and aoquaint the COM
missioners with the kind Of tariff her
citizens think the Dominion should have.
The present plan is to devote about three
months to the accumulation Of evidence
and testimony. A report with accom-
panying recommendations will then be
prepared for submission to Parliament
at It's next session, early in 1905.
The present belief is that the result
will be the recommendation Of q triple
ret OF tariff rates. One Of these will be
a general rate for ordinary every day
use. Another will be minimum rate
which can be given in exchange for
equivalent advantages offered by other
countries. The third will be maximum
rate, which can be used to penalize any
country whose tariff barriers may too
effectively oppose the passage Of Cana
dian merchandise. These may be classed
as the favorite, the friendly and the swift
kick tariffs.
While it would be utterly unfair and un-
true to assume that Canada's new ar
rangement will be influenced by any
feeling OF malice toward the United
States. it is quite certain that the new
rates will be framed with American COM
petition as the most influential factor in
their determination. When the Liberal
party came into power in 1895 it was pro-
fessedly an anti-protection party. But
even then Canada's manufacturing in
terests were too powerful to make 1t
safe for the new incumbents to ignore
their wishes, and system Of moderate
protection has been in operation ever
since. In view Of the very considerable
increase in the volume and value OF
Canada's output Of manufactured goods
since the last census report it is impos-
sible to give a comparison OF growth
which would be Of any value. An in
dication appears in the statistics OF
Canadian export trade.
In 1895, when the anti-protection Lib
erals came into power, the value OF
manufactured goods exported was
1885. Ss4. Under the continuance OF the
fiscal policy really established by the
Conservative party these exports crept
up to Sl4,224,2s7 in 1900 and in the fsca
year 1905 they reached t2l ,l9l ,3s3. These
figures, like those Of Canada's popula'
ton and production, are small In COM
parison with our own, but their rate Of
increase during the same term runs "
q close second. The manufacturers Of
Canada, with moro than $500 900 900 in
vested in their business, believe thai
they have interests and market which
are worth protecting.
Our exports to the Dominion show ar
unbroken series OF annual gains from
So, 1854, 100 in 1895 to $l40,74l $50 for thu
fiscal year ended June 30, 1905. OuI
imports have increased from $50, 574 ,32i
in 1895 to $e2 1903 ,2es, or much less thar
one-half of our exports. The Canadians
believe, and perhaps with reason, thai
these sums might and should be equal.
ized,d or at least be brought nearer to
gether. How far her new tariff and it,
attendant conditions may 60 toward es'
tablishing that result it is not yet posi-
BILE to say. Canada will not deliberately
and maliciously penalize American mer'
chandise. But the probability is thai
next year she will adopt a new fsca
system which will increase the entrancs
fee at her market gates.