Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-13
General Reciprocity With Can
ada Not Expected Yet.
CONFERENCES AT OTTAWA
Officials Here Have Not Learned De
tails Of Meeting.
CANADA FEARS COMPETITION
Probably Would Be Unwilling t.
Lower Duty on American-Made
Metal Wares.

That there will be q general reciprocity
agreement between the United States and
Canada, covering all the tariff schedules,
as an immediate result Of the conference
which took place last week between spe-
cial commissioners representing the two
countries in Ottawa. is not expected by
the officials here. 1t was not for a mo-
ment supposed, when the reciprocity ne
gotiations were begun, that complete re-
ciprocity on all of the products of the
two countries, natural and manufactured,
could be reached at the outset.
The interests, industrial and agricul-
tural. OF the two countries were regarded
as too extensive and important to admit
of the violent arrangement that might
be expected to follow the application of
reciprocity principles on wholesale
scale The only practicable method of
securing general reciprocity was believed
to be through an approach by many
steps, each one involving the addition of
certain limited lists of products to those
which would be covered by an initial
treaty.
Have Not Learned Details.
The State Department officials are as
yet not acquainted with the details of the
three days conference at Ottawa last
week, though, of course, the officials are
quite aware of the broad proposals which
the American commissioners were to sub
nit to the Canadians. But it is understood
that, in accordance with the original I'M
Outstanding, each side contented itself
with submitting a very limited list OF
articles upon which the principle OF reci-
procity might be tried through a substan-
tial reduction of the import duties upon
them, or, in some cases, their addition to
the free lists. Included in the Canadian
proposal were natural products such as
timber, grain. a whole line of agricultural
products and perhaps live stock and
meats. Whether or not wood plup was
proposed to be put on the American free
list could not be learned at this stage,
but in any event it is marked for a SUBJ
stantial reduction in the tariff duties.
There is reason to believe that the list
of articles that Canada offers to admit
from the United States at reduced rates
of duty is disappointingly small, but that
to Washington of the American commits
sioners. At first it was hoped that a
whole line of metal wares, including rail-
road and structural iron and like ma
terial, would be included.
But the Canadians, in many cases
through the assistance of American capt.
tai. have been developing those indus
tries in their own country. They probably
would be unwilling to expose them to the
competition of the highly specialized and
developed American mills at present.
To Be Dealt With Later.
So it is surmised that they rather prefer
to abate duties on such American prod
ucts Of the mills and factories az are not
now produced in Canada to any extent,
leaving the larger question of reductions
on the great metal staples to be dealt
with at some future period in another and
supplementary reciprocity treaty. BY that
time it may be that their own industries
will be sufficiently developed to success
fully meet the competition Of the Amer
lean manufacturers.
A telegram received at the State De-
partment yesterday from Mr.. Hoyt, one
of the American commissioners, who, by
the way, was reported to be lying ill in
Montreal was to the effect the commits
sioners would be in Washington tomor-
row or Tuesday to report to the State
Department. The data they have collect
ed will be carefully analysed by the de-
partmental experts here and the commits
sioners will be in position to renew the
conferences with the Canadians, this time
in Washington, when they come together
again in January.