The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-29
Canadian Reciprocity Is Only the First Step to a
 Tariff Union
SOUTH AMERICAN TRADE IS GREATLY SOUGHT
President Taft Hopes to Make Reci- prOcity Treaties With Mexico and the Central and South American Countries
BY RALPH M. wHITESIDE

BY RALPH M. WHITESIDE Washington, January 2S.-(Special)-If
 the Canadian reciprocity arrangement is ratified by Congress and the Canadian
 parliament and works out as well in practice as the administration believes It will, similar arrangements will be
 made with Mexico and other Central and South American countries This is the firm belief of men who are in a position
 to know what Is in the mind of the Pres. | ident and his most trusted advisers
 MT. Tafts ultimate aim is great
 American zollverein tariff union which will take in all the countries of North and South America The encouragement | of closer financial relations with the Gen. | tral and South American countries as in- dicated in the recent Honduran treaty is
 in line with this policy. So is the en-
 couragement of American investments in | that section of the world
 l It Is felt that we are not getting our | fair share of the Central and South American trade, and Mir. Taft is ambi-
 tious that his administration shall place | us in first position in that line. Under | the impetus of most favorable reciprocity | arrangements, aided by the fact that the
 Panama canal will place us in closer and more direct touch with the west coast | and better banking facilities, he believes We can get the prize. And it is a prize
 worth striving for. The foreign trade of
 Latin-Ameriea is more than s2,ooo,00o, ,ooo | nearly two-thrds the foreign trade of l the United States. Of this we now get
 only about one-fourth. and by long odds
 the bulk of this consists of stuff we buy. The President is very hopeful that Con
 sress will loose no time in naking esfse-
 tive the arrangement with Canada
 McCaIrs Resolution
 A concurrent resolution providing for changes in the tariff rates as outlined in
 the agreement was introduced in the l House by Representative Mccall of 1 Massachusetts. The resolution was re- fered to the committee ways and
 means and will be considered at a spe- cial meeting to be called for the purpose
 The committee will promptly report the | resolution, as it's members are almost
 unanimously fin favor of the proposition
 submitted to Congress by the President Senators and representatives are quoted
 as saying that the agreement cannot be
 possibly enacted into law at this session
 of Congress, but these declarations ap- parently have no effect on MT. Taft. He l is looking for action before adjournment
 on March and while he has not au-
 thorized such an announcement, the sug-
 gestion is made that if the agreement falls at this time, Congress may be called in special session early in March.
 If the President should call the law
 makers in session In March 1t would be 1 up to the democrats to begin work on a revision bill They would subordinate the 1 Canadian agreement as such, but would probably feel constrained to incorporate | its provisions in part, at least, in their l revision bill
 1 The Canadian agreement Is popular with l the democrats. Practically all the mem- bers of that party in the House indorse 1t. | Most of the democratic senators approved the agreement although Senator Bailey | has announced that he does like 1t be- l cause of the provision placing cattle on
 the free list. Senator Bailey will prob ably lead the opposition in the Senate. Protests Are Heard
 | Very strong protests were heard from | republican members representing north | western interests of an agricultural na- ture, such as those of North and South | Dakota and states further west. The feel | ing of this group is that the treaty is | intended, or to all intents does trench very seriously upon barley, flax and ce- real interests of the northwest and these are practically sacrificed In order to get concessions from Canada that would be pleasing to interests which have been | causing trouble to the administration. | Very much the same state of mind exists
 among the lumber interests of the mid
 de west and northwest represented 1 in Congress and there indications that | s f,1t |. -r.A R~ | freight make rather different situa- | tion, the southern lumber interests would | be disposed in some instances at least | to join with those further north in their opposition to the agreement As for tho | New England interests they are intensely stirred up over the proposal that allows
 the mutual free admission of fresh and salt fish.
 A serious feature of the situation is that | a considerable number of insurgent re- | publicans, who have been clamoring for reciprocity, are now taking the view that
 they don't want reciprocity of this kind
 This seems to be true of the north-
 western members particularly. and sew eral were today ridiculed rebuked by l other members because of their change of front.
 | Cheaper Food Products in View | New York January 2S.-(Special)-- | Canadian butter eggs, cheese, honey ana
 fresh vegetables including potatoes. com | ing to this country free from duty. will | strike a telling blow for the consumer in New York city, according to the opinion
 expressed today by leading retail mer-
 chants Tn fact local grocers banded to-
 gether in a powerful retail organization
 are already planning invasion of the | Canadian markets, and the purchase | there of the duty free stuff by the carload. we retailers are tired of being blamed | for the high prices of foodstuffs. said President T. J. Mckinney of the United | Retail Grocers' association of Brooklyn. | i"The admittance duty free of Canadian
 products will give us a weapon which te can use against the wholesalers who have l kant arents ira yelling fhrniieh fha urnafA