The Detroit times., 1911-05-18
NJ RAE SPEAKS FOR
RECIPROCITY IN
WASHINGTON
Reads Statistics Covering Whole
Field of Production Before Senate
Finance Committee Says 70 Per
Cent of Michigan Favor II.
In Reply to Fire of Questions He SAYS
he Has No Interest in
Print Paper.
(From /. special corr..po,ae.,.,

- 'kttsaA SOEEN.ROm0EmIsI
WASHINGTON, May 1S.-The dele
CATION from the Detroit Board OF
Commerce appeared before the a.
nance committee OF the senate today
to present their arguments for the
reciprocity treaty with Canada. Presi-
dent McRae who acted as Chairman
OF the delegation spoke before the
committee as follows:
The farmer Is opposed to reciproc-
ity with Canada because he believes
the agreement will reduce the price
Of his product. From the tables com
piled by Nhe bureau of trade relations
OF the state department II appears
that the United States will remit
duties to the amount of $4,S5O, 900 by
the reciprocity agreement, and Can
ada will remit duties to the amount
of $2,560,000 or this $4,S50 900,
more than S1,60O,0O comes from du-
ties on lumber, and nearly $780, 900
accrues from duties levied on imports
OF fish. This leaves a balance OF ST.
10000 which the farmer might al
lege would be taken out Of their
pockets.
There must be subtracted from
this $2,750,000, the duties levied on
pulp, fertilizers, whiskies, tobacco,
salt, railroad ties, wooden slaves,
cedar posts, mica and coke. The pitt
fully small amount left, when com.
pared to the great agricultural com
munities of the United States, leads
one to ask, why all the opposition?'
Both Canada and the United
States are wheat exporting nations.
European mills have had access to
the Canadian wheat supply, and have
been enabled to wrest from the
American miller a large percentage
of his export trade. The increase In
Canadian mills in the last ten years
has also been startling. In 1900 Can
ada's export of -four was ILL., 900 bar
rels; In 1910 II was 3,064, 900 barrels:
In 1900 the United States exported 49,
zoe, 900 barrels; In 1910 United States
export of -four had fallen to S,041,000.
barrels.
"The wheat crop of the United
States has been practically stationary
throughout the past ten years, rang
ing from 50,000, 900 bushels to 750,-
000,0 bushels annually. The pres
ent production of Canada Is from 100,-
600 900 bushels to 150,000,000 bushels.
II Is safe to assume that Canada's
surplus wheat in the immediate fu-
ture will range from 40,O00,OO0
bushels to 100. .000, 900 bushels. II will
find q market somewhere-and Will
compete with whatever surplus Uni
ted States may have to sell. The Ca
madam surplus will be less of a price
depressing factor II handled through
American mills than II dumped di-
rectly into the markets of the United
Kingdom and Europe.
Canadian corn raisers can never
be a serious competitor Of American
farmers because the restrictions OF
climate and soil are too great q
handicap.
"If the entire s2,750,000 OF tariff
duty which may be removed from
farm produce by the reciprocity
agreement were to be taken from the
price of the American wheat crop
alone next year, 1t would mean a re-
duction OF about one-third OF q cent
a bushel.
I'm 1910 United States brought,
from Canada goods to the amount Of
s97 1892. .6s4. or this amount $46, 6,783<
TAG was already free, leaving So,
938 dutiable OF this S52.103, 1888 nov
this agreement removes, or
reduces the duty on SO per cent OF
the total. The movement OF some
farm produce from the United States
to Canada is greater than from Can
ada to the United States, and hence
the American farmer himself bene's
fits by the change.
This remission of the duty on lum-
Der amounting to $1.600,000 means
more to the American farmer than
he has been willing to concede. The
farmer who cares TO Inn
prove his buildings will profit more
by the removal of the duty on the lun,-
Der that goes into his new house or
barn, than he might lose by the one
.hlrd Of cent a bushel reduction in
he price OF the wheat crop"
"In 1890 the export trade OF De-
roit was $5.422 .996: in 1900 exports
amounted to $17.669,535; 1910. s4o.-