The Alaska citizen., 1911-02-13
OUR BARGAIN WITH
 CANADA
PRESIDENT TAFT ANXIOUS TO PUSH THE RECIPROCITY
 TREATY.

WASHINGTON, Jan. | =. Pres. ident Taft is hopeful of completing a reciprocity agreement between the United States and Canada for sub mission to congress before the enQ of the present session. The presi dent desires to have the reciprocity agreement formulated as soon as possible and to submit it to the present congress rather than to de lay the question until next year when the house of representatives will be Democratic and the Senate Republican by majority of only eight.
 A number of important legislative projects are now pending before congress and with only seven we k remaining it will require some squeezing to get any action by con gross on reciprocity with Canada.
 The first conference between the Canadian and American negotiators was held at the state departmeul this afternoon Secretary of State Knox, Chandlar P. Anderson, coun sellor of the state department, and Charles NJ. Pepper, a commercial eX- pert of the bureau of trade rela- tiOns, represented the United States, and W. 5. Fielding, minister of fin ance, and William Paterson, minis ter of customs, represented the Do minion of Canada. The conference lasted only about an hour and half. The Canadian members pre- sented the reply of Canada to the proposal of the United States, the details of which were laid before the Canadian government at the con ference in Ottawa last September. Another conference will be held Mon day afternoon.
 The original proposal made by the United States is said to have been liberal, and officers of the state department who are in touch with the negotiations express the opinion that an agreement will bG reached shortly. It was said today that the present conferences will continue for about a week, and if no serious obstacles are encountered a tentative agreement may be reach ed in less time.
 It is admitted that the Canadian negotiators have the whip hand, and it is likely that they will drive a good bargain from their point of view. The United States is richer, more pOpulous, and has more di- versified industries than the Domin- ion, and of course will be expected to grant more important concessions than can be required of Canada ill order to effect an agreement.
 The President, however, is under ct tn hn n on reasonable extent to reach an adjust ment. In view of his conciliatory attitude it is not expected that there will be much difficulty in arranging a mutually satisfactory reciprocity agreement.
 In general terms, the problem be fore the negotiators is to effect an exchange of the natural products of Canada for manufactured products of the United States. The farmers of Canada are anxious to break down the high duties on agricultural pro ducts in this country and enter the American market
 On the other hand the manufac- turers of this country are anxious to increase their volume of sales in Canada. The problem, however, is more difficult than appears on the surface. The Canadian manu- lecturers are using their political influence to prevent the entrance of American competitors into the Cana dian market, and the American farmers will not quietly accede to the entrance of Canadian farm pro- ducts into this country. The Cana dian negotiators will, as far as pos sibie attempt to reduce duties on American manufactured articles which do not enter into competition with Canadian products.
 An attempt, it is said, will be made to reach an agreement for a reduction of the Canadian duty on steel rails. There are only few