The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-03-10
Local Reciprocity Effects.

No policy of such magnitude as the
proposed reciprocity agreement be-
tween the United States and Canada
can be affected without producing
different results upon different sec
tions of the nations concerned, and
upon various interests in these ma
! tons. Some sections and interests
may suffer slightly on both sides Of
the line, while others will profit more
considerably. but following the funda-
mental policy of these two great
est North American nations, OF the
greatest good TO the greatest number,
we must loon to the sum total of the
benefits to be received alongside the
disadvantages OF such policy and de
eide with these in the minds eye.
This is the bipartisan, impersonal
view, the ideal
Vermont, being o border state is
showing unusual interest in the prop
osition How will it affect Vermont?
How will it affect me? This is the
question Nermonters are asking
Just what the effect will be on Yer
mont no one can foretell exactly. 1t
will have tendency to force a low
err price on some OF Vermont's choic-
est products. On the other hand
many things the Vermonter must
have in large quantities will be made
cheaper by the treaty. 1t being
granted that most interests outside
the agricultural field will be benefit
ed we will leave all but agricultural
interests out of this discussion
There appears to be feeling more
or less general among the Vermont
farmers that the treaty would bring
disaster upon them because cheap
Canadian butter cheese, pork, horses,
sugar, etc, would spoil their market.
This feeling is based on the old condi-
ton of affairs. We have been so
effectually cut off from Canada in the
past we have not kept posted on her
progress. Montreal markets on
butter and cheese the past year have
shown to be only two and three cents
per pound less than Boston markets,
while hogs and horses have been
higher in Canada than in New En-
gland. There remains duty OF one
cent on maple sugar. which Will make
the Canadian product about three
cents cheaper than the Vermont The
difference now is not what 1t was a
generation ago when farm land and
labor was cheaper in Eastern Canada
Today farm land in Eastern Canada
is higher than in Vermont and labor
is scarcely any cheaper. How then,
let us ask the opponents OF recipro-
city, can the Canadian farmer pro-
duce a pound OF butter cheaper than
the Vermont farmer? There is but
one answer and that is because feed,
investments in cream separators, tim
Der for buildings and the cost OF his
flour, clothing and other articles OF
living are cheaper.
We hold then that whatever condi-
lions make 1t possible for the Cana
dian farmer to make money on butter
and maple sugar at from two to three
cents per pound less than the Yer
mont farmer will be adjusted by the
difference in the cost Of his now
heavy feed and living expenses, to be
cut down by free entrance into this
country of the things keeping these
prices up.
We do not. however, anticipate
any two or three cents per pound per
manent reduction on butter, cheese,
sugar, etc. Like pouring pail OF
water into a pond, there will be some
waves and ripples of noticeable-size
for minute or two, but they will all
disappear in short order and the pond
will not run over. What little sur
plus agricultural product Eastern
Canada is making will spread out so
thin over the great markets of the
United States that It will never be
noticed.
There are many other features OF
this treaty that may come up for
discussion later, that go to show that
the Vermont farmer will not be
materially affected, even though his
products are among the first to be
apparently touched, and at first the
aspect appears serious.
On the whole We do not believe the
Vermont farmer will suffer, while the
country as a whole will be greatly
Standardization Monitor.