Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-03-01
CANADIAN MINISTER
SEEKS RECIPROCITY
W. S. Fielding in D. C. in e.
fort to Obtain Tariff
Agreement.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Canada today made her first move
to forestall unfavorable action by the
American Congress in tariff relations
between the two countries. w. S.
Fielding. Canadian minister of
finance and one of the men who ne
gotiated the ill-fated reciprocity
agreement of 1911. has taken up with
the Department of State here through
the good offices Of the British en-
bassy the question of arriving at an
understanding on reciprocal trade.
Mr.. Fielding himself does not dis
cuss his visit, preferring to make his
inquiries informally and without pub
licity. But the situation. which
brings Mr.. Fielding here is of the
greatest Importance to the relations
of the two countries and is COM
parable. indeed. to the events Of 1911,
when President Taft, following the
precept of another republican Presi-
ada the hand of friendship through a
reciprocity trade agreement. The
American Congress ratified that
agreement. passing a law providing
for reciprocity. but through a series
of misunderstanding inside Canada,
do it's part.
Inasmuch as it was Canada which
blocked reciprocity in 1911, the feel
ing of the liberal party. which has just
come in power at Ottawa under Mac
Kenzie King. is that Canada should
willingness to go through with the
1911 agreement.
Law Remains in Effect.
Curiously enough, the act of 1911
was Lever repealed and remained on
the statute books of the American
Congress. The House of Representa-.
tives once passed a bill proposing a
repeal. but it never passed the Ameri-
can Senate. So if Canada should do
now what she failed to do in 1911.
the reciprocity agreement would
promptly go into effect between Can
ada and the United States.
But under the terms of the original
understanding each country was to
pass concurrent legislation, and it is
hardly likely that the Canadian par
lament would take action If it ap-
peared that the American Congress
might repeal the reciprocity act, as
indeed, is now proposed in the Ford
ney tariff bill That bill would auto
matically repeal all previous tariff
arrangements, buI "ouAu SlhPo"CA
the President to negotiate new reci-
procity agreements with any nation.
Canada's viewpoint is that 1T would
be far better to make an exception
of the act of 1911 and leave it on the
statute books so that the parliament
at Ottawa might put it into effect
than to negotiate new agreement
involving the reopening of all sorts
of questions.
The desire for reciprocity in Can
ada is now intense. The farmer
group and the liberal party go hand
in hand on that issue and together
they control majority in the OF
tawa parliament.
But the viewpoint of the agricul-
tural bloc in the American Congress
is bound to be influential. Senator
Capper of Kansas, leader of the agri-
cultural bloc, told this correspondent
today that he had not had an oppor-
tunity to study the effects of the
reciprocity agreement of 1911, but it
was likely there would be some op-
positions from the border states on
the northern boundary.
1.-The wheat growers of Minnesota
and North Dakota" said Mr.. Capper,
will want protection. They have
been asking for it as against Canada,
and the interests of these states will
naturally be our, first consideration
The reciprocity question. however
is not entirely local. 1t relates close
ly to the whole question Of trade re-
lations between the United States and
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