Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-13

Canada's prime minister Is also one OF
it's ardent supporters. Behind the
scenes, and little mentioned In dis
patches, Mackenzie King has played 3
major role in bringing about the Mack
donald visit to the United States. He
is an especially earnest advocate OF a
British-American naval understanding,
not merely as to parity of fleets. but as
to the common use to which the two
fleets should be put in the event Of a
world emergency. Mackenzie King Is
understood to favor some sort OF I'M
derstanding which will pledge Britain
and America to prevent war II they
can, andssif war is not preventable, to
see tozit that their navies are not fight
ing ION opposite sides. At one time
there was a possibility that the Cana
dian premier would "sit in" at the
Hoover Macdonald conferences. But
the whole British Empire, Mackenzie
King decided to refrain from any step
that would seem to intrude Canada too
conspicuously into the picture.
Frank Talk Expected.
Ruggedly friendly to the United
States, as he Is. the prime minister of
the dominion will have various things
to say about this country to the prime
to the best adviceS obtainable in WASH
ington-and this writer believes they
are well Observation-Disclosures King will
talk frankly to Macdonald about the
rift in the Canadian American trade
lutte. The rift has been caused by the
threat to dominion trade which Cana
dians discern in the new American
tariff program. They fear that their
dairy, lumber and cattle industries,
mainly, and other industries less seri-
ouSly, are imperiled by the higher du-
ties proposed. For six months and
more Canada has roared and rumbled
with protest against Americas rough
treatment" of her very best customer.
Talk of reprisals and oscillations have
reverberated all the way from Quebec
to Vancouver.
Situation Recognized.
The British people and government
only this Summer took formal cogniz-
ance of the Canadian American tariff
situation by dispatching a prominent
member Of the Macdonald Labor cabi-
net to take advantage Of it. J. H.
Thomas, lord privy seal, an old-time
Labor politician and longtime crony
of Ramsay Macdonald, came to Canada
and spent several weeks there confer
ring with government leaders and bust
ness men.
When Thomas returned to Great
Britain a couple of weeks ago, he took
with him practically O new commercial
alliance between the dominion and the
mother country. It provides broadly
for an exchange of many goods between
them, which used to be. exchanged be-
tween Canada and the United States.
AS far as the dominion Is concerned,
the Thomas deal" exemplifleS the de-
termination of many Canadians hence
forward to patronize "our friends" and
not our enemies"
Prime Minister Macdonald did not
concern himself with such sordid de
tails as trade relations while bartering
for peace at Washington. But he will
undoubtedly be called upon to con-
Germ himself with them while he Is in
Canada this week.
Bitter Irritation.
If Canadians tell him what many of
them, and some of them in highly placed
positions, for long time have been say
ing in private, Mr. Macdonald will
learn that the Dominion has been SO
irritated by present-hour American
tariff policy that 1t has its back up
about the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence
waterway. Many influential Canadians,
especially from the maritime provinces
of Quebec and Nova Scotia, are opposed
to the st. Lawrence waterway on any