Evening star., 1932-08-05
BLOCKS i. S. LOSS
OF CANADIAN TRADE
Consumer Is Chief Obstacle
for Proposed Shift to
British Goods. -,

BY the Associated Press.
OTTAWA, Ontario, August 5.-T'he
Canadian consumer was pointed out
today as likely to prove the greatest
difficulty in the way of the proposed
shift of between 100000, 900 and $780,
100000 worth of Canadian trade from
the United States to Great Britain.
"a report published by the Toronto
Mail and Empire saying the United
States and Great Britain agreed to
hold a trade conference following the
Ottawa parley was denied by the State
Department at Washington)
The Canadian trade proposal was
announced yesterday in an official
Communique of the Imperial Trade
Conference which said the Canadian
government had made specific free
trade and additional preferential tariff
offers to the British delegation. asking
equal advantages for Canadian trade
In Great Britain.
The statement was amended later,
however, to modify the sums stipulated
by bringing out the fact that, while
trade agreements involving such sums
might be negotiated, the consumer de-
mand could not be legislated into line.
Can Only Recommend.
The amended statement emphasized
that the conference does not claim
the government could pick up any
amount of business from one place
and arbitrarily set it down in another.
All it can do, it pointed out, is rec
ommend.
If the consumer demand reacts to
the cheaper commodity, Empire pro-
ducers might expect to increase their
business at the expense Of foreign COM
petitors. provided they are equipped to
supply the market.
In that respect commercial data on
the six industrial groups mentioned IN
connection with the Canadian offer
were considered Illuminating.
The United States sold Canada $81,-
100000 of the $99, 100000 worth OF iron
and iron products imported during the
- months ending March, 1882, COM
pared with S13.o0O,000 by Great Britain.
In that category were imports OF
American iron ore valued at Sl,200,0OO
against total purchases worth sl.6OO.-
600. scrap iron and steel, $43o.o0o,
against SAP 900; castings and fittings.
81 100000; tubes, pipes and fittings, ST.
300 900, against 81 100000; engines and
boilers S6,70o,000, against S7,200,000;
farm implements and machinery So
OOO.O 900. against $4,000 900: hardware
and cutlery, S1,300000 against $2,400.-
900; machinery other than agricul-
tural, $21. .O00, 900. against $4,000, 900;
vehicles, Sl8,500,000 against S19,2O0,-
600, end stamped and coated products,
81 100000 against $l,500000.
During the same period Canada i'm
ported S35OOO.O00 worth Of coal, of
which the United States supplied S30,-
C00,000 and Great Britain $5,000,000,
American industry supplied 100000
worth of glass and glassware, valued
at $4,000, 900, compared with $3.50, l39
by British; $4,000, 900 worth Of chemi-
Gals and allied products, valued at S3l,-
900, 900, against $4000,000, and $l2,-
o0O,000 worth of electrical apparatus,
valued at S14,000000 compared with
S1000,000 by the United Kingdom.
Because of the possible effect on
current imports it was said informa-
ton on the British decisions probably
would be vague until the government
of each country begins shaping its
budget for the next fiscal year. Gus
toms collections are very important
item in the national finances of most
of them.