White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1935-11-28
RECIPROCITY

Even before the reciprocal tariff agreement be-
tween the United States and Canada had been
made public many groups were protesting that
it was unfair to their industries Following it's
publication these cries were not lessened in the
least; rather were they intensified
No other policy can raise so much sectional and
partisan disagreement the tariff. From the time
our nation was founded, this has ever been true.
Protective tariffs have usually been invoked to
help an infant industry get on it's feet while it's
foreign competitors were held at bay by high
tariff WALL The drawback to protective tariff,
however, is that it usually continues in force long
after the infant industry has found it's footing
and permits it to disregard the proper ratio be-
tween production costs and selling prices at the
expense of the consumer
In theory reciprocal low tariff should grease
the wheels of industry, open hitherto restricted
markets and by principle Of give and take, make
for more equitable distribution of goods.
The only way to determine whether not
tariff is good or bad is to observe the results, to
how it is going to affect the costs OF the pro-
ducts we buy and the marketing prospects for the
commodities produce.
Cattle buyers are saying, for instance, that it
is going to result in opening of local markets to
Canadian cattlemen, with a resultant drop in price
here Since it is their business to buy cattle as
cheaply as possible and sell them for as much as
possible, we may assume that they are naturally
prejudiced. According to the treaty, the United
States will lower the tariff on beef cattle from
three to two cents per pound While reduction
OF one-third is quite a bit, we find that shipments
at this rate are restricted to 155, 799 heavy beef
cattle per year which, we believe, is but a tiny
fraction of the U. s. consumption. If the price of
beef cattle goes down, it would be more logical to
presume that it is from over production or lack
of demand, rather than mportations from Can
ada
Butterfat we are told, will suffer in price, since
the tariff that product was cut. According to
the treaty. the tariff on butterfat shipped from
Canada into the United States is reduced 43 per
cent; but there, likewise, restriction is placed,
with the result that only 100000 pounds may be
shipped in at the lower rate. Even face of this
concession butterfat has been going up within
the past week, so we believe that much Of the ar
gument may be discounted.
The United States also agreed to cut the tariff
on timber; and this, of all the CONCESSIONS prob
ably raised the loudest walls. The new rate will
be but SO per cent of the old rate but limitation
OF 25O,OOO,OOO board feet will be allowed at this
lower rate and this, we understand, is less than
per cent of the total consumption in the United
States and is less than the total output Of some of
the larger Individual mills.
On the other hand, Canada agrees to let farm
machinery into that country from the United
States at reduction of so per cent in the tariff
duties; tractors will be admitted Free and other
machinery at reductions of Is to 80 per cent
Equally important to American shippers, Can
ada agrees not to value imported goods at arbi-
trarily high prices, practice that has done as
much as high tariffs to discourage U. S. trade.
When the concessions are summed up it seems
that the consumers of both nations have much to
be thankful for, and an unbiased appraisal Of the
agreement would indicate that no producers will
suffer any particular loss.