INTER-EMPIRE TRADE.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 304, 22 December 1921, Page 6

INTER-EMPIRE TRADE.

■■■■■- ■ ■« CANADIAN EFFORTS. (From our Special Correspondent.)' VANCOUVER, October 28. Addressing an influential gathering interested in the commercial development of Canada, Hon. H. H. Stevens, Minister of Trade and Commerce in the Federal Cabinet of Canada, who had an enthusiastic reception in North Vancouver, said that one of the branches of his Department, and perhaps the most important, was the one concerned with the making of trade agreements with the sister dominions within the British Empire. As an instance of the good work being accomplished by this branch, he referred to a comparatively recent trade agreement made between Canada and the British West Indies, as a result of which trade between the two countries has increased in two years from two to fifteen million dollars annually. "We are anxious to develop inter-Em-pire trade," he continued, "but our anxiety is not prompted by purely sentimental reasons. The factor of trade has been one of the strongest that has served to weid the Empire to the heart of the Mother Country and it should be our endeavour to so develop this trade as to enable us to take advantage of the tremendous trans-Pacific market that awaits our natural and manufactured products." "The completion of reciprocal trade agreements between various sections of the Empire is not such a simple matter as might appear," he added. "At present we find probably the greatest industry that British Columbia possesses, the pulp and paper industry, threatened by a new tariff barrier recently raised by Australia. We have been endeavouring to arrange a reciprocal agreement between this country and Australia for years, but without success. This year the Federal House in Australia has raised a preferential tariff on paper in favour of the Old Country, leaving Canada on the general list. Owing to the long haul and the fact that Great Britain buys a large percentage of her paper cheaply in the Norwegian market, we cannot compete and Australia will in future draw most of her pulp and paper from Norway. "It is the business of my department to overcome these difficulties and to foster trade within the Empire," continued the Minister. "Wo must remember that the other Dominions quite often have a good argument against trading with us. ANTIPODEAN VIEW. "In the case of Australia we are told that there is no encouragement for her to trade with us. in face of the fact that where she buys from us goods to the value of 20,000,000 dollars annually, we only purchase from her in return approximately 500,000 dollars. They argue that there being no preferential tariff in favour of their country, they cannot, with their long haul across the Pacific, compete with the United States. All the goods which they arc in a position to export arc on our free list, and that is another reason why they cannot compete with other countries, which are located closer to us. "This problem must be adjusted, and it means a readjustment of the tariff on goods which can reach us from within the Empire. At present we are buying in ihe ratio of about nine to five in the United Slates: that is, we are im- ; porting double the value of goods annually from the States in comparison with our exports to that country. The excess consists of goods which could be bought from Australia, and we cannot expect an advantage in their market unless we give them a preference in ours. "The trans-Pacific trade," the Minister added, "is a magnificent market at the doorway of British Columbia, as an outlet for goods made in this province. As an instance of the opportunities we are missing, T should like to mention that three ships left this port of Vancouver within three weeks carrying goods, OS per cent of which were made in the United States, as shown by an analysis of their manifests. These arc all articles that could just as well be manufactured in British Columbia, and, although I have certainly no objection to American products being shipped through the port of Vancouver. I wish to sec British Columbia and Canadian goods form the I bulk of shipments to Empire markets." j