MR LAURIER'S COUP.

Evening Star, Issue 10341, 15 June 1897, Page 3

MR LAURIER'S COUP.

THE CANADIAN, PREFERENTIAL TARIFF. The new Canadian tariff introduced by Mr tejJdiqg, iiia Dominion Minister of Finance, on Apnl 22, contains many of the protective fotrtufrpa of the old one. The chief departure i, the division into a maximum and minimum tariff, lower duties being provided on the products of all countries wiqch admit CanadUn goods on terms as favorable as Canada this provision will admit theirs. This schedule goes into force at once, and a straignt cut of one-eighth in the geperal\ariff until July, 1898, when the out will be one-fourth, leaving the tariff, as against Great Britain, seveq-eighths of the general tariff, and after next year threefourths. The reduction will not apply to spirituous and malt liquors, sugar, or tobacco, but includes all other articles. , . In his speech introducing the scheme the Minister, referring to the attitude of the United States, said there must be one tariff for countries willing to trade with Canada And a different tariff for countries hot prepared to deal fairly with the Dominion; but there would be a preferential tariff which would give preferences above all others to the products of Great Britain. He subnetted the following resolution On all the products of the countries entitled to the benefits of this reciprocal tariff, the duties mentioned in Schedule (o) of the general tariff Shall be reduced as follows:—Until the 30th of June. 1898, inclusive, the reduction shall mevery case be one-eighth of the duty mentioned in the general tariff, aud the duty to be levied, collected, and paid shall be seven-eighths of the duty mentioned in the schedule. On and after the Ist of July, 1898, the reduction shall in even - case be one-fourth of the duty mentioned m the schedule, and the duty to be levied, collected, aud paid shall be three-fourths of the duty mentioned in the schedule, provided, however, that these reductions shall not apply to any of the following articles—namely, ales, beers, wines, and liquors, sugar, molasses, and syrups of all kinds, the products of the sugarcane or the beetroot, tobacco, cigars, and cigarettes. The foregoing would apply to Great Britain immediately, and as regards other countries the application would be governed by this resolution when the Customs tariff of any country admits the products of Canada on terms which on the whole are as favorable to Canada as the terms of the reciprocal tariff herein referred to are to the countries to which it may apply. Articles which are the growth, product, or manufacture of such country, when imported direct therefrom, may then be imported direct into Canada or taken out of the warehouse for consumption therein at reduced rates of duty, provided in the reciprocal tariff any question that may arise as to the countries entitled to the benefits of reciprocal tariff shall be decided by the Controller of Customs. Id concluding hia statement Mr Fielding said the new scheme offered to the country the benefits of preferential trade with the Mother Country. All active advocates of preferential trade had assumed that, as the first step, England must consent to put a duty on corn. “We know that Great Britain does not view tfiftt project with favor. We know that no more unpopular project can be offered to the people of the Mother Country than to ask them to put a duty on breadstuff's. It may be that as time rolls on and at an early day they may change their views. It maybe that they may see it in their interest to make this distinction, and that they may offer some preferential rate to the grain of Canada. But why should we wait for England to take action ? England has dealt generously with us in the Sast. She has given us a larger degree of herty, perhaps, than is possessed by any other country on the face of the earth. She has given us liberty to tax her wares even when she admits our goods free, and we have taxed them to an enormous degree. Why should we wait for England to do more ? Somebody must make a move in this matter, and we propose that Canada shall lead the way, and when this policy shall have passed into law then members of the Parliament of Canada may feel that in this glorious year of Jubilee they have made a noble contribution to the splendid parliamentary record which Tennyson had in his mind when he pictured the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria in the lines — . . . Statesmen at her council met Who knew the seasons, when to take Occasion by the hand, and make The bounds of freedom wider yet. The peroration of the Minister’s speech was followed by cheers which lasted for several minutes. Then a member on the Government side of the House struck up ‘God save the Queen.’ The enthusiasm spread like wildfire, and quicker than it takes to chronicle the fact 200 members of the House aud 2,000 people in the galleries joined heartily in singing the National Anthem. The Ottawa correspondent of ‘ The Times’ wired next day: “Conservatives and Liberals alike have hardly yet recovered from the astonishment with which the new tariff has affected them. The Conservatives privately acknowledge that the Government have effected a great coup, and are now regretting that a policy of this kind Was not adopted by them years ago, instead of waiting for the abrogation of the Belgian and German trsaties, as seemed to be the policy of the late Government. One feature especially commends itself to men of an independent turn of mind—-viz., that which provides that* trusts, monopolies, or ‘combines 1 shall not have the benefit of any tariff protection. The almost total abolition of specific duties, which applies specially to textiles, must greatly help the west riding of Yorkshire and the West of England. The restrictions on the importation of mining machinery are entirely abolished, so that it now enters free. The duties on clothing, on window glass, on woollens and wool yarns, on iron and manufactures of iron, are ail lowered. All these are direct concessions to the Mother Country. The suggestion that Germany may successfully claim (under the most-favored-nation clause) to participate in the benefits of the reciprocal clause is most obnoxious to members on both sides of the House, and they" confidently count upon the Mother Country assisting them to get rid of this incubus by abrogating the treaties with Germany and Belgium.” The new tariff was brought into immediate operation by means of Order-in-Council.