IMPORTED TIMBER.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 22 January 1927, Page 6

IMPORTED TIMBER.

1 ’REFERENCE TO CAN A DA. AGAINST UNITED STATES. A new Canadian-New Zealand commercial agreement is forecasted in cablegrams chronicling the piogress of Mr. Coates in Canada. There is some speculation in New Zealand as to what new line (if any) such an agreement could take, says the Wellington Post. One 'Suggestion is preferential duties in favour of Canadian timber imported into New Zealand. This does not necessarily mean a lowering oj New Zealand’s duties on Canadian timber. It may mean an increasing <n New Zealand’s duties on United States timber. The New Zealand timber industry would object to any lowering of duties. But could it object to an increasing of duties? The United States and Canada are in some respects tarred with one brush. They both sell to us far more than they buy. They both send to us a lot of timber. They have both been accused of dumping timber. But, other sins being equal, membership of the Empire would no doubt count In timber, Canada and the United States arc competitive. The New Zealand market is important to both; and to give Canadian tinnier tariff preference or, rather, to increase the duties on United States timber —would be o! value to Canada, and would be .something to bargain with in any negotiations for a better reciprocity with Canada. It is stated that Canada produces all the timbers that are exported to New Zealand from the United States, except redwood. Canadian advocates of tariff-prefer-ence—may having regard to Labour sentiment in New Zealand—make a point of the fact that a new minimum wage law now operates in British Columbia. According to Vancouver Press advices ,in some mills Orientals have been replaced by white men. But British Columbian employers generally are not accepting the new law without resistance. It is stated that they are testing the law in the Courts.