THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1897.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10428, 28 April 1897, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1897.

The Canadian tariff of the Laurier Government is a new departure on a fiscal track that will lead to important results throughout the whole British empire, It appears to be inspired by two motives, one to expand Canadian trade by forcing foreign markets, and the other to give practical expression to those loyal sentiments by which the people of the Dominion appear to be particularly animated. There is also an ingenuity in it, in respect of its effort to break through the restraints of the foreign commercial treaties, which commands admiration ; and altogether the new fiscal departure has a good deal of the element of the sensational. The salient feature of the tariff is that it offers what is known as "fair trade" to the world. After many and profitless attempts to cultivate fiscal amity with its neighbour the United States, Canada appears to have been repelled by the latest feat of the republic in the way of hostile tariffs, and now turns away to see what can be done in cultivating more distant relations; and having for some years endeavoured to promote an Imperial Zollverein, and found but scant sympathy, or at least but tardy action among the colonies, it has taken a step now to force the pace. It begins by offering preferential terms to England based on the fact that England being a free trade country already gives free access to Canadian goods. But in order to meet the requirements of the Belgian and German treaties, which prevent the colonies from granting exclusive terms even to England, the same terms are offered to every country in the world that will give in return similar terms to Canada. While there is this world-wide aspect to the action of Canada, it is evident that not so much was anticipated in the cultivation of foreign trade relations, as in the drawing closer of the ties with England— a fact which was emphasised in the members of the Canadian House of Commons and 2000 of the public in the gallaries of the House joining in singing the National Anthem. In fact the principal object of the new tariff appears to be to give almost an exclusive market for British goods in Canada. It may be that some of the Continental States of Europe may be enabled to make such modifications in their tariffs as to meet the Canadian terms; but as a rule they are so severely protectionist in their policies, and so bound by treaty relations that generally they will not bo in a position to avail themselves of the Canadian offer. The advantages, therefore, sought to be conferred on English trade will be enormous. At the first a reduction of twenty-five per cent, in its favour will be made, a concession that in the present keen competition in the open markets of the world will have the effect virtually of giving an exclusive entry to British products. More than this would probably be unnecessary, and British manufacturers and producers that hold their own with foreign competitors in the great market of the world, should be able to command the market exclusively in a field in which they are favoured by a tariff reduced by a fourth. But this movement of the Canadian Government has an aspect in which these colonies are intimately concerned ; for there is but a single one of the Australian colonies that appears to be capable of benefitting to the full extent by the change whichjis about to take place in the fiscal policy of Canada. New South Wales is in this respect in exactly a similar position to that occupied by England, and whatever development of trade may be possible between Australasia and British America promises to come to the lot of New South Wales. It is true that the futile idea Of partial reciprocity has been entertained by some, and its rejection by Parliament and the country came not of any unwillingness to participate in trade relations with Canada, but from the inherent impossibility of partial reciprocity itself. New South Wales, however, with its free trade ports open to Canada, as to all the world, it in the same position as Great Britain in relation to the Canadian new fiscal soheme, and will benefit at once to the full extent of whatever trade may be capable of development. That colony will not require to make any differential scale of tariff in favour of Canada as against the rest of the world, and in stfdoing incur the risk of interfering with treaty obligations, but presenting the same conditions to all the world, it falls naturally and without any effort into line with this new departure. It is only another illustration of that oolony'a good fortune incident to its adoption of a free trade policy. It is gradually absorbing the intercolonial distributing trade in Australia, and promises to become the great entrepot of the trade of the Pacific; and now as new developments arise independently of any action, on it« part, it is presented with i the prospectof becoming the great distributing centre in the South Pacific for the trade of British America, : v:,, -V. "£, :\>fi