TARIFF QUESTION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 246, 10 July 1908, Page 7

TARIFF QUESTION.

RECIPROCITY,

CANADA AND AUSTRALIA. TO BE DEALT "WITH-NEXT SESSION; (OX .TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT.) Melbourne, July 9. The Federal Parliament will nest session deal with tho question of reciprocity with Canada. . ' . RECIPROCITY AND THE ALL RED ROUTE. The lines on which Canada last year asked Australia for preference ate: Bicycles, timber, furniture, leather, boots, shoes, chairs, agricultural implements, harvesters, apparol, and cotton piece goods. On '6ome of these lines; Canada will run against strong protectionist, interests in Australia; as, for mstan"e, harvesters and agricultural implements. The High Court's re-, cent decision declaring tho new protection principle unconstitutional arose out of an attempt to apply it to the protected agricultural implement industry. ' Owing to Australia failing to immediately concede reciprocity, and owing to the new protective tariff; Canada showed a disposition in December last to retaliate by ; hesitating, to continue the subsidy to the Australian-Van-couver steamship service. It was feared .that friction over the Australian tariff might also prejudice the chances of co-operation between the two countries with regard to the All Red service. '

The question' of .-/reciprocity with Canada, which the Federal Parliament is to deal with next session, is therefore of ,• wide interest. Tho " Toronto Globe," a leading organ of the .Canadian Government, says that to give a bonus to a line of steamships to Australia, where the cost of passing the Custom-honso is greater than that of a voyage round the world, ! is too palpably illogical for Canadian policy. .Paying at the same time to get goods in and to keep them out is foolish activity.- " The Times" expresses the hope that Mr. Deakin's tariff policy, and the disappointment and. .irritation, will not permanently damp Canada's enthusiasm for tho All J?i>d route. "The 'Jiiiies". adds: "The commercial negotiations which the Commonwoalth Government- propose to initiate at. Ottawa, as soon ns their Tariff Bill has been finally passed by,the Australian Legislature, will, we hope, be conducted in a sufficiently• liberal spirit-to remove any temporary ill-feeling in Canada."