NEW STEAMER SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1869, 1 October 1913, Page 7

NEW STEAMER SERVICE.

FAST LINES FOR CANADIAN-WEST INDIA TRADE. • .

By Tclcsrraph— Association—Copyright Ottawa, September 29. The official announcement has been made that a fast steamship service ia to bo established between Halifax (Nova Scotia)' and St. John (West Indies), and that the cable rates are to bo halved.

Mr. Foster (Canadian Minister for Trade and Customs) is greatly pleased at the consummation of closer trade relations between Canada and tho West Indies. -

The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. undertakes to givo a fortnightly service.

As the result of a Royal Commission appointed in 1909 to investigate arid'report upon the measures that' might bo taken for: tho promotion of closer trade relations and for the development of mntual trading facilities between Canada and tho West Indies, it was found that the preferential policy initiated by the Canadian Government had been of very great benefit to the sugar trade, both in the West Indies and in Canada, and the grant of a reciprocal preference except in the case of Jamaica, was advocated. Tho Commission _ also recommended an improved steamship service, the public ownership of .telegraph cables to the West Indies, and a reduction in the cable rates. As Ion?' ago as 1898 Canada granted a robate of 25 per cent, to the West Indies, nt the same time as this was given to the United Kingdom.