+
53
With all the facts now before you, I venture to believe that Your Excel- lency cannot but arrive at the conclusion that the Colony has not been dealt with in this matter upon the broad principle of justice, and that your good offices as the representative of His Majesty in this Colony will be exerted in the interest of that good faith which it is so desirable to foster and maintain between the Colonies and the Mother Country, and which cannot but be severely shaken if the people of this Colony are again prevented by unjust interference or political exigency from obtaining the important trade privileges for which they have striven so long and sacrificed so much.
I have, &c.,
His Excellency
Sir William MacGregor, K.C.M.G., C.B., Governor.
R. BOND,
Colonial Secretary.
SIR,
Enclosure in No. 8.
Colonial Secretary's Office, St. John's,
Newfoundland, December 28, 1904. UNDER date the 22nd instant, I had the honour to acknowledge the receipt of
your secret and confidential letter of the 21st instant, covering copy of a secret despatch received by Your Excellency from the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies, dated the 5th instant, having reference to the Commercial Convention negotiated with the United States Government on behalf of this Colony in 1902, and to forward, for transmission to the Secretary of State, a minute of the Committee of Council requesting postpone- ment of the proposed action of His Majesty's Government in relation to the said Convention until a full expression of your Ministers' views on the matter could be laid before them.
I have now the honour to forward, herewith, a minute which embodies your Ministers' views, and which I venture to hope may be entirely concurred in by Your Excellency. I shall be glad if Your Excellency will name an early day when the minute may be submitted to a full Council. Deeming it exceedingly desirable that Your Excellency should be fully cognizant of the history of the negotiations for reciprocal trade between this Colony and the United States which culminated in the Convention to which the despatch from the Secretary of State of date the 5th instant has reference, I beg to be permitted to direct Your Excellency's attention to the following correspondence that passed between me and the Right Honourable Joseph Chamberlain in 1901 as it recapitulates the principal incidents in connection therewith.
簸
*
a
Nothing further of importance transpired until the following year when His Majesty's Government was graciously pleased to furnish me with the necessary authority to re-open negotiations with the United States.
I pro- ceeded to Washington in August 1902, and succeeded in bringing the negotiations to a satisfactory conclusion, for a Convention was signed by His Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Washington and the Secretary of State for the United States on the 8th day of November 1902, and it is now before a Committee of the Senate of the United States.
Your Excellency is fully aware of all that has transpired since the date of the signing of the said Convention, and also of all that immediately preceded the same, for I recently placed in your hands for perusal the whole of my notes. and correspondence with the late British Ambassador at Washington, Sir Michael Herbert, during the negotiations and up to the 15th January 1903, when all correspondence terminated.
• No. 7.
MINUTE of the Committee of the Honourable the Executive Council, submitted for the approval of His Excellency the Governor.
December 28, 1904.
The Executive Council have again had under consideration the secret despatch from the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies of date the 5th instant, in relation to the Trade Convention negotiated with the United States of America on behalf of this Colony, and which was signed by His Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Washing- ton, and by the Secretary of State for the United States of America, on the 8th day of November 1902, and in reply thereto would observe:—
1. That the construction placed by His Majesty's Government upon the wording of Section V. of the said Convention, and which was first referred to in a despatch from the Secretary of State for the Colonies of date the 9th of January 1903, is the correct interpretation, and clearly conveys the intention of the Government of this Colony, which is to allow all goods imported from the United States of America to pass into this Colony at the same rate of duty as the manufactures or raw materials imported from the United Kingdom or other parts of the Empire, so long as the United States permits the products of this Colony to enter its ports free of duty.
It
2. That the principle involved in this policy is neither novel nor new. has appertained in this Colony since the date of responsible Government. The United States receives the benefit of an equal tariff to-day without giving anything whatever in return therefor, and will doubtless continue to receive the same for years to come, as she has a natural advantage over this Colony and the neighbouring Dominion in the production of the principal articles of importation; and it is to the material advantage of this Colony to buy these articles in that market and not to keep them out by high tariff duties.
Further, the conditions existing in this Colony have ever rendered it necessary to carry out this policy, and it is impossible that those conditions can alter in the near future, because the natural resources of this Colony and its producing capabilities are represented by those commodities that at present comprise its exports, and those exports are not such as can find, to any appreciable extent, a market in either Canada or the United Kingdom. Fishery products, lumber, and minerals are the only articles of export, the first-named forming the principal export. Our fishery products cannot find a market in Canada, for that country is a greater producer of fish than this Colony, and an exporter of the same. Newfoundland fish cannot find a large market in the United Kingdom, for it is a dry salted article that finds no favour with consumers there, who have probably the finest supply of fresh fish of all kinds in the world. This Colony has then to find markets in foreign countries for its staple export, and the nearest foreign market and most promising is the United States. Amongst its eighty millions of people, under free trade, there would be an immense market for our exports.
The principal imports from the United States are kerosene oil, anthracite coal, tobacco in leaf, pork in barrel salted, highest grades of flour, lard,
45018.
D 3
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O-885
17 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
53
ie facts now before you, I venture to believe that Your Excel- out arrive at the conclusion that the Colony has not been dealt atter upon the broad principle of justice, and that your good epresentative of His Majesty in this Colony will be exerted in that good faith which it is so desirable to foster and maintain Colonies and the Mother Country, and which cannot but be n if the people of this Colony are again prevented by unjust r political exigency from obtaining the important trade which they have striven so long and sacrificed so much.
I have, &c.,
R. BOND,
7
m MacGregor, K.C.M.G., C.B.,
Governor.
Colonial Secretary.
Committee of the Honourable the Executive Council, submitted for the approval of His Excellency the Governor.
December 28, 1904.
itive Council have again had under consideration the secret the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies instant, in relation to the Trade Convention negotiated with ites of America on behalf of this Colony, and which was signed ✓'s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Washing- e Secretary of State for the United States of America, on the vember 1902, and in reply thereto would observe :-
> construction placed by His Majesty's Government upon the ction V. of the said Convention, and which was first referred ch from the Secretary of State for the Colonies of date the ry 1903, is the correct interpretation, and clearly conveys the he Government of this Colony, which is to allow all goods the United States of America to pass into this Colony at the duty as the manufactures or raw materials imported from the om or other parts of the Empire, so long as the United States oducts of this Colony to enter its ports free of duty.
e principle involved in this policy is neither novel nor new. It ed in this Colony since the date of responsible Government. ates receives the benefit of an equal tariff to-day without giving ever in return therefor, and will doubtless continue to receive ears to come, as she has a natural advantage over this Colony bouring Dominion in the production of the principal articles of and it is to the material advantage of this Colony to buy in that market and not to keep them out by high tariff
he conditions existing in this Colony have ever rendered it arry out this policy, and it is impossible that those conditions e near future, because the natural resources of this Colony and capabilities are represented by those commodities that at rise its exports, and those exports are not such as can find, to le extent, a market in either Canada or the United Kingdom. cts, lumber, and minerals are the only articles of export, the rming the principal export. Our fishery products cannot find anada, for that country is a greater producer of fish than this n exporter of the same. Newfoundland fish cannot find a large → United Kingdom, for it is a dry salted article that finds no consumers there, who have probably the finest supply of fresh nds in the world. This Colony has then to find markets in ries for its staple export, and the nearest foreign market and ig is the United States. Amongst its eighty millions of people,
de, there would be an immense market for our exports. ipal imports from the United States are kerosene oil, anthracite in leaf, pork in barrel salted, highest grades of flour, lard,
D 3
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
| | | ||
Reference :-
C.O-885
17 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.