CO885-8 — Page 99

Rossland Board of Trade, Rossland, B.C., 4th March 1902.

328

447

Trusting that through your good offices such a policy may soon be adopted by Great Britain, her Colonies, and dependencies.

Yours, &o.,

F. ELWORTHY,

1 | 2 |

PUBLE RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

8

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO.

Right Hon. Sir Wilfrid Laurier,

Ottawa, Ont.

DEAR SIR,

Ar the last meeting of this Board I was instructed to inform you that the following resolution, originated by the Board of Trade of the city of Toronto, had been unanimously endorsed :-

"WHEREAS according to the Press despatches it is the intention at the present Session of the Imperial Parliament to levy additional taxes in order to meet the heavy expenditure caused by the war in South Africa and the large additions to the British Navy, and amongst other products which may be taxed wheat has been especially mentioned.

"In view of the position so strongly taken by this Board for many years, for a preferential treatment of the different products of the Empire exchanged therein, and Canada haying granted a tariff preference on the products of Great Britain when imported into this country, one of the results being that Germany has discriminated in her tariff against us by imposing practically prohibitory duties on our cereals, thus closing a valuable market to our farmers.

*** THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED That, in the opinion of this Board, any tax placed by Great Britain upon products similar to those produced in this country should be so levied as to grant a preference to the products produced within the Empire;

"THAT if Great Britain could see her way clear to adopt such a policy, it would result in the knitting together still closer the various parts of the Empire, and thus materially strengthen our position by diverting to the Colonies a large portion of the emigration from the United Kingdom now going elsewhere, with the result that ere long the wheat and other food products required could be entirely supplied within the Empire.

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AND that copies of this resolution be sent to the Premier of Canada, and he be requested to cable the same to the Honourable Joseph Chamberlain, Colonial Secretary, Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India, and the Premiers of Australia and New Zealand, and to forward them the full text of this resolution by mail.”

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JACKSON,

Secretary.

British Columbia Board of Trade,

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Premier of Canada,

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DEAR SIR, 100r dbitw 12. Coats (I'm trien of the meeting of the Colonial Premiers in London, naxt, Jung, this Board of Trade appointed special committee to inquire into and report upon adresintages, to be derived by Canada by the adoption of preferential trade within the

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Subsequently it was learned that this subjees would be discuss Board of Trade, and the committee therefore sonâined ita raspary

by the Dominion to the effect much

"AN ATATAUT

have now the honour to enclose three copies at fe nammatics report that at the general meeking at which the report was adopted it' resolved :

id to avise Chaddimly

That in the opinion of this Board of Trado a preferential tariff should be established within the Empire."

8, M &

Secretary.

COPY OF RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE BRITISH COLUMBIA BOARD OF TRADE AT A GENERAL MEETING HELD AT VICTORIA, B.C., ON WEDNESDAY 26TH FEBRUARY 1902.

IMPERIAL TRADE.

The Special Committee on Imperial Trade Policy presented the following report: Your Committee considered that the scope of their instructions from the Council of the Board of Trade related solely to the business of British Columbia, and that it is no part of their duty to report generally upon the trade which may be developed between Canada and other portions of the Empire from British Columbia as a transportation centre. If this aspect of the case came within their instructions, a large number of matters would have to be dealt with which are not touched upon in this report. «In our investigations of the trade returns of the British Colonies, made for ascertaining what products of British Columbia would be likely to find sale there, we have been impressed by the fact that a very large business is carried on between the Australian and other Colonies and the United States, much of which might, under a systers of inter-Imperial trade, be diverted to Canada, whereby an extensive commerce would be developed on the Pacific coast of the Dominion. But your Committee considered, this branch of the subject to be one with which they are not expected to deal. To do so properly would require more time and access to a greater variety of data than are at

Committee. Four present at the disposal of

The population of British Columbia being under 200,000, it is not expected that this Province can offer, for some time to come, a very large market for Colonial produce. The principal articles which we now import from the British possessions consist of tea and mutton, canned or in cold storage, and pig iron. At present it does not seem probable that business in either of these lines can be greatly extended, except, perhaps, in mutton in refrigeration. British Columbia imports from the United States a very large number of sheep annually, and there is no reason to believe that the domestic product of mutton will be much increased in the near future. It is probable, therefore, that a much larger trade in frozen mutton might be built up with Australasia than is at present carried on. The importation of canned mutton might be supplemented by importations of canned beef under a favourable tariff. At certain seasons of the year dairy products can be imported from New Zealand and some parts of Australasia with advantage, but this only because of the shortness of the domestic supply and not because the imported products can be delivered much more cheaply than they can be produced here. British Columbia buys a large quantity of California butter, which might be replaced by butter from Australasin, and it is probable, there fore, that considerable business may be developed along these lines when our population

grown more numerous.

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The three principal products of British Columbia for which your Committee think a market can be found in the Colonies are timber, fish, and iron. Nearly all the Austra- lasian Colonies and Natal are large importers of timber, of which British Columbia pos- sesses what is probably a larger supply than any other single country, and also that most conveniently situsted for purposes il axports) · Our prišičipul commercial timbers are There are Douglas fir (usually spoken of in the trade as Ogon pine) and cedar. also extensive forests of spruce and hemlook. We have no means of ascertaining the quemings of timber in British Columbid available for export, but it is very great, and sumcient to supply the requirements of the Himptes for many years to come. Da fruit deal af, the timber supply of the Colonies maimed comèn from the Unitedu Statou but British Columbia can furnish the same gooda ni na reasonabļa n¿price as they on the obtained in that country, so that in, the event of - prefacismos being given to Canadiothe trade in gimber of the Colonies mentioned would doubtless, come to, British Bengali odt to Tra Puuitar nd1_1090lo Ilite radiagot gaituæť od: va kipaet

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