Canada and Its Provinces; A History of the Canadian People and Their Institutions Volume 5 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1914 edition. Excerpt: ...Indies in fish, the government had simply abolished the prohibition of the import of foreign fish to the markets of the West Indies, substituting a tax of fifteen per cent on such foreign fish, which should amply protect the fisheries of the Maritime Provinces. It was true that the British government had considerably reduced the timber duties as regarded the Baltic trade, but it had reduced the duty on colonial timber also, and to such an extent that it almost amounted to a total abolition of the duty. The supplies of available timber in Europe were being rapidly reduced, and there would necessarily ensue a greater dependence than ever upon the forests of the British North American colonies. At the same time the recent changes were found to be necessary in order to relieve the existing burdens upon the British consumers of lumber of various kinds. Moreover, the proposal now under consideration of opening the British ports to foreign and colonial produce at reduced rates should increase all lines of British industry, and, in the end, afford an improved market for colonial produce. The contemplated measure also for the encouragement of the imports of colonial grain should be of interest to the people of the Maritime Provinces, and of New Brunswick in particular, who certainly ought not to confine their attention too exclusively to the business of lumbering. On these lines the colonial secretary laid down the policy of the home government, and definitely brought to an end all agitation for the maintenance of the old conditions. In 1846 William Ewart Gladstone, who had succeeded Stanley as colonial secretary, was able to point out that the reduction of the timber duties which had been made in 1842 had not resulted unfavourably to the colonial trade, ..