The Commission appointed to ascertain the views of the people as to the changes which are desirable in the tariff has completed its tour of the country, and the report of the proceedings at its various meetings go to show that while the industries favour protection the farmers can be said to be asking for a considerable reduction in the duties which particularly affect them, while some of them would go so far as Free Trade.
In connexion with this divergence of views between Canadian!ndustrial and agricultural interests on the tariff, it will probably he interesting to your readers to sec some figures concerning them. It is very generally supposed outside Canada that the latter are more important, and this is due mainly to so much having been written about wheat and other agricultural produce. Surprise may therefore be caused by the figures given by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics which show that for last year the respective products amounted to $1,410,000,000 for agriculture, and $3,182,000 for manufactures.
It can be seen that though agriculture is entitled to great consideration in the tariff it can scarcely call for one which would interfere with and might even ruin manufactures in which so much capital is employed and so many millions of people earn their living. There is not the slightest chance that Free Trade will be introduced into Canada.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.