CHAP, I} THE DOMINION OF CANADA 759
the Imperial Government to insist on a doubling of the sums
provided for the provinces. On the other hand, the Dominion
Government wanted to assert the finality of the measure by
inserting provisions that the settlement should be final, but
this was not done by the Imperial Government, on the ground
that such a provision in an Imperial Act had no validity,
as what one parliament could do the next could obviously
undo. Moreover, a letter was sent to the Premier in which
the Imperial Government recognized that the federation of
Canada was a compact, and that therefore alteration of it
by an Imperial Act was only justifiable if all parties were in
effect agreed : but this was so in this case, and British
Columbia would not wish to delay the payment to the other
provinces of their increased grants under the new scheme.
But British Columbia still hopes to obtain better terms.
The British North America Act? provided that there
should be free admission of articles, the growth or produce
or manufacture of any of the provinces, into the other
provinces, although otherwise the duties levied by each
province were to remain unchanged until they were altered
by the Canadian Parliament. Goods which had paid duty in
one province could, however, be imported into another on
payment of the difference (if any) between the two duties.
The Province of New Brunswick was, however, allowed 3 to
maintain and reduce its lumber dues, but not to increase
them. No lands or property belonging to Canada or a province
could be taxed by either the provinces or the federation.
All the remaining revenues of the provinces and all revenues
raised under the powers granted by s. 92 of the Act were to
form a consolidated revenue fund liable to appropriation by
the Provincial Legislature.
§ 8. TREATY AND OTHER MATTERS
The Act contains also in part ix certain miscellaneous
provisions rendered necessary by the transfer. The officers
! Canadian Annual Review, 1908, p. 524 ; British Columbia Sess. Pap.
1907, D. 1; 1908, C. 1. * 88. 121-3.
? 5.124. The Treaty of Washington rendered it necessary to buy out
bhese rights, and the Dominion did so; see 36 Vict. ¢. 41.
