1182 ADMINISTRATION AND LEGISLATION [rarTV
case of the argument that since 1850 the Imperial Govern-
ment had assented sometimes reluctantly, sometimes quite
readily, to a system of inter-colonial preference in that
Dominion, no doubt in anticipation of federation. More-
over, the Imperial Government were most anxious for
reciprocity with America for Canada, and arranged such
a measure in the Treaty of 1854 whch permitted Canada
to accept better terms in American markets than those
accorded to England. The difference of treatment corres-
ponded no doubt in great measure to the date when the
question arose, and when the question of differential duties
had become a matter of much more serious consideration
than it was in the early days of Canada, when free trade
was slowly developing. Moreover, it is clear that some of
the objections felt by the Imperial Government were based
on a not unnatural reluctance to see the tariff barriers
already rising in Australia increased as against England.
As a matter of fact, after all the enthusiasm of the Colonies
for the Act of 1873 they took no real advantage of it, and
the benefits of inter-colonial preference began only to be seen
in quite recent history, when Canada commenced the plan of
granting the Imperial Government preference. Mr. Seddon,
after arrangements in 1895 with South Australia and Canada,
adopted the plan of arranging a preferential agreement in
1906 with the South African Customs Union, which is still
in force, and under which the two Dominions exchange
reductions on certain articles of produce. A similar agree-
ment was negotiated by Australia with New Zealand, but
the agreement failed to secure: pproval in New Zealand,
and has so far not been revived. Negotiations between
“anada and Australia have not led yet to any agreement.?
* Repeated in a very minor degree in the standing offer contained in every
Canadian tariff of a degree of reciprocity in natural products from 1867-94,
and carried out as regards fish products in the Washington Treaty of 1871,
which terminated in 1885. But it was renewed in a substantial form by
she abortive tariff arrangements of January 1911; Parl. Pap., Cd. 5512,
5516. Cf. also Ewart, Kingdom of Canada, pp. 137 seq. :
: Of, Commonwealth Parliamentary Debates, 1908-9, p. 837; Canadian
Annual Review, 1910, vp. 105; Parl. Pap., Cd, 3524, pp. 419 seq.
