56 PACES
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RYJgfeDWARD LYMAN
VOL. XIX. No. 8.
published Every Saturday.
+
Yorl(, September 15, 1894.
AUSTRALIAN TRADE WITH THE U. S.
freight charges vary considerably, but average
about 20 shillings per ton (forty cubic feet) for
Melbourne or Sydney, 5 to 10 shillings higher
to other ports in Australia, as well as New Zea-
land. Though the business done with the
United States is larger than with any other
foreign country, it is not very extensive. The
imports from the United States have but little
more than doubled since 1861, the value for 1891
being £2,920,115, wh i 1st the exports to the United
States have increased from ,£76154 in 1861 to
,£3,269,261 in 1891, showing a balance against
the re ublic of ,£349,146. The American Consul
at Sydney, in his report to the Washington
Government, dated May 10, 1893. in remarking
on the causes of restricted trade with the United
States, says : " One of the causes why our trade
with the Australian colonies is not more exten-
sive and prosperous is that their principal pro-
duce—wool—finds but a limited market in the
United States, as the American manufacturers,
on account of the duties imposed—11c. per lb.
on greasy and 22c. per lb. on scoured—take
only such quantities as they absolutely require,
and for which they can find no substitute The
New South Wa^es clip in 1891-1892 amounted
to 323,052,014 lbs., of which only 1,413,774 lbs.
were shipped direct to American ports." It
seems, too, that out of the total clip of New
South Wales for 1892-1893, which amounted to
880,233 bales, only 3,718 bales were exported to
San Francisco, the sole American port men-
tioned in the list. The Consul appears to think
that the limited and unsatisfactory mail and
steamship service between the two countries
militates more against the development of traie
than the heavy duties. Should the duty on
wool be materially reduced, (now on the " free
list, " vide Tariff Law. Ed.) it may give a great
impetus to the trade with Australia, and hence
adversely affect the trade with Canada. Some
effort should be made by the Dominion to secure
this wool trade, and make either Toronto or
Montreal the distributing point for the conti-
nental trade. Wool can be landed at either of
these cities both more speedily and more cheaplj-
than in any of the Eastern American towns
The Americans have now a pretty firm hold
on the Australian markets, several New York,
San Francisco, and other mercantile houses
having flourishing branches established in Syd-
ney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, or active agents
well versed in the country's requirements. The
traffic with the Eastern States of the American
Union is almost exclusively carried on by
means of sailing vessels running between
the various Australasian colonies and the port
of New York. This is a cheap though very
slow means of transit, and its cheapness does
not altogether compensate the importer for its
slowness. The trip via Cape Horn occup'es
not less than four months, and this time is con-
sidered an excellent run. A passage of six
months' duration is not at all uncommon. It
is by this route that the principal shipments
from Canada have hitherto been made. The
As four-fifths of the external trade of Australia,
which in 1891 amount':d to ,£84,651,488, is with
Great Britain, and as Belgium and Germany are
beginning to receive heavy shipments of wool
direct from Australia, for which they already pay
in goods, it is obvious that great efforts will
have to be made on the part of Canada to secure
a big share of that portion of the traffic at pres-
ent enjoyed by the United States, for which this
country is in every way fitted to compete. It is
clear, too, that Australia cannot trade sucess-
fully or permanently with any country that will
not take payment in large part either in wool,
or fruit, or sugar, or meats. Mr. Coghlan, the
Government statistician of New S mth Wales,
says that under present conditions no extension
of commercial relations with the United States
can be expected, but the trade with the East
gives good promise, because markets for Aus-
Trade With Australia.
W5X FTER a careful study of the commercial sit-
^=> uation in Australia, the Hon. Carter
Troop has made a very exhaustive report. Re-
garding the American and Canadian trade with
that Antipodean country he says :
With respect to the disposition on the part of
the Australasian colonies for closer personal
and commercial relations with Canada, the feel-
ing displayed by them over the recent confer"
ence is abundant evidence, if any were wanting,
that th : s disposition is bjth lively and strong
I myself had exceptional opportunities of judg-
ing how widespread and sincere is this feeling
on the part of Australians, meeting, as I did, an
immense number of all sorts and conditions of
men in all parts of the country. Though in no
official capacity, the papers of Australia bear
witness that my reception was in no way mean
nor limited. I draw attention to the strength
of this feeling in Australia, because a special
correspondent of the London Times, who recent-
ly visited the antipodes, and contributed a se-
ries of articles on antipodean affairs to that
journal, took pains to point out that Austral-
ians know nothing and care nothing about the
hybrid (sic) Canadian people, but that, next to
England, the United States is the most consid-
ered and best regarded of other lands. What-
ever relationship there may be between Austral-
ia and the American Republic is essentially
commercial, and has been fostered by direct
lines of long-established passenger and freight
steamers as well as sailing vessels. Canada
and Australia have but just been brought into
direct contact, and the widespread interest
which the inauguration of the new line of
steamers has aroused in Australia, and the gen-
eral desire it has excited for definite informa-
tion respecting the Dominion and its people
and resources, show the existence of a feeling
which does not rest wholty upon the commer-
cial instinct.
$8 00 PBR YEAR.
SINGLE COPIES. 10 CENTS.
tralian wool will so in be found in India China
andjipan.
CANADIAN-AUSTRALIAN TRADE.
It should be remembered that the Australian
Colonies have pretty stiff tariffs, e-specially Vic-
toria and Queensland. New S mth Wales has
only recently adopted a protective policy, but
so far it is of a rather mild kind, and there are
indications that the colony will revert to its for-
mer policy of free trade, Mr. Reid, the new Pre-
mier, having just declared himself in its favor.
It is with this colony that most business is
likely to be done, its capital bein^ the terminus
of the steamshfp line. But it is clear that the
future of Canadian-Australian trade depends in
large part upon the favorable adjustment of the
tariffs bo'h of this country and Australa ia; with-
out such adjustment nothing really significant
can reasonably be expected.
TIMBER.
The lumber of British Columbia has already
obtained a firm hold in Australia, and the traffic
is steadily increasing. In New South Wa'.es the
timber trees of lnrd wood-s predo ninate, both
in variety and in the area covered by the forests,
the soft woods being limited to the brush forests
of the coast districts. The Morton Bay, or
colonial, pine, which is much used for joiners'
work and for flooring, is a very unsatisfactory
timber, as it not only swells during wet weather,
but rapidly decays if exposed to wet and dry
weather alternately. Some of the most easily
worked of the soft woods have a peculiar ten-
dency to shrink, even after thorough seasoning,
so we are not surprised to find that the impor-
tation of timber is very considerable. In 1891
the quantity amounted to 17,147,100 feet of
dressed timber, valued at ,£147,000, and 88,015,-
800 feet of undressed, valued at ,£575,600, be-
sides which there were sundries to the value of
,£38,300, consisting chiefly of doors, laths, and
shooks and staves, the total value of timber im-
ported being ,£760,900. Over 49 per cent, of all
the timber imported by New South Wales comes
from South Australia and New Zealand. Scan-
dinavia and the United States comes next in
order, and then follows the Canadian Dominion,
which exports to Australia about 6,000,000 feet
per annum. Other things being equal, the
Australians are more ready to import from
Canada than from the republic or Scandinavia.
It should not be difficult, therefore, to increase
greatly the amount of our exports in this im-
portant business. The shingles of British Co
lumbia, for instance, are the best that can be
obtained anywhere
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
Canadian organs and pianos have already ob-
tained no mean sale in Australia, nearly $100,-
000 worth of the former having been shipped
during the four years ending December, 1892,
and $30,000 of the latter for the same period.
There are several piano and organ concerns
which do a good business in Australia.