173 



on such as was fit for naval use, and a duty little more than nominal on other 

 descriptions, while, at the same time, a considerable increase was made in the 

 duty on wood from the north of Europe. 



High permanent duties and a temporary war-duty were accordingly imposed 

 upon all descriptions of wood imported from foreign countries.* 



The Canadian merchants were never led to believe by the Government that 

 these duties were to be permanent, but an expectation was held out that the 

 duty of 2 Is. first imposed would be continued for some considerable time. No 

 such expectation was fairly raised with respect to the war duty and the duty 

 imposed in 1813, and the exemptions from duty on Canadian timber had always 

 been temporary, and were limited to July 1820f 



The protection thus begun was continued many years, and the two great 

 monopolies of corn and timber -the first maintained for the assumed benefit of 

 the possessors of land ; the second conceded to the cla nour of a certain class of 

 ship-owners became through after years the object of attack by an energetic 

 class of reformers, representing the more numerous but less organized class of 

 consumers, until their efforts were finally crowned with success. After succes- 

 sive reductions from time to time the rates on timbar from every country were 

 reduced about 1859, to the uniform rate of 2s. per ton, and not long afterwards 

 they were taken off altogether. 



The following tables are derived from the reports upon Trade and Navigation 

 reported annually by the Minister of Customs since the beginning of the 

 X)jminion Government, July 1, 1867, and previously by the Eeceiver-General of 

 Canala. The column of years will bs understood to ba calendar years until the 

 change ma.de in 1864, when the fiscal year, beginning July 1, was subscituted. 



*49 Geo. Ill, c. 93. These were doubled by the 50 Geo. IIL c. 77, and afterwards part- 

 ally increas3d by the 5L Geo. III. c. 93 and by ths 52 Geo, IIL c. 117 and a duty 25 per cent. 

 upon the whole of the permanent duties were added by the 53 Geo. c. 33. The several duties 

 above referred to were afterwards arranged and consolidated by the 59 Geo. IIL c. 52. 



The duty upon a load (50 cubic feet) of Biltic timber, which at the beginning of the wars 

 in the early part of this century had been 6s. 8d. was raised by inconsiderable steps to 26s. 2d. 

 in 1808, doubled in 1811, ani in 1813 further advanced to 65s. Colonial timber, which had been 

 admitted free of duty up to 1798, was then subjected to a duty of 3 per cent, ad valorem. 

 From 1803 to 1803 the ad valorem rate was changed to a specific duty of abj.it 2s. a loid, and in 

 the latter year this was removed. In 1821, in consequence of the report of the committee of 

 the House of Lords, above cited, the system was changed by reducing the rate on European 

 timber, while that from the colonies was made 10s. In 1840, Is. 6d. per load was added to them 

 respectively. In October, 1843, the duties were reduced to 25s. per load on foreign timber, 

 .and 2s. per load on that from British colonies. G. R. Porter's Progress of the Nation, 1847, 

 p. 380. 



t Parliamentary Papers, 1820, vol. 3. (269), p. 4. 



