Canada, 1849 to 1859 |
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20 per cent addition amount annum articles paying average Britain canals charge Church of England Clergy Reserves College colonial commercial policy common schools completion connection construction contributions Customs Act Customs duties debt of Canada deficiency district dollars efforts elections established evil existed expenditure French Canadian fund Government of Canada Grand Trunk Railway Imperial Legislature imported into Canada imposed increased taxation institutions interest labour Lake Ontario lakes Lakes Erie Lawrence legislation levy Liverpool Lower Canada M'Gill Main Trunk Line manufactured measure Montreal mother-country navigation laws necessary ocean Parliament passed payment policy of Canada present Government progress Quebec railway advances railway system rate of duty reduced reformed repealed result revenue revival of trade River St settlement sound principles steamships sterling Superintendent system of Canada system of municipal tariff throughout the Province tion total imports Upper Canada vessels Victoria Bridge Welland Canal whole imports wholly
Popular passages
Page 32 - ... of many of those articles which we now import. The Government have no expectation that the moderate duties imposed by Canada can produce any considerable development of manufacturing industry ; the utmost that is likely to arise, is the establishment of works requiring comparatively unskilled labor, or of those competing with American makers, for the production of goods which can be equally well made in Canada, and which a duty of 20 per cent, will no doubt stimulate. That...
Page 31 - The fiscal policy of Canada has invariably been governed by considerations of the amount of revenue required. It is no doubt true that a large and influential party exists, who advocate a protective policy ; but this policy has not been adopted by either the Government or Legislature, although the necessity of increased taxation for the purposes of revenue has, to a certain extent, compelled action in partial unison with their views, and has caused more attention to be given to the proper adjustment...
Page 37 - ... interference with the principle to levy Customs duties or Excise on any. But it is, and probably will continue to be, impossible to abandon Customs duties or Excise as a means of revenue ; they afford the means of levying large sums by the taxation of articles of consumption, distributing the burden in almost inappreciable quantities, and in one respect have this advantage, that if fairly imposed, each individual in the community contributes in a tolerably fair proportion to his means. In Great...
Page 23 - ... believing that such works as railways, the success of which is almost wholly dependent upon attention to details, were better under private management than under that of the Government. In 1849 an Act was passed pledging a 6-per-cent. guarantee by the province on one-half the cost of all railways of 75 miles in, extent. And under this Act the Great Western, the Northern, and the St. Lawrence and Atlantic (now part of the Grand Trunk) •were commenced. Subsequently in 1852, fearing the effect...
Page 39 - ... per cent.' to 40 per cent., and the average rate of duty on these articles, instead of 32 per cent, or thereabout, would be increased to nearly 130 per cent. It is scarcely necessary to point out that such an increase would be utterly incompatible with revenue, and that the result would be a financial failure. On Tea, Sugar, &c., it has been found impossible to maintain higher duties than those now imposed — as they are free in the United States, and unfavourable comparisons are even now instituted...
Page 31 - The policy of the present Government in readjusting the tariff has been, in the first place, to obtain sufficient revenue for the public wants; and, secondly, to do so in such a manner as would most fairly distribute the additional burdens upon the different classes of the community...
Page 32 - Government would adopt it, without the strongest conviction that good faith demanded it. It is unpleasant enough to be exposed to attack in Canada for an unavoidable increase of duties ; but it is certainly ungenerous to be reproached by England, when the obligations which have caused the bulk of the indebtedness of Canada have been either incurred in compliance with the former policy of Great Britain, or more recently assumed, to protect from loss those parties in England who had invested their...
Page 37 - In Great Britain it may be possible to adjust the taxation so as to make realized property contribute more than it now does to the wants of the state; but in a country like Canada no such resource exists, and it would be perfectly hopeless to attempt to raise the required revenue by direct taxation — we neither possess the required machinery to do it, nor are the people satisfied that it is the more correct principle." 10 Assuming, then, Galt continued, that excise and "customs duties must for...
Page 13 - In Lower Canada the disastrous effect of the Feudal Tenure upon the progress of the people can scarcely be understood now by the people of England ; to the student of history, however, it is familiar, through its effects in Europe, where its extinction in every country has been the result of long-protracted struggles. Civil insurrection, bloodshed, and crime have marked the progress of Europe in casting off this burden ; and though stripped of many of its worst features in Canada, yet the system...
Page 38 - Imports, and pay 9£ per cent, of the duties ; if therefore, it were necessary to make good the deficiency arising from a reduction of duty on manufactures, the proportion of duty to the whole they would have to pay would be increased from 9£ per cent, to 40 per cent., and the average rate of duty on these articles, instead of 32 per cent, or thereabout, would be increased to nearly 130 per cent. It is scarcely necessary to point out that such an increase would be utterly incompatible with revenue,...