Q. “Have you any account of the imports of flour from the United States into Lower Canada?”—A. “I have not with me but can give it very nearly.”
Q. “Do those exports of which you have spoken just now comprehend the United States flour?”—A. “No, they are exclusive of Colonial production.”
Q. “Is not Lower Canada, as well as Upper Canada, in the habit of supplying herself, to a certain degree, with American flour and wheat, and exporting her own produce, on account of the state of the corn laws last year?”—A. “Yes, it is done to a certain extent. I have some indication as to the quantity which comes from the United States into Upper and Lower Canada being small. In the returns of the traffic last year through our Welland Canal, about 265,000 bushels of wheat passed through, of which 18,000 British and 22,000 American only went to Montreal. All the rest went to Oswego, for the New York market: but the destination in future will probably depend upon whether the internal communication is improved in those colonies, and on the state of the market in New York and in the Canadas.”
Q. “If there is sufficient capital, is there any reason to suppose it would not be beneficial to engage in both?”—A. “I do not think it is a question concerning the abundance of capital, but the good to be derived from the preservation of the Canada timber trade by enormous protecting duties. I am confident that the timber trade is inimical to the best interests of the Canadas; it would be possible to make the timber trade more beneficial than any other pursuit in the country, and the way to render it so would be to give immense protecting duties to the timber trade of Canada, allowing all other articles of produce to be open to general competition; but, by such a course, England would not be benefiting Canada.”
Q. “Can you state the average prices of wheat at Quebec the last four or five years?”—A. “I think 5 shillings or 6 shillings. Canadian currency; the latter rate is equal to 5 shillings sterling, which is 40 shillings a quarter; but I do not suppose an average of several years would be over 4 shillings, 2 pence, that would be 33 shillings, 4 pence. There are peculiar circumstances that attended the last three or four years.”
Q. “Has it been higher the last three or four years than the three or four years previously? A. Considerably higher than the ten years previously.”
Q. “Do you think 30 shillings a quarter would have been the average of the ten years preceding?”—A. “I should think so, but I cannot now speak positively.”
Q. “Are the committee to understand it to be your opinion, that if the timber establishments were broken up and no more timber exported from Canada, there would be no loss to that country?”—A. “There might be an immediate loss, and a very great subsequent gain. I think there would be an immediate loss attending on the mills, possibly 150,000 pounds to 200,000 pounds.”
Q. “Has it not been the fact that there has been a constant and gradual increase of tonnage into Quebec for the last fifteen years?”—A. “Yes.”
Q. “Presuming that those establishments were to be broken up and no more timber exported, do you think that gradual increase would still continue?”—A. “No; the first consequence, I think, very possibly would be a very material decrease.”