South Africa, by the Customs Union Convention of 1903, stands
much on the same footing as Canada. The only article of importance produced to which preference would apply is wine, everything else exported from South Africa being already admitted duty free into the United Kingdom. Dr. Jameson and others are now asking for preferential treatment for South African wines, but so far from their wishing to reciprocate by admitting Scotch and Irish whisky at a lower rate, there is an agitation (Cape Times, December 14th, 1904) for increasing the 15s. per gallon duty to 20s. The Return is eked out with resolutions from Bermuda, Barbadoes, and Dominica, the total value of our trade with which is about 21,000,000. As the Daily Chronicle reminds us, we do a trade of thirty-five times that amount with India, whose Government recently declared that while India had very little to gain in return by offering Prefer- ence to the Empire, she had a great deal to lose or risk.
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