The Hemisphere: Case to Remember

Few things are guaranteed to discomfit Canadians more than thoughts of Canada's continuing trade imbalance with the U.S. Last year Canada bought $4 billion worth of goods across the border, managed to sell only $2.9 billion in return. Last week Canadians were reminded that many another nation feels as they do—only about trade with Canada itself.

The case in point was Ireland, whose tidy markets Ottawa's Foreign Trade Service hopes to improve with a booklet for businessmen pointing out Ireland's liberal tariff and import policies for Canadian products—aluminum, wheat, lumber, newsprint, hides. The main problem is that Canada fails to reciprocate. Wrote the Toronto Telegram's Financial Editor Devon Smith: ''Ireland is another of those countries which Canada treats in as offhand a manner as Canadians claim the Americans treat ourselves."

Canada sells Ireland about $10 million worth of goods annually. Ireland, in turn, sold Canada only $415,000 worth of chocolate, wool, textiles and glassware in 1956; last year Irish trade worked up to $1,200,000. but the imbalance was still at a ratio of about 8 to 1. And Ireland is only one of many. Of the 125 entities with which Canada trades, no fewer than 86 have an unfavorable Canadian trade balance. Among the more spectacular: Bermuda (purchases: $3,000,000. sales: $248,000), Union of South Africa (purchases: $48.4 million, sales: $6,800,000). The Netherlands (purchases: $70 million, sales: $25 million).