OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 313, 28 September 1908, Page 4

OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

THE PACIFIC COAST. . - PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES. [from our special correspondent.] The leading political parties have held conventions and put forth candidates and platforms. From tho point of viow of tho Pacific. States there is little to chooso'from between the two leading parties. In general, the Republican party is committed to what may be termed "imperialism," and an aggressive world-policy may be cxpccted in the ovent of tho election of Mr. Taft. By this policy tho Coast States would undoubtedly bo benefited in view of the development and expansion of tho Pacific area. Wo should continue to exercise authority in tho Philippines and maintain tho open door to oommeroo' throughout tho Orient. The Democratic party is more a'homo rule party, mid if Mr. Bryan bo elected to.occupy tho Whito Houso at Washington there will bo more attention given to labour conditions at homo and other matters of internal dispute. In the Democratic platform thoro is an exclusion clause with reference' to Japanese,' Chinese,-and Hindus, inserted at the insistence' oi Western'delegates. So the choice lies perhaps between imperialism and homo rule, which is about tho same variation offered in other couutries to-day. The Texas tair.. _ Ili spite of vast promises we have notj/aS' a matter ,of fact, added much to the icionco' of government. The same forces impel us that oontrol the rest of the world. In some respects we are backward, in others we have taken the. lead in. experimentation. Tho Texas idea is new —new at least, to us. City government by legislature has proved ft practical^failure in most American cities. Certain Texas cities are trying government by a board of directors, elccted as tho directors of a corporation, which the new city is in fact. The new- plan is to-have a mayor and four aldermen; control all tho communal affairs pf .the , city.;'",y Aside from very; general directions,, tho . pcoplo- koep their hands, off their .Officers. Tho Houston charter simply reads that; "the administration of tho business affairs of Houston shall be conducted by a,- iuayo'r, and four aldermen," and that "tlib alclermen shall perform such administrative duties as_ may be allotted by tho mayor." .Formerly''Houston was divided into six wards, and. thero were two aldermen from each ward. By the new charter the old system, which was copied from tho-Federal , system, which in , its turn inherited the English Parliamentary forms, is completely changed, and government is centralised. and, made; responsible.' _ .' iV - ._ Hesp.onsiblo_..city,;,government is what is s most 'needed to-day iri all the 1 AmericanStates. :

The Breaking up of Large Estate?. In 1 general, there is little disposition in 'America to interfere with or; direct by Govermental means'. tho • working, of natural forpcsi Tho:-American system is essentially, one of individualism, and ideas of social control and 'communal action develop slowly in the public mind. We are to-day probably the least socialistic ,of all nations. Practically all our lands are held as freehold. If tho Government were to seize the largo estates.and divide them among the small farmers the action would be-little-short-of revolutionary. Nevertheless there is a tendency, as controlled. by natural economic forces, towards the division into' smaller and smaller holdings of all the large properties. This tendency is seen more openly in Cali-fornia-than elsewhere. The first farms-wero huge areas — from five to thirty thousand acxesir-dovoted to.»grain culture exclusively. When the_ land was new the profits from wheat raising wore'enormous. ; In California but two processes' aro necessary in tho cultivation of grain. First,' whdn' tite rains begin in . the early, winter the ground is ploughed, harrowed/','and seeded 'in one operation, a combined implement for all these processes being drawn by "a'long string"of mules—the favourite draught animal in the West. Next, jn August, Snother machine, a combined reaper and thresher, enters'the "field, and in short order and in 0110 handling the grain is cut, threshed, and sacked ready for delivery in the warehouse. Between these two operations the farmer loafs and turns ln's mules out. to-grass. Life is easy, and conditions are simple; But- the day of profitable wheat farming in California is passed. .Soil capable, of producing such a variety, of products as that of Central California could not remain idle long.> Hero is a land fruitful in the extreme; it is'a land for infinite orchards and vineyards. J It grows tho finest melons ill the wijEld. It'produces enormously such special products as sweet potatoes. 'It is a land needitig the attention of many workers—the ideal land for tho small farmer. Companies wero formed quite early to purchase the large wheat fields and divide in small holdings of ten, twenty, and forty acres, duly supplied with water for irrigating. Nothing much has been said about this transformation: it has just';happened.'- You will see hero and there m tnVgreat central,plain of-California immense areas of wlieat and barley . But .the;: wheat field is passing; and with it thht most' curious of machines, the gigantic " header," for the cutting and threshing of tho grain. Peoplo aro. here by thousands. Iloiv they came here nobody can tell. No ono brought them here; nobody told the wheat farmer he must sell his fields. In former days it was profitable,to grow wheat; to-day it is profitable for tho wheat farmer to sell his lands in small holdings—and that is tho whole story. 1 am writing this paper at a "ranch"— everything in California is a "ranch"— which is a small part of what was once a wheatfield of twenty thousand acres. Old man Mitchell died, and his heirs fenced the land and let cattle and horses roam over tho fields. Then a stock company; was formed, which bought the land, laid ditches to overy forty acres for irrigating, and ottered tho land in small areas to settlers. - We are here in largo numbers. Hardly a day passes that does not see the start of a new liouse. In this case economic agencies have been sufficient to bring : about results such as rcquiro in New Zealand tho intervention of the Government.

Prevention of S'cHtos in Canada. Following tko lead of New Zealand, Canada has an- Arbitration Act. ' Tho Industrial Disputes: Investigation Act for the prevention of 'striked went into cffect March 22, 1907, and within a year it had been applied to some : thirty cases, of' industrial cispute. In twenty-eight of tho thirty eases strikes were averted or ended, so that the rccord so far is . a-good ono. ' Tho.dominant motive of the Act was to prevent strikes and lock-outs that seriously affected , tlio general welfare. The method of the'law-is to prohibit a.cessation of industry under penr*! ties 'until, b~ -tho investigation of an official board, tho public is informed of tho-grounds of tho dispute." A strik'o.'is not actually prohibited .after an investigation has been made,. reliance being placed upon ail informed public opinion to prevent or shorten such disturbances. il aw . provides, for boards of investigation, appointed for each dispute, each board consisting of three members;'one selected by tho workers, one by . the employers, and the third by theso two members.',. Tho. industries, to which the law applies are those, known *as public utilities, such as railways of all descriptions, power and limiting plajits, and tho like. ' ' ° In Comparison with the New Zealand . law tho Canadian .statute'differs in several important particulars: (1) it applies to a limited number, of.'industries; (2> -it docs not provide for. the incorporation of tinions j (3) it requires .tho apointment of a new board for each dispute; (4) it docs not prohibit strikes and > lock-outs after an investigation of their causes has been made. In the year the Act has been in effect both employers and workers haVo shown a disposition to appeal to the law, though three-fourths of the applications have been from tho workers. In general both parties favour the law as it. stands. The. Act'has in truth prevented strikes in public .service industries. ■ It, has not hampered business, am! it has not affected, adversely the'condition of workers.' • , Down here in the'Statte'g*"we still prefer to fi«l)t it out with clubs and stones.