THE FUTURE OF CANADA.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 71, 26 March 1910, Page 13

THE FUTURE OF CANADA.

BIR W. LAtfRrERS OPTIMISM. Not without substantial justification,, Canadnuis hmvo a profound belief in tho futuro of tho Dominion, and there in no. creator optimist among them than Btr Wilfrid Laurier. Spoaking at tho an•nual banquet t>f the Ottawa Board of Trade, the Primo Ministor declared that his recent statement that tho twentieth century would be Canada's century was irmttg rapidly justified. During tho nineteenth century tho United mates had done a great deal to promote progress and civilrsfttion, and 1 CatMtda would profit by no bettor example than that of the Ropvblie to the sooth. Sir WSBfrid exprosied a keen admiration for tho unwavering befref of the people of the United Statos in their own country. They believed it to bo the best in tho worn. He would orree with tbo sentiments ox pressed by the American people if Canada were Jeft out of tho reckoning. Aft«r dilating on the glories of the Canadian clicncts, more particularly the Canadian winter* 8m Wilfrid referred to the prophets who in years gone by bad doclarsd that thji Canadian West would produon no grain. Today thero wore men who said ttoe North would never be settled, bat the surveys of tho National Transcontinental Railway had mado it clear that much available land was to be found to tho north of the Laurentiao Mountains. Thero existed, as a matter of fact, a strotch of ooontry equal to the bost pact of Ontario, ail of which awaited settUmont. The country had proved itself to be rich in minerals, and the wonderful water powers whioh existed there wero still another souroo of vroaHh. In timo these would make Ottawa the Pittsburg, a* well as tbe Washington, of the North. A« yet Canadians had not adequately realiaed the extent, rcsouroes, and potentialities of their own oountty. Sir Wrlfrid added : "I have said I a admire tho Americans for thoir belief in their own country, but let me say, as ray last word, that we have a better country than they, and that our future is in our own hands." A recent London paper states that Lord Stratohcona, High Commissioner for Canada in London, has been informed by cablegram from the Ministor of the Interior at Ottawa that — 1. 10,000 tons of wheat will be shipped from Vancouver. British Columbia, to Mexico during the noxt four month?. 2. Tho- railway nrileago of Canada is now orer 24,100 miles, exceeding that of Great Britain and Ireland by 1000 miles, and showing .an increase over 1909 of 1138 miles. The total mileage of the electric railways is 980 miles, and their gross earnings almost 15,000,000d01s (£3,000,000). 3. Tho exports of lumber last year from tho St. Lawrence show an increase of 30,500,000 ft over 1908. 4. Canada's trado with Japan and China for tho year ending 31st March, 1909, amounted to 4,000,000d01s (£800,000)! 5. All records for tho wheat crop of Western Canada have been surpassed, $? JS'il ( or lMt »c"on being over 144,000,000 bushels. The orop of Saskatchewan was over 90,000,000 bushels, that of Manitoba over 45,000,000 bushels, and that of Alborta over 8,000,000. 6. Tho exports of o*tOo from the Provmco of Alberta exceeded 9,000,000d01s (£1,800.000) in value last yea>. 7. Tho Grand Trunk Pacifio prairie lino is practically complete for 900 miles west of Winnipeg.