CANADA'S DESTINY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 100, 30 April 1927, Page 17

CANADA'S DESTINY

KEYSTONE OF EMPIRE

NO FUSION "WITH STATES

"Canada is destined to becomo tho keystone of the British Empire," said the Hon. Burton M. Hill, who is visiting New Zealand after a business tour of India, Ceylon, Burmah, Siam, Malaya, and Java, "both from her extent and the richness of her undeveloped resources, Canada will never leave the Empire, and, indeed, I was rather amused by the idea that seems to havo arisen amongst some people here that she may at-some remote date fuse with the United States of America. Canada has nothing to gain by this, when her position IB.explained to those who have not given tho matter serious investigation. Canada has not yet begun to tap her vast natural resources. Sho is in the same position to-day that tho United States was in at the/timo of tho Civil War. Then the United States had 15,000,000 people;, she now has 103,000,000. Canada to-day has only 10,000,000 people, and sho has ahead of her just the ,'same expansion that has followed the exploitation of tho natural resources of. the United States, because she has still to develop her real resources. ■ I am Sot one of thoso who think that Canada will ever becomo tho centre of the Empire, which, I think, must remain in England, but she will. become the keystone and mainstay of tho Empire. MARKET IN THE STATES, 'lEconomicallylEconomically the United States will' assist in this, and Canada's rise to tho maximum of production which has nearly been reached in tho United States, will be much more rapid than has been the case with tho latter, bor cause modern methods will entor her progress, and also bqcause sho has a market in; the States rapidly becoming depleted of the supplies most necessary to it by.its own demand. With tho changes from pastoral to agricultural production, and tho later change to industrial activities'in the United States, its natural resources of timber, minerals, and other' materials it cannot do without have been soriously depleted by the needs of tho increased population which has followed industrial expansion, until in many cases it has -been considered inadvisablo to further extend' their exploitation for export purposes, a margin of safety being retained for the use of the United States itself. / This is whero the opportunity of Canada is boing found to-day, in supplying thq .products of tho land needed by the millions of machine workers in tho States, and the raw materials' for many of tho works; Eich in nickel, Canada is invaluable to the great-steel works' of tho States, and she has a market for all hor products at liar door in tho States, greater than tho States had outside America when it made its plionomenal growth.... NEW ZEALAND'S OPPORTUNITY. "All this, soems to mo to havo a bearing on New Zeala.nd in a way that perhaps has not yet been realised hero. Canada in its turn is destined inovitably to, become a great industrial nation. There are signs of it to-day. Ton years ago the population of Canada was 65 per cent, rural. To-day it is 'only 50 per cent, rural, and tho domands of the increasingly industrial United States to bo fed will yoarly impose a heavier call on tho i'ood supplies of Canada. That is where New Zoaland comes in, and my advico is for Now Zealand to mako hor products known in Canada, aud\secure tho Canadian market in buttor, eggs, choeso, and frozen mutton before it is too lato. Wo are distinctly Imperial in Canada, and there is only half a cent duty on Australian and Now Zealand mutton, as against four cents on Argontino products. ' You have a groat future market in Canada. Your exports to Canada, it is true, increased last year by 130 por cent., but though it is a big percentage, the total imported from New Zealand is still very small. You should make your products known beforo the demand is fully created, and then the Canadian public will demand your excellent goods. As I sco it, New Zoaland 'has no great supplios of raw materials to establish big industries except in wool, and her exports must continue to be' those which Canada will increasingly need." NEW ZEALAND MUTTON. "Mutton, in Canada, means old owo, and/poor old ewo at that, because lamb is too valuable to kill anything that will produce it.. We have only 4,000,000 sheep for 10,000,000 people, and you have 25,000,000 sheep for 1,000,000 poople. Wo have to hand-foed all our sheep in/ the winter, and if we kept the lambs we should havo to feed them in tho winter also.) Wo eat mostly beef and pork. We know Canadian 'lamb,' but we do not know Canadian 'mut-ton,'-,and nobody asks for it. In all tho big hotels, and on tho dining cars of tho big railways, people ask for ■'English mutton chops.' There is no reason why thoy should not bo educated to ask for New Zealand frozen mutton, and I think that your Government should appoint a New Zealand Trado Commissioner to look at'tor tho interests of your country while tho big demand that is inevitable for your products is growing in Canada." Mr. Hill was formerly Minister of Public Works for the Canadian province of New Brunswick, but is now in business privately.' He is so favourably impressed with New Zealand, which he doscribes as the "finest agricultural country in the world," that he will return next year with Mrs. Hill to spend four months here.