A CANADIAN PROBLEM.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 19 March 1928, Page 8

A CANADIAN PROBLEM.

LEAKAGE ACROSS BORDER. Returns ol' a census taken, in 1920 of the three Canadian prairie provinces occasion keen disappointment and again reflects the influence of the continuous drain by the United States on Canadian population. Two figures for Manitoba illustrate. '•.Manitoba iticieased from blo,llß in 1921 to b89,- • >sb in 192 b, an increase of only 4.74 per cent., as against a 10.1 increase in 1921 and the smallest since the first census was taken in 1871. The figures, which are similar for Alberta and Saskatchewan, show that in the five-year period the equivalent of all immigration and a portion also of the natural increase was lost. Obviously, it was lost, to the United States. And through the operation of the quota law most of the exodus consisted of Canadian-born. If Canada’s immigration programme is hanging lire, the western census figures supply some explanation. What, it is asked, is the logic of pumping in immigrants by the hundred thousand if they will only replace Canadians to whom the green lieids of tho United States look attractive ? figures on the “exodus” show that it declined last year, which is only what uould he expected in view of the hounding prosperity and rapidly—increasing production and wealth of Canada. Presently, it is hoped, an equilibrium will be struck and Canada will come into its own in population, his well as in other elements of progress.