A TRIP THROUGH CANADA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 27 July 1927, Page 2

A TRIP THROUGH CANADA

ADDRESS BY DR. GIBBS AT ROTARY CLUB LUNCHEON* Dr y is. Gi'bto; wm the* clue)' apoak•.v .\t the R.q'..i:}> i,*ui} fundi &>a lo'div and he gave a very in I crest; 114 h.ui hour's talk on his receni trip ilirougn Canada. The Doctor, who was accompanied by Mrs Gibbs, returned to Nel son but a few days ago.

The speaker said" lhat he left, Auck land and arrived in Suva, Fiji last Cowl Friday. He found the Islands very little'changed from what Ihey were 20 years ago,' which was a pity as there was room for tremendous improvement there. The Indians had obtained a strong hold and were gradually pushing the less energetic Fijiiins hack into the hills.

Another week at sea brought the vessel, to Honolulu, where the first signs of American civilisation were encountered. The speaker described the. Royal Hawaiian Hotel, an enormous structure that- had cost one and a half million pounds to build. The hotel was designed to look like an old Moorish eastle, but inside it left nothing to be desired.

The next stage of the journey brought the travellers to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, and noted as being the most English settlement in the whole of Canada. It was somewhat reminiscent of Nelson and was a great residential resort, besides being the seat of the Canadian Parliament.

A few horn's after leaving Victoria they were approaching Vancouver through its wonderful entrance "the Narrows" about as wide as the old, entrance, to Nelson. Vancouver in JBB6 had a population of 1500, while to-day, only 41 years later, there were from three to four hundred thousand. It was a delightful city and its whole development was duo to the Canadian Pacific Railway, which bad done, more for Canada than, all the governments put together. American architecture in the shape of large buildings was met with here for the first time.

Canada, was divided geographically into three main zones —western, central and eastern. Tne climate of Vancouver was very similar to that of Nelson except that the Canadian city had more fogs and a slightly greater rainfall. Lumbering was one of British Columbia's important industries, but besides that a tremendous lot of mining was done. The fishing industry was also carried out on a big scale. After giving interesting details of these industries together with particulars of the process gone through in the large paper mills the speaker said that he had been told that some of the largest mills might have to close down because of a glut in the paper market. British Columbia cut off from the Arctic winds on the one side and warmed by the Japanese ocean current on the other possessed a mild climate in marked contrast to that of the central prairies. Those great wheat-growing plains were swept by icy blasts during the winter, and conditions for the women and children living there were very miserable for six months of the year. Une remarkable thing about the wheat cultivation was that crops sown in June were ready to harvest by end of the following August.

The eastern states were the centre of Canada's industrial life, and one great problem of that part of Canada, was the Canadian-French element. Ninety per cent of the population of Quebec and 75 per cent, of the people of Montreal were French. These people were very setfish in their outlook and did not, consider themselves under obligations to either Canada or France. There was no doubt that they would in the future be one, of Canada's difficulties.

The trains in Canada were truly wonderful and the speaker felt that it was no use. inviting civilized people to New Zealand and expecting them to go away and say they had enjoyed themselves unless we provided them with greater travelling comforts. The service also was magnificent. Of course these tilings had to be paid fut but then you got value for your money. The hotels were too big all together: he believed that the Royal Oak Hotel in Wellington would fit into the lobby of an average Canadian hotel.

The people of Canada were a "fine hefty class" and the Western Slates had seemed almost like being back in New Zealand. The Eastern States, however, were becoming very Americanised, but the people there strongly resented any imputation that thev were bcoming like their neighbours. Dr. Gibbs made some interesting observations on (he practice of Prohibition both in Canada and America. Ontario, a dry State sandwiched between Vancouver and Quebec, both State Control, had found that whereas her neighbours had prospered and were, talking about taxation reduction and (undertaking huge public works, she was unable to balance her budget. Ontario had therefore gone "wet" and was at last financially stable for the first, time in ten years. Prohibition in the United States had been a great help to Canada by sending crowds of visitors to her ehiaf cities, thus enabling her to recover somewhat from the effects of the. War. In the States itself it had done the working classes good, but had proved bad for the upper classes and intelligentsia who could afford to pay a high price for "forbidden fruit." He had seen more drink in the American trains than in those of Canada, and it was taken quite openly. There were more opportunities in Canada for the man with only a little capital lo make good, but all were last spenders, which helped to keep things bright and moving. Further details of New York and oilier parts- concluded the talk.