OUR CANADIAN LETTER.

Otago Daily Times, 27 April 1906, Page 6

OUR CANADIAN LETTER.

(FgOll Oim OWS CORRESrO.VDENT.)

OTTAWA, February 28. Tho unusually ■ mild character of tho winter has been sustained during the past month. There were good grounds for the exportation that wo should feci something of familiar severity as the month ot January was disappearing; but the experience lasted for but three or four days. Within 7A hours, however, there was a. fall in tho temperature of GOdeg-from W above to 18 below zero. Then mild weather followed, every vestige ot sleighing was thawed away, and rains fell instead of the accustomed snow. Our people for many reasons prefer. clear awl cold weather; but, apart, from considerations of taste and comfort, it will l>c a serious matter for our lumljcring industries unless considerable snow tails between now and tho break-up at the end of March. In a northern country everything is thrown out of gear by the absence of northern condition;. The importance of our forest interests may be gathered from the fact, that for seven months of the current fiscal vear our exports of that class agrcgakd £4,600,000, showing largo gains over the fame period last year. Without genuine winter eondi. tions this industry will be imperilled. Tho volume of snow provides the water in tho spring by means of which tho logs are carried along on turbulent streams into the rivers. Thence they are borne in many instances hundreds 'of miles to the saw'niills, where they arc cut up into merchant, able form. As civilisation is pushed took into tho wilderness we are losing tho picturesque novelty of the lumber camps of long ago, which had their own traditions, their own laws, their peculiar amwemen's, their romances, and their tragedies. The most distant camp nowadays cannot bo many miles from a railwav. although far from the mills. At this moment there arc many thousands of hardy fellows in the forest awaiting the spring to bring them back to their homes.

Tho lumber industry, however, has been no less prosperous than other branches of our foreign trade. For the seven months referred to there was a betterment oi £9,000,000 as compared with last year. That is equal to the best showing ever made in a full year, and indicates tho surprising advance* being scored by the Dominion. At this rate we shall pass well beyond tho £100,000,000 mark by June oO next, and realise a gain of considerably more than 100 per cent, within a decade. The principal increase for tho current year has been in exports, which have- exceeded the imports by a substantial margin. We may not la'ko any stock in tho balance of trade view, but we like to see it in our favour, all tho same. It, is probable that higher values account for the main result as much as volume- of trade, within tho nasi year or two. Wc arc certainly getting good prices in foreign markets, particularly for our farm products and it is impossible to sayhow loni; theso will keep up'. A large factor in our prcsnecls is the settlement of the Western provinces. Just now tho outlook [or a large" immigration is most encouraging. Shiploads of settlers navo already arrived, many more are on tho way, and the movement for the year must be regarded as having merely begun. Tho homestead entries in the west for January were much the largest on record, and it is apparent that a scramble for desirable land will probably soon ensue, Tho railways hold upward.,' of 30 tiiiln'on acres, and the Dominion has probably 70 millions more to givo away. The railway Jands are selling at 10s to £3 per acre, which prices will inevitably be increased as settlement lakes place. Nevertheless, there is room in those western provinces for a population of many millions. On this capacity rests our hope for the future. Already we have had to adjust our national plans to a new ami vastly enlarged 6calc. We have more territory suitable for settlement than is to be found in the Western Stales, and it is not unnatural that we should measure our possibilities by what, has been accomplished across the border. As an integral part of the Empire we shall be able to demonstrate our colonial strength with effective, force when wo lave a self-contained population of ?,0 millions, and a production of surplus foodstuffs sufficient, to inset the full demands of the United Kingdom. If we do not realise this within two score of years we at least believe we shall, and in the meantime like to talk a-bont it. We are making satisfactory progress toward that end, and. at tho same time, are _ grappling intelligently and j. heroically with the problems created' by our rapid expansion. i

We mean to borrow from and bo helped by the experience of the oilier colonies in nation building. In this connection it is worthy of note that w;e are exchanging military officers this year .villi India and Australia. Our commercial agents are pushing their efforts in many directions, and a.rc sending Home valuable and helpful reports. If there is anything in your methods in New Zealand which is likely to bo of assistance to us, we are talcing steps to find it out, and if there are any Canadian products we can soil you incidentally, so much the teller. Trade is what we arc looking for, and we are not dependent upon immediate profits far the maintenance of our efforts. On the oilier hand, our growing markets are open to the people of other countries, fellowcolonists preferred. See to it that New Zealand gets a fair share. At opposite sides of the Dominion a fight for tho rights of women has taken place during the month. In a- previous letter reference was made to Hie capricious way in which the Supreme Court of New liriiswiek refused to permit .Miss Mabel French to practice at. tho bar. The narrow view of tliese judges was not allowed to prevail for any serious length of time: for a week or so ago the legislature of the province passed an act giving to women all tho freedom that might be desired with respect to the learned professions.- Out in British Columbia, however, a feebler spirit of chivalry seems to prevail, for a. bill, aiming to confer on tho women of tho province the right to vole was rejected. Public sentiment in Canada does not appear to bo ripe for the consideration of tin's question, and tho situation is apparently controlled by a. general feeling of apathy. Our * women arc themselves cither indifferent, or opposed to larger political responsibilities being cast upon them. Women arc funny, creatures, anyway. The other day a rather prepossessing young Swedish girl was convicted in the Montreal Police Court of haying stolen sonic wearing apparel from her mistress. As sentence was about to he passed a young man named Brown, _ a respectable and industrious mechanic, stepped forward and offered to pay any fine that might be imposed. " Arc you in love with the young woman " asked the magistrate. "I am smitten to the. very heart with her at first sight, .and I do not want to see her go to prison," was the quick.tcplv. "Do you really love the girl?" persisted the magistrate. " I lovo her with all my heart," was the answer. "Would you marry the young lady?" " I would marry her on the spot, if you would liberate her."

The young woman was wi'ling, and after an adjournment of a fen hours she and the smitten young Canadian were solemnly married in the courtroom.

Less satisfactory, but tinged with the same colour of romance, was a wedding which took place about the same time in connection with Police Court proceedings at Winnipeg. The parties were Russians, and under circumstances connected with tho old, old story of imprudent love, Dcmytro Tchyo'jf was given a chance to marry Maije Wowkp; 0; go to gqoj,- fle tsks^i

marriage. Under the. watchful oyo of a detective » marriage license was secured, and tho couple adjourned to the Church of St. Nicholas. Here, according to the ancient custom, both the contracting parties were asked if they were satisfied with their choice. This. question is always asked at the church' door, aud both parties replied in tho affirmative. The marriage was then solemnised, and tho twain pronounced man and wife. Whilo tho woman on her knees was offering up prayers Demytro did somo more hard thinking. He had obeyed tho mandates of the courts, and feared them no more, therefore he made a bold bid for freedom, and rushed from tho church at top speed, and made good his escape. Both these incidents give point to the social conditions Hist now prevailing in tho western provinces. Men arc naturally and instinctuccly the pioneers of a new land, and women fo'.low slowly. Thus it comes about that there is a. lamentable dearth of marriageable young; women in tho recently-settled districts. This situation is illustrated by tho letter of a pastor in tho Edmonton country, in which he says:— "Tho Grand Trunk Pacific survey runs through our township, bringing favourable prospects for tho future. At present nothing is lacking but a carload o[ young ladies, and if thero should also be a fenwidows among them we are in a position to placo such." The Salvation Army is trying to meet this need, hut, unfortunately, the supply is not equal to the demand. This situation is all the more regrettable when it is realised that in the East there aro tons of thousands of eligiblo young women, whose prospects of wedlock are discounted by a steadily declining marriage rate.

The lot of those young women who elect teaching ,13 a means of "livelihood is, however, improving, lit rural. districts they aro still poorly paid; but this is offset by tho fact that the cost of living is low, and the calls upon the teachers' means few Mid inexpensive. In cities and towns thero is a general movement toward bettor salaries. In Toronto, for example, tho minimum salary of a. lady teacher has been fixed at £80, with annual increases of £10 until she reaches a maximum of £170. Jlalo teachers receive a minimum of £140, and pass up to £200; while principals may reach a maximum of £400. Inspectors are even much better paid, and in some instances attain to £800. Of course in fanning districts tho conditions are not so favourable, although the relative view should not lie lost 6ight of. Speaking of women, we have at least one heroine filling a large place in public admiration just now. In connection with ".he wreck of tho American steamer Valencia, off the coast of British Columbia last month, which resulted in tho loss of 133 lives under circumstances of the most, tragic and (lisfrcs-'ing character. Mrs Patterson displayed an unselfish devotion to duty which places her name for ever on the scroll of honour. She was the telegraph operator at tho nearest port, and wishing to do all in her power to help the lifesaving measures hcing. undertaken—for there were scores adrift on rafts, and many more huddled on desolate shore poini.s,—she remained on duty for seventy hours without cessation. This sorvios included brave and strenuous work on tho beach as well as at the key. She will ho rewarded by Governmcnt—as far as such conduct can 1» rewarded.

Iu connection with (his wreck, a heartbreaking incident has just come to light. It. appears that tho two handsome daughters of Mr 11. L. Rowland-Mabel Edith and Luier May,—of Los Angelos, together with Roy Hazard and Edward Hammond, all young people unrlpr 22 years of age, and children of well-to-do people, formed n doublo_ elopement party. Their destination was Vancouver, where they wore to I.e married. _ They travelled under assumed names. No hint as to their whereabouts came to those in Los Angolos puzzling over their mysterious disappearance until Hazard's father received a letter early this month in which his dead son made full confession of the elopement plans, and stated that "by the time this reaches you wo shall be on tho Valencia and on our way to British Columbia." Tho letter was left by young Hazard with a friend at the San Francisco dock to be stamped and mailed. This friend forgot his commisiion, and tho letter was not mailed till after the Valencia had crashed on tho Vancouver Island rocks.

Owing to the political system under which our magistrate is appointed, wo do not always have the law administered by men of technical qualification. Up in the Abittibi country, through which tho new trans-continental railway will nass, tho representative of a Montreal fur honso was found with 775 beaver skins in his possession, contrary to tho game laws of the province. Tho offender was taken before a magistrate, who reasoned that the possession of each skin was a separate offence, 'therefore, on llio basis of £4 per skin, he imposed a fine of £3100. This the culprit refused to pay. The alternative fixed by law being three months' imprisonment for each offence, this marvellous magistrate then solemnly sentenced the guilty party to 185 years in gaol! When the facts were known in Montreal an appeal to the Supreme Court was heard, and tho sentence was reduced to a fine of PA.

This story from the backwoods brings to mind the fact V\at in the very neighbourhood where this magistrate imposed his 185 years' sentence, a plague of wolves is b?ing experienced this year. The animals aro fo numerous that, an Indian cannot be got, to travel after dark. Recently a redman was kept in a trees nil night by a pack of wolves. The Government, pays a bounty of £3 for every wolfskin brought in. but this does not seem to improve tho situation. The extraordinary number of wolves is said to be tho result of doer being unusually plentiful. A serious situation developed in the city of Belleville, Ontario, two weeks ago. A gas main was discovered to bo leaking 20,000 cubic feet, per day. fnio tho sawcr, and for some time the lnak could not be located. In the meantime tho citizens were greatly alarmed. The ignition and explosion of such a volume of gas would be sufficient to causo immense damage. After days of searching the point, of escape was revealed, although not until several of tin searchers had all but lost their lives by suffocation. A sensational robbery took place in Vancouver on the 10th of the month. During a heavy fog a thief threw a brick through a. jeweller's window, snatched up £4000 worth of diamonds and other gems, and made off. He was seen by a number of pedestrians, but they were so surprised by the audacity of the act that tho maw was swallowed lip by tho fog "before they made any allempfc to interfere. No one has thus far been arrested, and it would appear that tho daring thief has got safely away. A farmer named Kelly, living near Buckingham, in the Province of Quebec, has been committed to stand his trial for causing iho death by cruelty and neglect of a lad placed in his care by t/.e Catholic Immigration Society. The whole story is one. of base inhumanity. Happily, such instances are rare in a country where hundreds of immigrant boys and girls are annually iriven homes among our farmers. The ' abounding prosperity of_ the Dominion has led to the rapid multiplication of joint stock companies. The fees for incorporation papers, as issued bv the department of the Secretary of State, amounted to £1000 10 years ago. Last year they reached £24,000, or more than enough to pay all tho fixed expenses of the entire department.

The campaign against patent medicines was given a fillip by the Governor-General in a recent speech at Montreal. Karl Grey said that he had sent some of these nostrums to a chemist—notably Pcrunn,—and the analysis revealed 40 per cent, of proof spirits as tho principal ingredient. His Excellency spoke strongly and warningly on the subject. Tenders for upwards of 1000 miles of the new trans-continental railway have been called, and work will be proceeded with at once.

Queensland wants our seed wheat. An order for 500 bushels was recently received, and will bo filled by .the selection of the host varieties grown in Manitoba. It will be interesting to observe how our grains behave in a tropical country.

Insanity is on the increase in Ontario. The province now has 6213 patients in asylums, showing an increase of 65?. for the year. There wore actually 1130 admissions ■n 1905. which is at once a painful and startling fact,

A vigorous, but useless, discussion has been provoked by the Tccent evangelistic meetings of the Rev. Dr Torrey in Toronto. Dr Torrey preached a material hell and a personal devil. Other clergymen have differed from his views.

Parliament meets on the Bth fast. Ne.xf year, owing to the clian?ine of the fiscal year, the session will begin in November.