OUR CANADIAN LETTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14715, 24 December 1909, Page 8

OUR CANADIAN LETTER.

(Fnoa quit ows Corbesposdbhi.) OTTAWA. November 1. 1 10 month of October'was characterised by balmy weather. At a football match two weeks ago men sat with their coals off, and ladies found tho warmth there was a ir.omenlary flurry of snow "a few days ago, but the crvsfalline flakes melted as they struck the ground JNotmng approaching winter conditions has yet appeared, which is rather unusual. -In some years severe frosts set in about October 20, and snow falls in some do«rcc in seven years out of 10 before this date. On the other hand, weather just such as wo are haying now has continued, with short breaks, right up to Christmas. Unalians do not like such an autumn or winter. All interests, including those with respect to health, are best served bv cold and snow. October is the month of apple-packiu* filld Clder-niakmg, and this year the con" ditions in this regard have been fairly satisfactory. Winter apples are not large m sue, but the crop is of average propertions. Canada, without doubt, produces the finest apples in the world-tho richest, 111 flavo-ur and the best keeping. Owin» to an increasing demand and a more or less stationary production prices have been relatively high for some years. In the immediate neighbourhood of the Ontario orchard counties the cost is 6s to 8s per barrel, but in outlying centres the retail price runs from 12s to 18s. Of course, in the West, which grows no fruit of its own, the long railway carriage adds to these figures materially. Curiously enough Ontario apples arc often sold in London' Ivngland, at a lower price than in a city like Ottawa, which is from 300 to SCO miles from the orchard areas T>'- is because the packing business is largefy in the hands of exporters, who ship in lar«e quantities. • ° In the handling of fruit our farmers and orcnard owners Rave found it both convenient and profitable to market on a co-operative basis. The plan is not pr-o. cuely the same as that which is applied to

cheese and butter, but it 'lins some of its essential features. It is rather a pooling system, under which the product if individual growers is assembled nt marketing centres and subjected to a grading.proc3ss. This is [omul to be advantageous to both buyer and seller. The apple business was in a demoralised condition until Parliament passed an act compelling the primary packer to mark his name on the head of cncli barrel. This enables the buyer to obtain redress in the event of inferior fruit being found in tho centre of tlte barrel, as was often tho case years ago. It was quite a common practice up to about IS9B to place two rows of fine apples at the top of the barrel, and beneath that to pack cullings. This all but nuued the export trade, and certainly damaged the domestic business as well. The Government employs inspectors to see that the Fruit Marking Act is obeyed. Una of the bulwarks of our mueliyaunted system of British jurispiudcneeInal by jury—has received a series of shocks of late. Walter .P.lvthe, a vailwav sectionm.™ living; near Toronto, beat his wua to ctcath about a year H» was convicted and sentenced to°l» kneed, ijis friends Mkl counsel- a „ a after several reprieves tba condemned man was grantcu a. new iral, on the ground that the judge had not charged the j;tyv to the effect that Blyths liad been drink--1113 when he committed his brutal crime. Un Ins retrial this point was given such emphasis that a verdict of manslaughter was returned.

Other causes of popular unrest have conic to the- surface- during the rust month. The Government has announced its intention of asking Parliament at the iortlicoHiing session of Parliament to sanction a primary expenditure of £4,000,000 for the i)uiklii!|; of a Canadian navy, 'and £600,000 annually ibr maintenance >» either the West nor Uast folly approven ot this proposition, although 'it mav he safely assumed that it will bo carried' into effect. Tho West is asking for lar«e sums for general development purposes, and seems to -be afraid that this largo outlay will interfere with its plans. In tho East there is a- strong feeling in favour of the purchase of all branch lines of railway and making them a part of the Government .system. In that quarter, and- for the same reason which influences Western sentiment, the navy scheme is not beiii" •enthusinsueally received. Loud murmur"mre are therefore beirif; heard at both ends of the Dominion, but they may bo based on defensive considerations rather than any real spirit of opposition to the policy of the Government. In fact, the Imperial sentiment is so genuine and deep in Canada that this idea of a domestic navy is practically certain to prevail. It could not be safely predicted that a- proposition to hand over the same amount of money to tho Mother Country for expenditure on the navy at Homo' would have found the game measure of support. Howover, Parliament meets hero next week, and the actual state of opinion will'soon thereafter be learned.

Meanwhile the peoplo of Ontario aro much worked tip ovor the discovery of new and promising goklfieids in the northern liart of the province. Cobalt has already paid out £3,000,000 in dividends to the owners of silver mines in that district, and an appetite has thereby been created far the more alluring prospect of judden .riches as the result of gold finds. Account seems not to be taken of the'fact that many more millions will have, to be taken out of Cobalt before the profits equal the actual outlay. The spectacle of a score or two of persons having made fortunes is sufficient to convince each speculator that his turn may be jiext. In this last case the. gold is in quartz, and that means largo capital before any return can be had. Nevertheless there has been a big rush to the new fields, and in the spring many mora will dare the wilderness in search of got.';. The mineral productions of Canada are growing in volume very rapidly. Nova Scotia and British Columbia are at present the chief sources of coal, although Alberta is getting in 6hape for a large bituminous output. Ontario is coming to the front 'in metals, and for the past six months the actual shipments have been as follow;— Arsenic, 1519 tons; gold, 7410z, silver, 11,234,3820z; cobalt, 262 tons; copper, 3741 tons; nickel, 6027 tons; iron ore, 87,738 tons; pig-iron, 211.583 tons; and zinc ore, 200 tons. The value of these minerals is set down at £2,150,000, which is a.tfain of £108,000 over tho corresponding period of last year. When to (Ms. is added tho gold of ths Yukon, the asbestos of Quebec, and the coal of Nova Scotia, tiro aggregate-! .'or tho year will run into many millions of pounds sterling. / James Heyden, an employee at Hyman's tannery, in London, Ontario, came to bis death two weeks ago under extraordinary circumstances. A hide in the hands of a fellow-employee struck him on the front part of his neck. He had been recently shaved, and the skin was tender, and broken in spots. Next morning his face and neck were greatly swollen. He was removed to an hospital, but the swelling continued, aii'il he died at the end of a day in terrible agony from acute anthrax poisoning.