PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2164, 15 August 1895, Page 42

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Canada.

Canada is of special interest to us just no.w, seeing that we are about to make a reciprocity treaty with the Dominion. A month or two ago an advance copy or two of " The Great Dominion : Studies of Canada," came to Dunedin, and I happened on one of them. It is written by G-eorge R. Parkin, M.A., who a couple of years since wrote "Bound the Empire," a very good book for older boys and girls who have not read widely enough to form a true conception of the extent and importance of the British Empire. He has written too a very good book on Imperial Federation. Mr Parkin's book on Canada is a very interesting one, but he looks at things too rosily. There is hardly a dark shade in the whole book.

Now I thought you might like to know a little about the Dominion and its productions, seeing that we are about to become closer friends. There is only one link missing now to complete the "red route" from Britain to Australia — in fact, from Britain to Britain — the cable from Vancouver to the Australasias. Even now we can travel right round the world on British territory or in British bottoms — Britain to Halifax or the St. Lawrence, across to Vancouver, thence to Australia, and Home again by the F. and O. or Orient line.

When Louis XV in 1763 affected to believe that he was surrendering but " afewarpents of snow," he knew better, but he had no idea of the important position Canada would hold in less than 150 years. It is big enough to comfortably hold a couple of dozen of New Zaalands, and its shipping, if I remember rightly, is about fourth on the world's list. Its extent of latitude — its Bhores are washed by the cold Arctic .current on the eait and the comparatively warm waters on the west— and the large extent that has a continental climate, give Canada quite a .variety of production. The soathern snowcovered lands of winter give grapes, maize, melons, and tomatoes in the summer. Bordering the United States is a wheat belt varying from anything to 500 or more miles wide ; north of it extends the forest belt, and north of that again the region of furs. Then its forests, coal, gold, copper, &0., make it largely a self-contained country.

CANADIAN WHEAT.

We know that Australia and India and BoMta sad tbs United Statei threw wb«l.

into Great Britain, bat most of us have given Canada but little consideration. Yet between) Lake Superior and the Bookies over 22 millions of bushels have been grown in » year, and Forfc William (or Winnipeg as it is given on the maps) bas sent wheat away id season at the rate of 1000 oarloads a week. But this is a mere fieabite, for it I* calculated that there are in Manitoba, Aasinibote, Alberta, and Saskatchewan upwards of 10(1 million acres of good or workable wheat land 1 , while only a hundredth part of that has been brought under cultivation. No wonder Mi Parkin airily talks of 1,000,000 or 2.000.000 of wheatgrowers on the Dominion's prairie.

But for all that, I don't think my young readers need be scared from becoming farmers because of Canada's competition. Wheat at the present moment is worth about 3s Cor 72c) in Britain, and as it costs— or did cost a year or so ago — about Is 8d to rail some of this wheat to the cargo steamers, 'yon can see that after ocean freights and commissions are paid the farmer doesn't net very much after all. And here's a significant fact : the yield I gave just now was for 1891 ; in 1892 it was seven million bushels less, and in 1893 and 1891 both also give returns less than for 1891.

We have our drawbacks In harvesting, but I think farmers are worse off in Canada, Unfortunately, hailstorms are bo common that there are hail insurance companies, and what esoapes the hail often catches the frost. No. 1 hard Manitoba wheat is pronounced by experts to be of the highest class, bub unfortunately there is a No. 2 ; and after that frosted wheat, which 1b sold 30 per cent, under best market rates ; and frozen wheat, which is 50 per cent, below. So wheatgrowing in Canada isn't all beer and skittles.' Farmers, however, are beginning to see that it is preferable to Bell the low-grade wheats in the shape of pork and beef than as grain. - \

PLOUGHING- AND SOWING.

Owing to frosts and the long winter, wheatgrowing is carried on under conditions different from ours. The summer being short, the grain must be harvested as soon as pos- • sible or it will be frosted or frozen. To this end, " the moment the harvest is off the gelds the plough is turned on-, and it must be kept at work until stopped by the freezing of the ground. Then with the earliest April warmth seeding begins. Nowhere does the first fortnight count for so much. Farmers onoe thought it necessary, as in other climates, to wait till the frost was out of the ground to begin sowing. Now they sow when barely an inch or two of ground is thawed sufficiently to allow the seed to be covered. After that the lack of spring showers, go common in the west, makes no difference, for the frost as it thaws furnishes moisture to the roots, while the hot inland sun forces on growth with great rapidity. Thus the frost which threatens the wheat becomes also its salvation." Parhaps after that Mr Parkin might not be so enthusiastic on wheat-growing in Canada. He must have suffered some qualms of conscience in crackup the Dominion so much, for in another place he says of wheat-raising : " With a good season, large crops, and a favourable price the profits lrotn a few hundred acres of wheat must be large." I suppose some of you are inclined to ask, When ahall those threa factors meet again 7

BEEF, CHEESE, AND TIMBER.

Bat if we need not fear Canadian competition in wheat, I think we have occasion to do so in beef, pork, butter, cheese, timber, and coal. Canada now sends 100,000 a year of live cattle to Britain, but the United States sends 400,000- half a million between them; and steamers are now running that carry 800 head each. In 1881 Canada sent somewhere about 22,000 tons of cheese to Britain, and the United States about 73,000 tons ; while in 1893 the former exported over 59,000 tons — or over 53 per cent, of the whole of the British imports — but the latter had declined to 36,000 tons.

Timber, as you know, by the reciprocity treaty is to be allowed in free — that is if the treaty is not modified. And why Bhquldn'fc it ? And now I am going to Btrike off at a tangent for a moment. I have taken a glance through the evidence of the witnesses before the Tariff Commission. The report is about 500 pages (very much larger than foolscap), and I didn't see the name of a squatter, farmer, day labourer, clerk, minister, teacher, miner, domestic servant, lawyer, doctor, editor, and a score or two of other sections of the community. Representatives of them may have been examined, but I didn't notice •their names. Why. weren't they ? Are they not "necessary portions of the community! Couldn't we do without many of the classes represented before the commissioners better than without these ? Then when a tariff is being tinkered with, why weren't all represented ? Why were the few who have] axes to grind and money to make at the expense of the community consulted ? There, now, I've let off a little steam ; but what's that got to do with timber 7 Well, you see, the sawmillers are up in arms, because they are afraid that Canadian timber will come here and bring down the price of our timbers. And why not 1 Why should I as a farmer pay a high' price for protected timber when I have to sell my wheat and cheese and butter and beef and wool and whatnot in a freetrade market at freetmde prices 1 I sell under freetrade and buy under protection. A man who has his,industry protected makes a profit in his protected industry and benefits by shotting out outside competition, and at the same tima buys a farmer's products at freetrade rates. Is that fair ?

After all, I think I had better leave timber until next week, though I don't know that I shall say much about it then ; but I have one or two more items about Canada that I think you won't be the worse for knowing.