A VISITOR FROM CANADA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2857, 16 December 1908, Page 12

A VISITOR FROM CANADA.

* SHORT TALK WITH BR COULTER. The stranger that is within onr gates at always an object of interest, and more especially so when he happens to be an. ardent Imperialist, and on official of high • standing- in the big-sister Dominion across the- Pacific, like Dr Coulter, the Canadian Deputy Postmaster-general, now on a Twit to Australasia in connection with the proposed farjnation of an- " all red " route. According to the tene,t of the law of the - unexpected (which is said always to happen), . Dr Coulter appeared with almost miraculous eeddennesa in the thick of the crowd! on the 2nd at ' the Gore show ground. Dr Coulter seerhed keenly interested, and appeased to be taking mental notes. "Bqmmdmg you of Canada?".. «sked our representative. "Tnafe. just what'sr it's doing," he said,. with a. start, " and let,, me tell you, sir, that this, is a typical Canadian country crowd — Ontario tor preference. We call these functions ' fairs,' not ahowß, over in, Canada, you know, but everything- else is the same ;' the style is the* same, and so are the people/ ' - " Dr ' Coulter, though" confessing to scorching over the country in a motor car, said New Zealand was quite big enough, and would, continue to be quite bis enough for.eoime ye&rs. The people would come all right. They had come to Canada, >but then Canada stood on the world's., i raain ; , thoroughfare, whereas New Zealand was 'a. little bit out of the track. What New'Zea-^ land should do was to get on to one of the tracks, or, rather,' to bring- one of such to her, and this could be done by means of ■ a certain liae. " The ' all-red ' route; ofc course," said our reporter. "Ie it coming, .and when?"!, "Oh, - it's coming, £ think,".,, said tbe „ doctor, "so are quite a number .of, things.; but as to, 'when,' L think I'd prefer not" to anaxts-r tihafc question just now." " Dr Coulter went on to say that" on hia recent visit to Sydney nothing had been effected owing to the resignation of the Australian Prime Minister, but he was going back again when the threads had 'been "• picked vtp again. Meanwhile, he was tak--ing a look round with Mi- J. K. Logan and •' Mr Charles HoweHs, of linercairgiil. Dr Coulter expressed himself, (cre&tly '„ taken with the ,<"ountry he. had.s«en t .j.H/a" looked east aa<l west, where, the ooujitry „ lay flat for miles and miles, till the greeny touched the blue. He lopked north to"' where the mountains up. Queenstown' way rose rugged and ,<iistinctl "My word-," ■ he said, " Tlike your plains.'''- • v- • Dr Coulter had aome intereetmß- things to Say concerning bhe-siinilarttrf oxieX&ng'between the people of Otagd- and oi -certain Canadian provinces: • -. He, pointed out with some enthusiasm ho w -both } °*d . epjung from the eetzntt, stock, and how' (unlike tbe-j United States) the. races had not been mixe^f,^ Canadians, never did, like New and the doctor advanced. j?et another reason why; and this wae because of its hnmidity. Their climate being ' distinotfy dty, the Canadians'* naturally do 'not reel ait home in- a. moist one. even- 'though'- the Hudson Hiver rings with broken iee t or a blizzard has piled snow 'over -first floor windows. Evidently; Dr Coulter considers that the two Dominion® «houLd .join, hands across theeea, and belieTesr though- he never said so, tb<at both; ; countries, are ,"ohipa of the old block."