OUR CANADIAN LETTER

Otago Witness, Issue 2902, 27 October 1909, Page 10

OUR CANADIAN LETTER

(Faou Otra Owir Cobsespokdent.j OTTAWA. Auzuefc 2.

The proofs of commercial and industrial strength in Canada are now so abundant -•aid substantial as to leave no doubt with i cspecfc to a genuine recovery from the < 3pres3ion which prevailed last year. Fcr ■ "o first four months of ths current Ssea! . -a.- the gains in foreign trac'« ever 1908 •• -p farge and general They aggreeru •-<? 5,000.000 in round fig-ures. If this move- > -ont is maintained it is certain that both nports and exports, but particularly the '.Iter, a*, ill establish a new record. * This •cum to buoyancy is reflected in the railay statistic, which show a large decrease . the number of idle cars, ai>d a con!erab!e increase in earnings. It is m#:.liicant, too, that all the larger lines show i\ decrease in. operating charges, and a rorrespondinjc betterment in net income. Ths cause for this is no doubt to be "found in the policy of economy which was forc-?d upon the railways early in 1908, and which had the effect of staying the upward tei<-<2-?ncy of wages in all branches of employment. The increases had been constant, and en a scale beyond the larger earning power arising from the handling of a swelling traffic. . There have not bepn any reductions, on the contrary there have been some enlargements; but, on tho whole, the cutting down of numbers, hds ha<3 the effect of producing stationary conditions among wage-earners on railways. Notwithstanding these conditions, which in largre measure -apply -to all divisions of industry in the Dominion, a very larjre and serious strike is at present in progress among the ceal operators in Nova Scotia. Thousands of men have been idle for four weeks past, under C'rcurostano23 which ar-3 t'oplorable. In this instance, as was also Ihe case last year, when 5000 mechanics in the employ of the Canadian Pacific railway struck, the issue is not over waefjs, but union control. Tho situation, even in ih'afc reprard, is unique; for the struggle s actually a fight to a finish between rival unions. For years the miners in Nova Scctia were identified with the Provincial Workmen's Association, but for some time the National Miners' Union has been gaining in strength. The former is a purely Canadian organisation, while the latter is international iv character, although havi*s: its headquarters in the United States. When the National Miners' Union had a majority of members it began to insist upon absolute sovereignty on Canadia/* soil. This claim was resented by the local body, and' the strike was called on for the direct purpose of bringing the clash of unions to an end. Thus it is that, w'ni'e the foreign organisation is arrayed again.=t the Dominion CoaJ Company _ over some unimportant point in controversy, the Provincial Workmen's Association and its members are standing: deiermin-edJy by the company The strike had not gone far before violence was imported into the strucr<?l< j . This was inevitable. ;n; n view of Ihe nature of the conflict. Thereupon 500 soldiois from the garrison at Halifax were sent to Glace Bay to_ preserve order and protect property. Military government has pre--*.-a-i!^*l for -tliT^e-a -weelcs pa^fc in -tKefc 'H--trict The mines in the meantime ha\" been operated by a reduced staff, at almcso ruinous cost of production, while continued idleness, despite the financial aid which comes w^kly from the United States, hns brought iHe pinch of poverty into hundreds of homes. Skilled miners earn larp* wages; but they are not, as a class, fruyal. They are. in. fact. notorious for their wasteful indulgence in luxuries Hence Ihey were unprepared for a courv of risri-l self-denial. They were easily led into outbreaks of rage, and to jneasuras of destruci ion. Houses - have been blown up by 'lynamile, and many cases of assault ha^ o occurred, always with the result that tho law has been set in motion against them. Scores have been arrested, and several severe sentences have been imposed. The company has recruited its staff from other point*, aided by the Canadian Union, a.n.l at this moment the signs all point to tbo defeat of the strikers. The whole affair is nicst unfortunate, and is in direct consequence of our continuity to the United States. The strikers have" lacked the baskessential in all such controversies — public sympathy. July was a warm month. The morcury did not on more than two or three days cress 90 at an} point in Canada ; but the mean noon temperature was steadily in the upper eighties. This maintained sunshine, with timely rains, has made <he harvest a certainty. Indeed, in Ontario sprWis: wheat, has already been thresh"'! and marketed in several favoured localities. In the western provinces, where tie grain crop means everythinsr, this is th? month if danger from frost. When th» wheat is in the milk stage two or thn<» f r 2grees of frost is always serious, and ihoiisand3 cf husbandmen will rWin« tho next, two weeks be watching the weather nnditic-ns with constant anxiety. A yield of 120.000.030 bushels is looked for, and Ihe price is expected to be better than for >ears past. The success of the eron of 1909 will have an important bearing on the class of immigration which is just now desirable. fhs 12th cf July celebrations passed off nuietly. There was a time whp.n both the nth of March and the 12th of July wore <'i\is whan considerable disorder might bo. Bloodshrd was co.-r.mon, ar<l r/e*\ murder has occurred. Education, however, arxl a bsitrr uiKtersfcamoiing have very l.^iterially moJified the feelings and pre-udice-s which weiv? once eiven free play, "•lelative-ly. the Orangemen are not as jijtiieio-is in Cana<b us in day* gone by, ;.r.d th»r* hat- possibly conip about a olumge of attitude towards t.he Church of Rome. At all events, a spirit of tolerance isto-dav in evidence whioh was eniir-ely lacking 30 o:- 40 years ago. This situation was 6trikingly illustrated in the adcVcSS of T>~ A. W. M'Rae. Orange Grand Masi/jv c Xew Brunswick, at the celebration in**-^ John this year. Amotis other things ,J> the side of liberality he ft id: "I have hesitation ki saying that there ar-a ftatc■nieirtis id the accession oath for which I can find no ju.<*tifica«t!on in the history and literature of the Church of Rome, and which I believe misrepresent that Ghuich, it* deotrinee, snd tl>e beliefs ot its comir.union. I know that my view is not in accord with that of many members of this order, but I have no hesitation in saying that were I member of the Parliament of Britain I would be prepared to support a modification of the oath of accession, whioh, to my mmd, would be quite satis-

factory, ar.-i insult no one, and no religion, if it were phrased upon ihe line- of the coronation oaths." Such an utterance from a nian high up in the Or?nge Order, and a-cidresed to Orangemen, is significant cf an important change in seatinient. We hays been accustomed to inflammatory speeches, filled with sweeping denunciations of everything associated with the Roman Catholic Church. It mrfy be thai the assertion of a calmer judgment m relation to principles has brought about existing peaceful conditior.s where once there ■was bitter si rife. The Imperial De^enco Conference ie still in progress, a-nd Canada is repre-er.tsd by two or three able men. The proceedings have been kept secret : but tb?re really ha» r.ot been any ccen cr genera! interest in tho meeting on this iicl-s of the Atlantic. Canadians are too busily engaged m building up their commerce and national rceouroes to give more than passive attention to t!ie deliberations taking pla-co in London. It might be entirely otherwise if the Empire we.rs believed to ba in any degree of danger ; but it would be a sh«e"r misrepreeent-afci-cn of Canadian sentiment to *ay that we have shared in a serious way the vlarm which seems to have prevailed ;n the Mother Country. This attitude of ras.*h ity must no!", howover, be undei"stood to i'.id-oate intlift'srenoe. Very f°r from it. Tho re never was a time when the he-axt of Canada throbbed more warmly with *he instincts of loyalty to Great Britain than now. Should on emergency arise the response would bs prompt and decided. As to that ther-a need be no doubt. At this moment the call from Great Britain appears to ba for direct contributions to Imperial d^fence, and, while Canadians are sincerely ready to do their full d-Jty in that regard, they prefer to select the form in which their help shall be given. Instead of contributing dir?ctly to tho strengthening of tho British navy Canada is clearly disposed to establish a ra\y of her own. The action of New Zealand ie admired here; but our peonlo feel that in adotrting a different policy th?y arc exhibitinsf precisely the sanio spirit. The motive in each case is identical, ai d the result must also be. It is all a question of form. Canadians want to help ; but they want to do fo in their own way. And tho underlying incentive in this position is the desire to retain control. A .navy established in Canada will be part of the institutions of the country, supported by Canadian dollars and manned by hardy Canadian seamen. Such a defensive equipment, would be as thoroughly and effectively at tho spr\ ice of Great Britain as though the ships were at Portsmouth, in charge of British ofHceis and manned by bluejackets frcm Enjrlis-h training schools. In other vo:<K Canada is net hesitating about flic cosh hut nvn-elv at tho way of e\-pe»<]:ii<r hor money. It would be a supreme pity if this ixv it ion should bo misunderstood in the Mother Country. It does not b»trav a)3athv or fe^b!ene=s of sympathy. It eimplj reflects our sense of self-containment in the premise-. It is the demonstration of our attitude as brothers rather than children. One of tho domestic problems in Canada is the distribution of nam o nroducts. PiotaUy in no va.* t cf tlie vorld <Jo <: i-- elain cias=^ of fruits grow to such perfection as on tbp Kb 2:11 a Peninsula— that tongue of fertile land running southward between Lal.e Ontario awl Lake Ei ie. It is virtually a -\ast orchard and garden, in which apples, p]un;s, cherries, berries, prrapas, and i>?ache o grow in great abundance and of the finest quality. In that district the distribution of fiuit to the markets lying contiguous is dons chiefly by plectric railwiys, the power for which comes from Niagara Falls. But "the western provinces produce little, if any, fruit. The shipping of apples and grapes presents no difficulties; but the ca:o is otherwise with regard lo other and more jx;rishab!e fruits. Tin demand is very great. This year carload lots of strawberries and raspberries have boen sent to Winnipeg in cars ventilated by crm- | pressed air, and the success achieved fhows this sv?tem to be superior to ordinary methods of refrigeration. Western consumers have for the first time cmoy/xl tho luxury of small fruits delivered" to them in a statn of conu>arati\e freshposs. Tliis npw market for the Niagara dUtri t will Ijc cvc^edingJv valua!>lo. British Columbia Mipphes the far west province of Alberta ! wit-) o-Mf-'iin clasoos of fruity in reason; ] but tlia distance from tho Pacific coast to i Winnipeg .= greater than fiom Niagara to that point by se%<-ia! hundi\d mL'cs. Ontario alono produced £5,100,000 worth i of inincrals la< year. Fiher came first 111 i c.-dor, with an' output of 19,401,021o 7 ., while ] of nickel the production was 10.175 tonThe low market price for siher mado tli" retursi for ihat metal but 9 116,003<10L I : , the -.\iiole Dominion the outij.-l r,f sih — was 22,070,21207, which, added to tU sHwm min»d in tlie United States reprcsonf, 70 ' per cent, of tho voild's ].> eduction. Tin volume of silver marketed la-r yc.tr was [ millions of ounces in excels of the record for 1907; fo tliat the perinatifnfv of t'i" ' Cobalt camp may be lporardod a- ft>,ur--«d. ' Ihoie has beon g-ieat actnuv it, 1 l, a t di^-- ! trict during- the turr^iit suinitioi ; b.it to > fome estent sj>°culi.ti\ » int?,c-t 111 shares has become quic-r. Sihnr i< now found over a wide aiea. iimi ths no\oSiv which attached to Cobalt at the oui-c-t ha^ passed . a'.uv. We are tliinkintr more about wheat ju~' now than silver A proiiiinent Mmistoi of the Crown returned the other day from an c-xtended it rip in tlie West, and whilo ' away he endeavoured to sound local ojn'nirn at various point-; O n questions more or less at issue. Speakinpr with a farmer on the | prairies, who happened to be a British ] immic-rant, he asked him what ho thought i the Government should do in the way of ' helping tho Imperial navy by building' Dreadnoughts. '" It isn't Dreadnoughts we J want," came the instant reply, '• it's more i box cars-." He had in mind the immediate noods of the West in connection with the iJ'L*irent of wheat, and his state of mind j >r the subject probably reflected tho clings of people in the East with other irods — that is to say, needs that are personal stand in the forefront. As a matter of fa^t. Canadian railways are doing a very great deal to meet the demand which this particular settler uttered. Not only are thousands of additional box cars being provided, but nearly 300 new elevators have '• keen erected since last year. Saskatchewan alone now has a storage capacity of that character aggregating 24,000,000 bushels. Canada has the airship craze. Dr 1 Graham Bell, the ir.ver.tor of the telephone, has been working for two years past on. \arious forms of aeroplanes, and has succeeded in developing a machine which ha«

already taken a number of extended flights. | The Government has taken an interest in the matter, and ai rancements have been made for a series of tests at the great military camp at Pc-tawawa. Other inven- • tors are also at work on flying machines, ! and Canada may be said to be contributing her shaa'o to the experimental situation which just now would seem to be world- ' wide. The question of l>etier roads in rural districts is receiving earnest attention, in many parts of the Dominion. Fanners are ' coming: to see the economy of expenditure ' in that dir-Setion. and organisations exist in various parts of the country for the carrying on of a general educational campaign. Improvements on a large scale are under way in inanv of the more progressive rural municipalities. Coin-cirlentally. the care of city streets has come to be a live topic. During tho summer months the cost of sprinkling is very great, and is regarded as being neither sanitary nor satisfactory. The tiee of crude pretroleum i s being; tiied, and thus fcr fh-e results have been encouragirg. Iv Southern California thfs m-eihod of keeping rlo-sva the <lnst, and

making better highways, has been in jsx for eaveral year's. Canada is proud of the success of liex rifle contingent at Bisky The marksmen have just returned, laden with prizes and honours. Ko fewer than seven Canadians were in the final stage for tho King's prize. It is expected that the organisation of cedet corps, as the result of Lord Strathcona's splendid gift toward the annual ocst, will greatly stimulate interest in rifle p-raetico. The Government eysteca of -annuities has made- a fair start. For the first S3 veil months the sales have aggregated £4-1,000, and applications are steadily increasing It is confidently expected that as the essential features of the system become known the fund wil] run into millions. The Government does not make any considerable contribution to the revenue, and the plan which lias been adopted must not be confounded ■\\ ith the philanthropic measure which hava been adopted in England and New Zealand. It is rathar a form of Government insurance en a generous scale. Death comes to men in strange ways. The other day a scaffold fell in Montreal, on w hich a FroacK-Ca-nadian named Ara«de

• iLtimaire was working. He was a devout ! man. a>i wore a c»-ucifix Oin in length next his body. Although he was otherwise. uninjured, the crucifix was driven into his heart and caused instant death. Mr Georgse Horrigan, a prominent citi- ; zen of Port Arthur, became separated j from his companions 10 days ago during a, i hunting: trip in the woods. Hundreds turned out to search for him, including two or three companies of militia Af ' the end of four oi five days lie was picked : up by a lake steamer, which he had signalled, many miles from where be was lost. He had subsisted on berries, and was unharmed This was the first tima in Canada the aid of the militia had been invoked for such a purpose The drownings during the past month" have been so numerous as to bo appalling 1 . Every day many thousands axe engaged^ in boating and swimming, and Natalities are' constantly occurring There have also been an unusual number of deaths from .lightning. During the past month a numbsr of monster lawn bowling tournaments have been held in various sections of the Dominion.