OUR CANADIAN LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3244, 17 May 1916, Page 49

OUR CANADIAN LETTER.

(Fhom Oob Own Correspondent.) v OTTAWA, March 6. We have been watching with intense interest the bloody struggle around Verdun. Long before this letter reaches New Zealand the issue at that point will have been settled. At this distance from the conflict a sublime faith in the resistance of the French is general. They have done so nobly thus far. Then- marvellous artillery has not only filled us with wonder, but with confidence. Yet the Germans may blast their way through. If they do, however, two things are obvious: It will be at terrible cost in men, and they will have to rebuild the forts which they have knocked down. They can onlv scoro a victory if they smash the French "line, and compel our splendid, ally to withdraw to a new position. _ Even then they will be a long way from winning an important military advantage. They will bo 130 miles from Paris, and when they have shortened their own line they have also shortened the lino of the enemy. These are the views held here at this monient of tense feeling as the titanic battle is under way. By many signs it is easy to see that our people are daily feeling a deeper personal interest in the war. As the awful fighting lengthens out the seriousness of the interests at stake grips the hearts of all classes. One of the tests of popular interest is the increasing- readiness to do anything which will help the cause of the Allies. Every appeal for financial help is met with instant heartiness and liberality. The needs of the poor Serbians have touched the sympathies of Canadians very deeply, and many thousands of dollars have already been contributed to relief funds. Even the French peasant;-, who lost their homes and all but their lands, through the German invasion, have been given money to buy farm implements when peace comes. For the larger funds, such as Red Cross, the care of wounded soldiers, the maintenance of the families of men at the front, comforts for those in the trendies, and so on, the giving is on a rising scalo of generosity. In nearly every instance the response is far beyond the immediate demand. I could name scores of small places which were asked for, say, £2OOO, and gave £4OOO and £SOOO. At first the rural communities were slow to answer the general call for help. Now they are giving splendidly. There is no lack of money. The Patriotic Fund is ample for all possible needs durinar the current year, and the Red Cross Society has a full treasury too. The Canadian hospitals in England and France have been fully equipped, and now our people are giving financial help to such special enterprises as the dental corps which were organised last year. Fight or Pay" has been tho slogan here for months past, and it must be acknowledged that duty in this latter regard is not being shirked. It is aston'shina- what novel means have been devised for the raising of money. One man here in Ottawa, with a calculating mind, placed large boxes at about 20 street corners throughout the city, and called upon the people to deposit in them old newspapers and magazines—anything made of paper. Since that time it is the regular thing- to see men on their way to their offices or places of business with a bundle under their arm, which they leave at a convenient corner. The boxes are emptied once or twice daily. Tin's scheme has netted £4O a month so far. Quite recently the ladies of Ottawa conceived the idea of publishing a special number of one of the city newspapers. did all the work, including tho solicitation of advertisements and tho selling of tho papers, and cleared £BOO. The zest and good nature put into such efforts are mere coverings for the deeper feeling of patriotism' which lies beneath. It is quite obvious that we must prepare ourselves, as probably you are doing away off in New Zealand, for still larger financial burdens. The Minister of Finance recently brought down his annual Budget, and it provided for taxation in a form with which we have heretofore been unfamiliar. In a svord, ho asks all business men to share their profits with the Government. He proposes to leave 7 per cent, of all net gains untouched, and to take one quarter of all that is earned over and above. Such a measure was not unexpected. It has been received in a calm and philosophic spirit. The criticism thus for aroused has reference in chief to two things i the adoption of special means to prevent evasion, and the imposition of a higher rate on war profits. The Minister promises tho former, but has not made any statement yet with respect to tho latter. The matter is still before Parliament, and may be altered as to details; but the basic principle la settled. Just how much revenue will be gathered in this way will not bo known until next autumn. The tax is retrospective, and covers the year 1915. As an instance of what it means, it is pointed out that the Canadian Pacific railway alono will contribute £400,000 per annum,

Such a tax would have aroused a storm of protest under any other than the war conditions now prevailing. People realise that one supreme- consideration rises high over all others —the defeat of the Germans. "What matters if Germany wins?" is the paramount question on every lip. Hence the fine sjiirit in which the new impost has been received. If sacrifice can win the

war, then no one may say to what limits the Canadian people will go. Wo have had 20 years of unbroken prosperity, and can bear burdens far beyond those which have thus far been laid upon us. In fact, it would puzzle a stranger passing through Canada for the first time to find anything which would suggest we are at war, except it should be the regiments of sturdy fellows he would see drilling at a hundred points throughout the dominion. As I have said before, neither in the temper of the people nor in anything his eye could detect would he see a single sign of pinch or sacrifice. Germany has been misled in assuming that we Canadians are suffering because of our support of Great Britain. As the feeling of seriousness deepens in Canada the attitude of the people toward aliens grows less tolerant. A number of more or less alarming outbursts have occurred since the burning of the Parliament buildings here. In Calgary, for example, the soloiers, aided by hundreds of citizens, made a raid upon certain places conducted by Germans and wrecked them. Still more recently, in Berlin (which, by the way, is moving to have its unpopular namo changed), where there is a largo CanadianGerman population, a number of angry demonstrations have taken place. The Lutheran minister, it seems, had made some indiecreot observations from the pulpit, and, being a German from the United States, he was taken in hand by the soldiers. They gave him a bad scare, and he has gone back to the States. A German club, in which reposed a bust of tho Kaiser's father, was wrecked and the marble destroyed. At other points antiGorman troubles have occurred. The movement of troops across the Atlantic proceeds as rapidly as transports can bo had, and despite, the latest threat of the Germans to resume- their submarine warfare on a large scalo. These troops have had many months of hard training. They are composed of a fine type of men. The other day a parade of 18,000 soldiers took place in Toronto, and before many weeks are past they will, if nothing happens, be in England. Meanwhile, the daily casualty list tells us not only that we have three divisions on the firing line, but that the Canadians are actively engaged in the fighting. What wo learn from the all too meagre despatches from' the front is that our boys refuse to give the Germans any rest night or day. They are always planning great enterprises in which daring and courage are required. By May wo shall have 175.000 in France, and 100,000 in readiness to go there. The total enlistments to the end of January numbered 265,000 _ Tho movement for prohibition continues with vigour. In the House of Commons a resolution was recently introduced providing for the suppression of the liquor traffio during the term of the war. The matter was debated for one day, and then allowed to rest. The attitude of Parliament is to leave the question to the provinces, and to back up whatever legislation proceeds from that source. This should not afford the liquor men any comfort, since all the provinces, with perhaps the exception of Quebec, are- preparing to deal with the issue in a positive way. In Ontario 78 per cent, of the people have signed a petition for total prohibition, and tho local government has announced a referendum at an early date. The situation at this moment looks decidedly favourable to the abolitionists. Public feeling is ctrong and outspoken. One hears perhaps less of argumeiit nowadays on the moral aspect, but it is significant that thousands of men who are not total abstainers are strong in their declarations against liquor on the score of efficiency. These declarations aro not meant to apply to the term of the war, but to the future. Following the debate on the prohibition question, Sir George Foster (Minister of Trade and made a notable speech with respect to political patronage. This is a perennial subject; but just now it has been given a new significa-ice by reason ol the truce which prevails between parties'. Sir George said: "I have been in public life for 34 years, and during that time I do not know one case where political patronage ever helped the status of tho Bench, tho civil service, a member of Parliament, or the Government. On the other hand, it is always tho cause of dry rot which breaks out and destroys. I hope that in tho white light of the present great struggle the two parties will agree to do away with the evil. In 99 cases out of 100 any laxity in public virtue or any corruption is due to the baleful effects of party patronage." The press has given strong approval of this courageous attitude of one of the foremost and most experienced of men in public life; but political patronage is deep rooted, and is scarcely likely to disappear before a single attack. Yet the trial of war is breaking fresh virtues daily. By that road may come the richeet fruits of victory. Canada will be represented at a conference soon to be held in France or E.igland, at which the broad and important question of trade alliances after the war will be taken up. A great deal is being said on this subject in the press. It is recognised that commercial considerations lay among the basic causes of the war which Germany began in 1914, and it is now olearly realised that Prussianism will not be effectively crushed unless the Allies stand together for preferential trade relations. The heavy strain of a fabulous debt must be met by the conservation of the full commercial strength of the countries which have been resisting the Kaiser. This involves careful planning now, and the development of new and mutually helpful co-operation in trade. The United States has been openly chuckling, as though, without any sacrifices on her part, the business which has heretofore been done

by Germany, Great Britain, France, and other countries, with South America, Australia, and New Zealand, would fall to her. It would be unfortunate if that should be the result, and it is not likely to happen if the Allies get together in tha way v\ inch now seems probable. The constriction of Canadian trad which began with the outbreak of war, and beoamo more acute during the first year of fighting, is now greatly relieved. For ten months of the current fiscal year exports of domestio products show a gain of nearly 80 per cent, as compared with the correspond mg period of last year. The total was £120,000,000 in round figures. Import* also showed a betterment of £-3,000,000. Our aggregate foreign trade for the ten months approached close to the billion dollar mark, which rather suggests that it will come up to the- highest record by the end of the full

year. There will, however, bo this marked difference: Whereas hi the past there has been a large balance of trade- against us, this year it will swing fully £4S,yvX) ) GGO in the opposite direction. A phenomenal harvest and large war orders have caused thia remarkable increase in exports. Nearly half of the increment was made up of manufactures, and the difference is to bo found in agricultural products and animal {products. There is also a "strong foreign demand for certain minerals of which Canada has a large supply. Our difficulty, as is probably yours, since the outbreak of war, is ocean tonnage andfreight rates. Shins have been diverted in 1 large numbers from commerce to war ser* vice, and this has quite naturally led to higb rates of carriage by water. Out of this short* age, of steam vessels has grown a remarkable activity in the buying and selling of steamers. Despised and practically discarded old vessels have become exceedingly valuable. In fact, anything that can keep ailoafc and move across the ocean, however slowly, is now saleable at a fabulous figure. For* tunes have been made during the past year in the handling of such shipo. In some instances fairly seaworthy vessels have beea sold for twenty times the price they couki havo commanded two years ago, and the new owners have turned around and made the purchase price on the proceeds of three round trips. All this, however, is hard orn the men who have to pay the freight bills. The dairymen of Ontario nrado the besit return upon their work in 1915 in the history of the province. This was due to aa average price for cheese of 154 cents, aa compared with l3s in 1914, and to a favour* able year for pasturage. The production; was large. For the hist time in many years there was an increase in the number of milch cows. In the face of a rising demand for dairy products, the number of cows haJ decreased, and in this fact lay the chief causo of the exceedingly high price* which consumers have been called upon to pay. The Western provinces are working energetically to help themselves in this matter of butter and cheese, and the heavy decline in immigration has enabled them to get closer* to the meeting of domestic) needs. They are still dependent upon importation, however, for a considerable proportion of the local demand, and when the influx of settlers is resumed home production is likely to bo still more insufficient. It is in the Wes-fr that New Zealand butter has found its prin- ( oipal market in Canada. The lumber companies, which were hil rather hard during the first year of the war, are now doing a largo export trade with Great Britain and Fmice. Early last year the trade was completely demoralised . by a large advance in ocean freight rates, and, while transportation charges have since gone up rather than down, the foreign demand has created prices so high that busi-; ness may now be done on a profitable foot-., ing. The British Columbia lumber com< panics are in a bettor position than they have been for years, and the one drawback from which they are at present suffering is their inability to command sufficient ocean tonnage to make .ihipments rapidly. The pulp mills are also active all over the do* minion, and the prioes for both raw pulp and paper are high. These high prices are . in part due to the cost of chemicals, which have gone up to new levels sinoe the outbreak of the war. Notwithstanding high prices and the dis* turbanco and uncertainty created by war, the number of automobiles iti the increased materially during the past yeary Ontario, for example, had 61,000 in'WH,At the end of 1915 the number had risen? to 83,128. This does not accord with tha stories upon which Germans are .fed as to the awful state of poverty to which we have' been reduced by our foolish efforts to help England For the current ye.-u- it is esta<£ mated by those in a position to judge thai the sales will be nearly 5000 ahead of kwf year in Ontario alone. There is no reasort why it should bo otherwise. Business has re-< turned to a normal basis, with few exceptions, and men are everywhere making money just as they were doing before Ger*, many' started on her big venture of opn-t quest. This does not mean, however, that! we have settled down to let the war take its course. Far from it. Every day see( Canada more deeply in earnest, md mori determined to leave nothing und-me whicH, can ensure victory for the Allies. With an aggregate of over £'\jo.ooo off' soldiers' pay assigned to dependents and re» lathes, one of the problems which the war has cast on the Department of Militia il the regular distribution of thia money. 16 takes a staff of several hundred clerks to do it. Tho money has to bo sent to all parts' of tho dominion, and involves the keeping of 30,000 separate accounts. M**** cheques go outside the country. .The • problem of paying our huge army, .a home and abroad, has necessitated a vast organisation. At first there was confusion; bm experience and system have developed a fair degree of

smoothness The largest Methodist- Church in Montreal has turned the bae-ement into a bowling alley and billiard room "for auiybtidy in khaki." This movement has shocked soma of the straight-laoed members; but the majority are staunchly behind the pastor in hia efforts to counteract the attractions of ths saloon and other places where men in uniform will- not find either good company or good influences. Wc may here be getting a glimpse of the social aspects of the Church. of the future. As illustrating the aroused state of publio feeling with respect to aliens the New York Symphony Orchestra found it expedient duiv ing the past ; month to cancel engagements in Ottawa and Toronto, It was ascertained that this famous musical organisation had a number of Germans end Austrians among* the players, and a storm of protest- cross against" their being permitted to ente* Canada. In tho end the trip had to b« abandoned. The ruins of our burned Parliament Build- ; r ~ ? Vio-ro- been cleared, and reconstruction is «•< 1! under way. The original rAnn will bo preso~v;vl although fxpsrat-e build* incs ivill be orcvuko for the of Com* re ins and ihe Senate Thfe change will noS materially nl'er the appearance of tlie group af; it was b< tore the fire. A regimen! of woodsmen, 1000 strong, is heins; recruited in Canada far the purpose of : lying their craft in England. Their principal work will be the cutting down of trees; but what tho purpose may bo in a war sense is not clearly understood at this moment. Only experienced forest man ore being taken.