CANADA TO-DAY.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 6691, 23 August 1919, Page 4

CANADA TO-DAY.

CAN IT BE ANNEXED? RELATION WITH UNITED STATES. A distinguished Canadian, writing to a Now York Journal, refers to the proiposed annexation of Canada to .the United States, a question that is frequently cropping up. The writeT pointß out that, strictly speaking, the United States has already tried to '' annex'' Canada by force of arms, tire© times, to be exact, each timo with signal failure, a fact that most American histories ignore. But the only people who really believe the "annexation" scare are the English, and then only because' they are imperfectly acquainted with the facts.

From the English point of view there is, of course, a very real danger in this "Amerieanisation! of Canada.-'' It has taken them a trcinondous time to realise that Canada—or, for that matter, any part of the British Empire—is mot a duplicate of England. English people are prone, the writer holds, to regard their overseas dominions as "colonies" rather than, democracies, and it really needed the war, with its hundreds of thousands of " colonial" -soldiers diffusing themselves all over the British Isles, to reveal the fact that these clean, bright, happy young men. came from fully developed civilisations that were apparently self-contained, self-respect-ing, and fully developed, rather than yearning, wistful appendages useful only for sending the black sheep of the family to.

In the case of Canada, the lines of departure from the original stock are, perhaps, the most accentuated. Australia, an island continent, colours the whole Pacific atmosphere rather than aibsorba any other environmental colour. South Africa is bordered by inferior races who exercise bo cultural influence •upon the whites. But 'Canada, the strongest card and senior partner in the British Empire, is to "American" for the average English taste. CAN ADA IS LOST IN ON'E SENSE. Why the English are afraid they might lose Canada is 'because thoy realise that they have already lost it in one sense. They have lost it to the American spirit—or let me rather say, to the North American spirit, for I cannot see that the temperament of North America is any different on either side of the 'international boundary, or that it would I have been different oven supposing j Canada had the hundred millions population instead of eight millions.

Canada ami the United States exchange merchandise to a very considerable extent. The two countries also exchange men. Any large American city will yd eld its quota of good) Canadians, most of theni apparently holding down good jobs. Boston, they say, has more Xova Scotians than Halifax. Lord Sh-aughnessy, until recently president of ou<o of the richest and most powerful industrial organisation® in tho world, the Canadian Pacific Railway, though now a naturalised British subject, came from Milwaukee.

During the last 10 years, out of a total immigration into Canada of roughly •>,300,000, over 35 per cent, were from the United States. During these years BSO,OOO Americans entered Canada, slightly more than- the total number of British immigrants (taring the same period. Since August, 1914, European immigration has practically stopped, but over 200,000 Americans — mostly farmers —have during that belligerent interval shown their faith in the British 'Empire, and their disregard for the foolish German propaganda that strove in many parts of the United States to stem this tide foy disseminating "news" that American fanners emigrating to 'Canada would be conscripted to fight England's .battles, and have their farms confiscated) to pay for them, 'bv crossing that notoelous border line between. Minnesota, NoTth Dakato, and Montana, and 'Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Americans now form 40 per cent, of the total forodgn-borm population of Canada. And to show what Americans feel about it themselves, 42 per cent, of all American male® in Canada aver the age of 18 are naturalised Canadians —a higher percentage than in the case of any other nationality except tho Danish, a very negligible factor. It would seem, therefore, that, rathw than Americans '' invading' 1 Canada, Canada is 'busily engaged in "Canadianising" Americans. THREE NATIONALITIES.

The only possible reason why Canada, might to annexed) is its heterogeneous population'. Where 'the United States has Miily one political consciousness—i.e., American —Canada has ait least three. First, the native English-speak-ing Canadian stock, mostly -descendants of those "United Empire Loyalists" who shook the diust of the United States from their shoes in •disgust after I that affair of 1775, and' 'emigrated to Canada 'because they liked 1 George 111. There are thousand? of these. Secondly, the French-Canadian's of Quebec Province, descendants of those hardy explorers who Kadi already established settlements in Oanadia before the Pilgrim Fathers sailed' from England. England "won 'Canada fooan France in 1759, and with it these French-Cana-dians, of whoan there are-now over two I millions. Thirdly, the British., immigrants, of whoim-there areabout 800,000, [mostly prejudiced'ini flavour, and loud in praise of Greait Add ito these a possible fourth party, ~the vforeigmIbons, ineludiing the Americans. , Bftah party has ita -own ideals,,and theories of political endeavour, out. of wMcb come many clashes and internal reerimdnaitionß that uxwkir, some cireum* ,stances 'would: be fertile ground fo? &

verTpow3r?ur''a!u^ f THE WAS RECORD. But whether Canada wants to leave the [British Empire let its war record show. Canada was not, as most Americans think, automatically at war as 90'ons as and becauso 'Great Britain was. On j tlio contrary, 'Canada had to go through the formality of asking Great Britain -to accept its assistance, it did this on AnguSt 4, 1914. The first Canadian contingent of 3ii,000 men sailed iu October, 1914. By voluntary enlistment Canada raised 4tiC,ooo men, ■by I conscription 10S,000, and to the Royal Flying Corps, the naval force, andi; various Imperial forces it contributed 21,000, a total, plus 15,000 British and allied reservists recalled to join their own colours, equivalent to nearly 8 per oent. of the total population of the country. These figures do not iieludo 2500 Canadian nurses. Since the war 'began the Canadian Government has 'borrowed in domestic war loans 1,436,000,000 dollars, or more than four and a-half times its not pu'blic debt of 1914. In war loans alone Canada owes each of its inhabitants, every man, woman,'and child, about 192 dollars. A member of the firm ivho is contemplating retiring from it does not usually quadruple his investments in it! Canadian casualties amounted to 218,000, n'early 40 peT cent, of the furee. responsible.