CANADA AND THE EMPIRE.

Waikato Times, Volume 87, Issue 13269, 26 August 1916, Page 2 (Supplement)

CANADA AND THE EMPIRE.

(By Frederick Stubbs, F.R.G.S.) The part that Canada is playing in the great war is so prominent and honorable that I feel sure many read- , ers of the Mail will bo glad to learn I more about that groat British Dominion. My own knowledge was gained in the course of somewhat extensive " travels in the year 1914, partly after ' war was declared. 1 am afraid that ' few New Zealanders realise how vast a country Canada is. Its area is near--3 ly one-third of that of the whole British 1 Empire. It is a.s large as the United 8 States; twice the size of British India ; J 80 times as largo as the United Kingdom. and almost as largo as the whole I, of Europe. It is true that much of „ the territory is incapable of eultivaj tion and unfit for human habitation; ,f bow much is at present unknown. But when this in allowed for, Canada is capable of supporting, and .some day I* will mipport, a.s will Australia also, , ; an immense population.

Up to a period which any of us can remember well, what is now the Dominion of Canada was a series of separate colonic-. They owed allegiance to a common Sovereign, and that was all. They acknowledged no allegiance to one another; each worked for its own interests only, regardless ol the rest. Then came the I'nion in 1867, which united them all in one Dominion, with one supreme Parliament and Government. The name Canada is Indian. and was originally applied to the nl- - of the St. Lawrence Valley only

where the first Kronen settlers inado iheir home: now it includes practically die whole of the northern part of North America. It is a land of rocks and forests, shaggy with primeval woods; a hind of innumerable stream--, ol L'rout mountains baring their rocky foreheads to the winds: of vast lakes and magnificent waterways. When I

vtood on tho banks of tho Niagara , Unor. and wa> told that one could , take :i boat there and sail in a straight lino for 1000 miles, when I steamed on the -'i'(-'t lakes which contain moro i t1i..,,, halt tin- fresh water of the globe, | 1 began to understand what an import- | niii 'feature of Canada her great water system K Beside* carrying her commerce for thousands of miles, it affords an oinormous amount of electric energy, producing some 1,600.000.000 kilo-watt hours (equal to the production o\ some :tfi7.OOO,POO tons of eoall, with transmission lines spreading over the border, 773.000.00!) Uilowatl hours being transmitted to I'.S.A.. whilst, in addition ro this, much hydro-electric energy is generated for dome-tie consumption only, there being stations at Montreal, j Ton.in i Oneboe, and Winnineg. It | n anticipated that 5.800,000 hor*,-.. j power will lie ultimately developed a::d : ! ii-o I I'oi nianufaetnri s, etc.

iIKH ( OMMF.IH K. <•,)!!, mi. i : i.ti importance ol ( ani;,!, a 'ready :i ui■ i i it- j>m . p<l : < I 111;11 (•('itMuain! ihe attention ot tho ! ~I V u,,!•:<!. Tho value of lie:' i '1 trade 'ii wa> liearlv C'-'iii.ndii.n:):!. J |!, r , -ports to .OMII.OfM. | Hi'!- imports vn>ti Lriily speaking) nvro r J i,i i';i),i)iii >. I, i-iy- >r Iter exports | i,,-,. m L'i l"' u:mi i ■'h). Mi l- t'noil proj , v.viv valued ju L'-V>.(KK) nOO. She I u ~i' 11>»» world's l;iru«*st pnul'icor* I ... |„ hn mi£ in H'l") :?•'>! ii i'» I i :!-}i< I•- he>ides :*Vi.(i!Hl.()m hitsllf '• oi I oats aivl .10.000.000 imslioU of har- ! j,.. ||, r iinilwrs yield €3i .OiiO.OO'l. ! i , i]v hail aonm Oreat | 11oh :ir,! -;i el iii.i'ml'iHTiirrs amounted I j<• j - |,, V -J.") i r ifH I! l() ; tOKTIifS t'> , I r-;7.(H ! i.D'.i 1 ). I'pou Iter wo depend i j|v 'llj' oiir paper : the V\ anal>oe | 1 aii'me re.a'l!ll v hioii-J.t 32'«> ton*. Dur- ■ ill.. ia<t 1- U'.oiitlts she has inajlo ] ' | HM.oo't a Jul her war orders lor

t|,,. \i lii - r! i< v.'iir ;iro oxnootod tr> ( I £> >Ol <!.!)(i't. A i'iicx tlint i< <>t j. ; 11; p, 1 i iinv M in Nr\v Z:\-oaml i-1 ! (ji',l s!:>' ;i:l iMloortor <•! uifiit. wool, in;• 11 lint t■ r. It: K'l:l ,-lic iinp<v'tr<l 7.niiO,OOUl.'i t■ t hustrr from Now Xort- ! (all: (la hr. - over 8.000.000 1)00- | i oniv •j..">00.ooo ,',u'ci>: nsri"iIn'-:; 1 ' 1 i:> -• •.Oxni: 7,000.000 r>coiO.< ••• ml ! I'jM.iiO'i.Ono bluH'p: ami, ilie UritNh j In • 111 "* .'ill intuicii-t'iiTers. 11 if!' 1 -l'oiilil 'if ;i spli'iifli'i 11-,-mIo fl'ino 'nHWi cn | A sistral.i -ia and Canada in this iiom ! niono. I f!KU PL ACT, IN THE F.MPIRK.

Tin- above i.H't-'. go to show thai in ,:.,. LlV ai brotherhood oi nations c-all- , ,1 (').' I-Jriti<!i Empire. Canada i> lii - '-• ;,, s i>-,o > I territory (ilnnrJi nearly euualled l>v and with a pre.,Vt population of over 8.000.0(10, h:ds i';iir !n'!(ii' ill is century is "tit l " '"'" t'usi in the number of it* inhabitant-. SI;,, has raised 2."0.1!'i0 troops f ; >r she war: i veryonc knows how magnilice-iMy they fought at Ypre*. whore. Gonial Kroncli declared, they saved tlio snuaHun The recent war loan. subsci;') <l !, v li.r own ,-n,,!,, not tod £20,000.0fM. She rolusod to n-k V. land lor ton ~-ionov. Even the poor Indians 011-toil to rai-o ■' regiment for ovorsoa service. and oontribntod C 300:) to the Patraue Fund. , ~ After tra\ oiling thousands o mile-,. • m-(1 conversing with many ol the pr.lvli(. men. 1 have no Imitation m ttiyiii'* ,hn t Canada'., r.soivo is to ronram within the British Empire. She hn* nndouhtedly boon courted by 1 ne:o Sam and many advantages would ft-- ..,.„,, ;,, |,,.r by joining tlio great Republic Within her own borders t'o "'■ wn«. hall n dozen year, ago, a small party favorable to such a union. Rul j ;,p.rx'ars to me that Canada has tlefinitolv decided to remain British. She ~ not compelled to do so; she is a sr'.Faoverrina; Stare: her ehoiee is a tree one nut her sentiments and idoaK as well a* her pride of rare, incline j.,.,. to Britain, and the vnsl sacrifices she has. made durimr the present war, her sons fighting Reside and pouring out thoir hlood along with ours, has set the seal upon her decision. After all that the Canadians have done .and snt(Vrcd in order to preserve the Empire from the Teuton onslaught, they can never desert it. Tt is their Empire as well as onrs: they themselves hare voluntarily paid a part of the price. \, Sir Robert Borden, then- Premier, U'irl—"Wlipn En-land is at war, Canada is at war." Tt is remarkable that the British North America Act, which granted the confederation ol lh« Canadian provinces, and which both Gladstone and Beaconsfield thou slit meant separation, has been the means not onlv of making her a unit, but also of .strengthening her desire to remain distinct from the other great AngloQftxori eommunitv across the border. FrAt realise all that this means politirnllv It. means th-t the other nortioiis of the British Empire may count on her svmpathv and support in then development and protection It means that not onlv will a kindred people, thr United States, defend the freedom oi Canada from foreign domination, but also that the United States will havr the aid of Canada, and therefore -M Groat Britain, in any attempts mactc upon her own territories. It mean* that four English-speaking nations. viz the United States, Canada, Aiistrai'ia. and New Zealand, having tlw same language, literature, and ideals will Eiwd the rights and liberties ol the Anglo-Saxon peoples iff the 1 acme It is surely a significant fact, unprecedented and unparalleled, that .the 4000 miW of boundary between the tMted States and Canada is undefended on either side, showing plaint to the world how strong the bonds oi sentiment, ideals, institutions, and intcrests are felt to be. > THE MELTING-POT. Canada has her own problem* tt solve. First there is the-immipratior difficulty. Canada wants population and has successfully laid herself out fr get it, yet it will take mucjb time anc patience to weld into oiie the varied elements that aire now WuWWmg within great meltingapot. Thousand; arrive JfcracticaMy destitute, rowed the roonev for their pw«age

French do in Quebec. In British Columbia Orientals »bound*--ißndas, Chinese, and Japs, and more are knocking at the gate. Even now the foreign population, is almost equal to that of British origin. There are 170,000 Jews. The problem is how to weld this heterogeneous mass of peoples into the life of the country, and to make good Canadians of them, with Anglo-Saxon ideals and institutions.

THE RELIGIOUS DIFFICULTY. Then there is a not inconsiderable religious difficulty. In Quebec, e.g., the French population holds power, and the Roman Catholic Church is predominant. Many wish Quebec to bo separated from the rest of Canada, and to become an independent State. The priests have encouraged this idea, and have discouraged emigration to other parts of the country or the immigration into Quebec of any hut Roman Catholics. They fear that unless the French Catholics are kept apart from the Protestant population the church will lose its hold on them. And so, whilst Quebec does not wish to be governed by anv other Power, neither is it particularly enthusiastic for the realisation of Imperialistic ideals. Even during the short time I was in Canada there°was a good deal of friction between the Unman Catholics of Quebec and the sturdv Protestants of Ontario. U the feast of Corpus Christi the 6-">th Regiment marched in the procession with their side arms and rifles, against the order of the Minister of Militia, yet the Government dared not take action. In this war. happily, the French-Cana-dians are almost entirely with us. SCARCITY OF WOMEN.

Another difficulty in Canada is that so many are flocking into the cities, just as'they do this side of the world, 'instead of remaining on the land. Labor is scarce, too, and women. Many young men cannot get married because 'there Tare no available women, and so they toil on alone, and directly things "o against them get discouraged. ° ln°ccnchiding this article, let me say that Canadians as a whole are anxious to be neither American nor English, but just Canadians, with English ideals, institutions', methods of government, I ore. There is a strong temperance sentiment in the Dominion, and. as a whole, the people appeared to me more relieiouslv inclined than in either Australasia or the United States. It will he a strong, vigorous, temperate. Godfearing race that will grow up in Canada They will not be as plensurolovinc as'the Australasians, and will hare to work harder. But they will be healthy and prosperous, and, let us I hope, not less happy.