CANADIAN AFFAIRS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 533, 19 June 1909, Page 5

CANADIAN AFFAIRS.

RETRENCHMENT THE BIG GRAIN OANAL MUST WAIT. (By Tclograph.-^ProSB; London, Juno 17

Sir .Wilfrid Laurior, Premier of Capada, :has' ;infomed;,.Slr v R.' ; ; .W. .Porks's : English Syndioat©:-;. that . it; is impossible to • proceed with i tho Georgian Bay Canal scheme, owing to itlio need for;retrenchment,: and the de-t-ormiuation of tho Government .to completo .tho , Grand■-Trunk: Pacific ■ railway '.before entonng upon othor enterprises. .; .:: ,

(Rcc. Jnne IS, 9.55 p.m.) : ( London, June 18. Sir 11.- W, Porka (Liberal and Nonoonfonn« Ist membor of the House of Commons) has intorcbajigo of .Methqd-': isfc., prcaehers botweon Britain;: and, .Oaihada, and ai -schcme:. for the propor distribution- of Mothodist ifl Canada. — -\; iiitviiriii i. .i; BILL FALL IN REVENUE, DiriMcfi'f/ IFTO RO^M"' Sir K. AV. / Perks, .English" Nonconformist ■M.Pi, . and niember of - the:' contracting' flrin bf : C. H..;Walker »nd. Co,, .headed :au'English syn--dioate that:J)ropos6d : to build the Georgian Say. •Canal and to guarantee a bond, issue of .£20,000,000 at: ; Bi : : pe'r-eentl; Sir'; Wilfrid. Laurier,; Prime Minister Of Canada;, is personally' favour-, able to - tho Georgian Bay seneme, but some little -time .ago. he stated that: (he Government would,. have to. watch the finances and\ "would, not, embark'on, : any new onterprisesthis-yoßr." -Tho.' : Grind. I'jtunl;, Paciflo • raijway .'is au enter-. , prise that'.the,Gariaqian .Govorniuent ig already largely' involved: in:.;, An 'unlcaked, for :inoreasi)' inithe- cost,;of 'was caused by the ' unprecedented;- ilioreaie:: in ; the '• •of ' labour- : arid' materials .in i 1906 . : and. 1907, causing the prairie leeqtidn*-to --absorb;^,ooo,ooo ;above.'the estimate, and'the Canadian Government agreed to advance thw sum to tho Grand Trunk Bailway: Company -at i per cent., for ten yearß, on the. eeounty 'Of, the oompany's bonds.. Then, for, the year ended March 81, tho revenue of the Canadian. Government decreased: bv ifiZ,Boo,ooo, although the -.Treasurer was. atiU able to show a . surplus of .£300,000- Ho stated: in his Budget ihat, the lnoreaso in the net debt;was .£9 1 200,000, of wtuch JES.-iOO.OOO «aa for ;tho :; National. .Transcontinental ■ (Grand' Trunk) railway,and the Quebec Bridge. More, over, in addition ;to fihanoial the of' the route' of-xthe now ,'canal. isinpt settled.: Details of. the Geergian Bay i-outo have been already; published. The following from < "Tho Timea" throws 6o'me lighton the' other route:—. . ■ v':; ;'

|;<! "The. rospeotive .;merits of- two: undertakings !.of .considerable, importance'to Canada' have reopntly:'been discussed at: some length : bythose who should-be qualified to givo opinions,upon the 'subject., It'-seems |-to bo .a cerfaintyVthat. .before.very long the Canadian Government will be.- forced ' to' provide a ' deeper- waterway ■ be. tw.een Montreal ; and'the Great Lakes in order •.to:protect the-graln^oarrying'trade, which,has >ii6i»,'.' : becom«Vdl9K ; ,'a factor, ifn r 'the' industrial activity: ofvtheJcOnntry. •,Two 'alternatives are ,disoUEsed;- ; onb is, the oon'struction of. the Qeor-. 'gian - Bay Canal; which;,would connect: Mon- : I treal with Georgian' Bay by' utilising^the Ottawa ahd' Trerfch Kivers ; and . other • rstreams' . and-lakes, : the, other : aUernativo;tho deepening tho St. Lawrence , River, and : the lower: Great,-Lakes, j Owing to the personal interests of the advocates lof the: alternate routes, :.it,is not ;'a little difficnlt for the public to draw useful conclusions, but no- doubt the Government'..will not act until it. has had trustworthy data placed before it ."A prominent 'tr'aasportatioir authority has recontly publicly advocaUd' the improvement of v tho.. present route.: as. being .'more advantageous . than: the' construction of a new one. Ue urged tho prompt deepening of the Wetland Capal as necessity .to :the . control, of:- the situation,more espeoially in ■ view: of ■ tho 'expenditurb by the. United States :of- 100,000,000 dollars on improvements to tho Erie Canal, which are now under way.. The Georgian Bay Canal. woyld ■ cost 150,000,000 . 'according to. latcst reports,.land long-befQre.it could he completed the Enu Canal would have talten away the grain-carrying trado Canada now enjoyed. Tho ,-Wolland Canal could be enlarged to . the requisite dimensions for one-sixth the. sum mentioned, and tho work could be completed in one-sixth the time, so that Canada : would, gain,enormonsly'-by paying attention to the present route rather than, to tho proposed oho; In: favour 0 f his contention: it -is urged' that 'one of the most important factors of, either .route would be that it should, supply a return cargo for the boats bringing down the.grain. . Vessels proposed .Georgian Bay' Canal,; .would bo entirely .dependent upon Montreal , for roturn Cargoes, and would consequently '.obtain. but. a limited. supply, while those using, the present canals would not only have' the Montreal trade, but that of. various cities along the route, oa well as the coal trode from Lake Ontario and Lake Erie ports .to tho head of the lakes, which now amounts to overone hundred million tons per annum. , v "This authority claimed; that iin ouormons sum might be saved to purchasers of hard coal in the west by enlarging tho Wollaiid Canni, inasmuch "as eoaT'Cpaia <0, cents per ton at i- nk" ports than at Lake Erie; and larger boats could-go right; through to Ontario ports. At'pre6ent the canal trade is confined to 2000 ton boats, whereas if the canal were i large enough vessels of 10,000 tons could go through to the. base .of lake navigation; • The advantage ,of return ' cargoes is so' great.that vessels prefer to go to Buffalo at tho same rate of freight rather than' to Georgian .Bay ports', although' the distance is 300 miles longer. It is Riiggosted .'that the Welland Canal sjinuld bo deepened to 22ft. (at present tho depth is lift.), in order to accommodate voxels of the size which uso the : 'Soo' Canal—namely, of 10.000 ion*.' These boats could, go .through to the base pf the lakesl where'the'grain would be''tran«shipped ' to barges for transportation In ocenp vessels' at Montreal. Thus a longt hanl- without- a break would-he oecurod,-and' a large paving In freight would be effected." - "