WHAT ENGLAND HAS MISSED

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 722, 22 January 1910, Page 10

WHAT ENGLAND HAS MISSED

;;HOW ;'raffi;.;AMEEICANS.. CAME IN. .'; Assuming ;that nickel' is •■ an : essential metal - in; the manufacture of armour■plate, and cannon; ■ and that there- is nb other metal that would exactly contribute that-attribute : to'steel which has brought .it into .universal-use , ; where arms and tho : man.areiconcerned,.:the cflhtrol'of , •■■'the supply .TTOuld .mean much to .tho nation fortunate'.enough to possess it. ; To go one .S.tepiurther, it' niokelbe. an absolutene.cß.isity in "the manufacture of war appliances, ..the/nation"controlling the-.world's is limited practically to the Outont. of. New-:Caledonia and , - might be - in.-the. .position.-; of ■ dictating. :tems , .:.to.:.tbfr'Tf6r.ld.-. , -:v-T ; h9.' ; whole'-sul)ject ■raised .by.-the cablegr.am;---and..-theUnction of Mr., tt. .H.-:Davies? (of. Karori) ■ inlong ago ; drawing.-thev-British'. [.Government's : attention to-it,-have;been-fully set out , in The Doirmtoif. ~.:■;•■.:''...'..: ■ ■-•■.:... J .-: , . ~;: .;■-.

Dreadnoughts and 'No. Boer War. i -. ;;• Mr.; .Bayies''-.states , -that' -it--'is boyond question : that if. England'-possessed '■-', a ..monopoly., over the' output of nickel , pro- : duced -in her. own: soil, Tier' supremacy on the .-seas; would never' havo -thleatoned; there,-would'have:.been■-no.riecessiW for:.the;, huge; expendihire .on her Navy and ithe.pTOcession': of iDreadnoughta/and the Of {the , .vmetal■-'.- in. ./question would;have : been-stopped.:. With.the-e'x-cephon;of OFrance;. (dependent on- New 1 Caledonia for her supply, of nickel), England would, have , no rivals.: , France oer;tainly:. T would' not supply 'Germany'-with' taken,;,Mr.;,Davies.-.claims ..that "■:there' wouW.; have : been: no; Boer ( war. i as' : the BoeK.>cottld.nbt have been." supplied '-with' -guns,:and^thousands,of ' Britwh. lives and puluons.of money,would'haTe'-bcen saved'; aM, ! .furtßer,;;'the<Dominions of-i-Canada and'Now : Zealand:'aridftho Commonwealth QfvAustraliaj .woinld'. hpti"be-:caUed on-' ;: tb .bear, .the ■■ heavy--■burden.: that.: '-v is ■ :t6"'Pbe-ttoust,on;them':iunder•-the-vriew,-naval defence . ecneme>.;iy:'Accordiiig'-tt'"-Jhe'-laKst' ■^feval;Annuali^ : :a;supply of nickel is bnb. J %.thpseyarticles,raVlarge-- quantifyj , - of •>hioh'mnst:,beiept:-in , ''stockitoThls-)fnr-' : :ther,6tren^thens : Mi;..l)avie'sV.thoory-that, ; hadithe/nickel-outputcofitho-world been' cpmmandceredi;. England'; :coiild".h'&.ve''- diC:tated:'a liesopotamia,':the 'word—Peaco/ " ' '■> ;-, -" : : j; The. honour;pf:discovering the, Canadia n; ; mines ;,to. ; a' f«Pendiary-magistrati;;-.ior.-ihisrdiStf.ic(?'in , ,1885.^ ; time ; in'.the bush■•by-hiniself,.and ■ iyhpn.he ; failed, to' turn-up.'at niglitfali.'as' yaa; his .custom;(a ..reDort' wasr.circulate'd to-.the' effect that he; was. lost in the bush.. 'I n ,\«i e ,. : morning'.'iearch'.pariies-'ivfeTe or-i ganised;'.ttnd : Judge, MTy T auchton.wnßdis-. covered ;seatpd : ' on "a smalf lmoll - deeplv ongrossedi k : in;; -: Jhe; :"'■: examination , -'■ of > ;i»'J;^ovitcrbppin5 s yellow ; 'metal which;; iooked- : like.. copper.. ■[■; This -.find s :was,"'■:'afterwards: ;•:'developed;': into;: the : ; ..:and as' far,Vas';;can l v : be.learned/was'. tHei.:fiistV;di!.cotery- of.-nickel ■invGanaaaV-^'r.'. , -''' , ';'"■: ; '-:;':r. -.■■■/;■.■ >> s .. A ; ■!-';The i?ws jiL.the : . discovery spread liko> wildfire all,ovei\ thei cpuntryj/and 'in'-a! ishbrt : time-the diitrict-;swarme'd Hrith* pros-:, pectors,-; many-..-important' outcroppings l being discovered.;,. In;J88G; Sir-.-Johuaiac: iaqnaW;Sir..:ChMte; : afipper;,.?iiv^flli4ih l :' l iiVan. ■;. : Stophen", r: - • ar.d (others whose BardW;wer x e"houselipld words : tOn account of 'their- connection with politics ; the ; new. ■. fields. :Here; was/ the chance. for Canadiah enter-; prise, and Canadian capital, bnt Canadian's failed, to -grasp: it, and through' dilatory methqaS '.or-financing companies,the rich dep_qsjts-fell , inia the.hands sf Americiviis.' This ■ of .capitalists .returned after.: visiting :the - nickel. discoveries, ■ and the only';; evidence,.-: of'their visit .remains in ; ,the chrislening. of, tho ;"Lady\ line-. donaWimirie.-. Powever, shortly, after: wards a>party ' of-^American'- capitalists from;' Ohio visited.the; claims' -and .appeared to. be very'; favourably, impressed' with what .theyVsaivV,:.They. may- -'have had'.- some vision ; of; the: future or'they may-..hayev-beon/; more: experienced -in mihirig'.matters./but/ithe"fact ■ remains they ..secured control :of '- the ■ district, and: made -millions f oa : their .'deal.' ■ :.',,;.; :, •

■peyeloped:'.fdrVCoppoi]. : » ; V '.; ■■ '■'■■'■■'■■"-'■:'. ', Judge Stevenson Burk, iThdma's. Cornhil, H. ; P. ;'M'lnt'ps # h, , . , , Payrie; ; -and. •offiers. frbrn Ohio organised', the Canadian" Copper ..Company,:', with v'of 2,500,000• dollars.-.; '-Ths/jf;'. at"'.,once' ':ctm- : meneod' '. and "thus; ! . it V.was ,Americans .isecured ,.the : greatest;: nickol mines. in...tHq' world.. Some'--are'.of,'the. opinion that' the, Americans."camo .bVer and stole■',;the , mines, while Canada was asleep. ;The Canadians.!may^havs'-.been asleep to their interests at.the time,,.but the; deal was, straightforward: and above-' board in every way; a simple case bf.bviy 'and.'sell, ;the Americans purchas-. in?;, prospects -the Canadians did. not consider, worth ■ developing. ' .In' 188G, .when. . tho -company was formedj nickel .was not what.it.is'tp-day.iand as the name of the company indicates, it was formed'for the; puTposo. of ■.' doyelopinß 'copper deposits. Certain discoveries.'iyorp ranue and onickel became one ; bf' the most useful metals, being : .'manufactured : from .tho -sing produced when i'tho,/copper : was ' smelted.' .Since'..lßß6:the Canadian Copper Company, has jjaid' millions of dollars m dividends, and Its' stockholdersi have.become "rich. at the.'expense,of the Canadian, capitalists jyho. w.ere not: sufficiently. long-sighted'to realise the great value of the discovery. '.It has been suggested, as a sequel 'to the Entente,', that. Britain , and .Franco Should, combina.to.'.prevent thofsalo of nickel; and. thus::stop..'the''race'iii Dreadhbughts. .•:';■ ■;■::•" •■'.:;-,\.^v!; : .?'.. : .Z, ■. S"}'