TRADE WITH VANCOUVER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1535, 3 September 1912, Page 8

TRADE WITH VANCOUVER.

IMPRESSIONS OF A VISITOR,

UNANIMOUS PRAISE FOR NEW ZEALAND PKODUCTS.

Discussing his recent trip to Vancouver, Air. J. G. Harkness, secretary of tlic National Dairy Association, says ho was agreeably surprised with the importance and size of Vancouver. The population to-day is estimated at 150,000, and it is increasing at the rnto of 20,000 to 25,000 a year. Wlicn you remember, said Mr. flarkness, that in 188G practically the whole of tho then existing town was destroyed by fire, and that in the last ten years the growth has been from 30,000 to 150,000 inhabitants, it is striking evidence of the business enterprise of its people, and tho general development that is going on in tho Western provinces of Canada. At the time of iuy visit, he added, evidences were' not wanting that Vancouver was in an exceedingly prosperous condition. The general opinion ol its business men was that the city and district were not boomed, hut, said Mr. Harkness, whan you considered that probably every third office .in tho leading thoroughfares is a real estate a gen fs, you have soiuo ground for assuming that the city and province were being pushed for all they nro worth. ,A City of Great Possibilities. ■ Reverting to the destruction of Vancouver by fire 20 years ngo, Mr. Harkncss said that practically tho only tilings left on that occasion wero the town site and a great future. So far as the latter is concerned, it is being realised to a certain extent at tho present time—Vancouver is undoubtedly a city of groat possibilities which have not yet been realised. Within the next twelvo months it would bo the terminus of tho Canadian-Pacific liailway,' tho Canadian Northern Railway, and probably tho Grand Trunk Pacific. Two of tho above-mentioned lines will be completed within thoabove period, and while the Grand Trunk Pacific will have its terminus at Prince Eupert,'it is anticipated that in the near future a loop line will be taken south from Edniondton, which will practically make Vancouver the terminus of three great rnaiii lines, opening up new territory, and bringing vast areas of the hitherto ' unproductive valleys ; and prairies of Canada into touch with tho outer world. This must give an enormous impetus to trade generally in Vancouver. One other factor which will make the North Pacific coast of America prosperous will be tho completion and opening of tho Panama Canal. It was definitely stated, said Mr. Harkncss, that this will bring Vancouver 6104 miles nearer to Liverpool than the present route, via South America. This in itself was expected to influence the diversion of an enormous amount of wheat to tho .Western port for shipment, instead of its going to die gTcat grain outlets in the middle and eastern towns. To-day Vancouver was practicnlly tho main outlet of the principal commercial centres of British Columbia, a province some 700 miles long, of an average width of about 450 miles, ami containing something like 390,000 square miles. ■ Its population- was some 375,000, and there was no question but that the wealth producing powers of this district were enormous.

Unanimous Praise for New Zealand Products. Aβ to the trade between tho two Dominion?, said Mr. Harkness, that is uncreasing rapidly, and there are few 'in New Zealand who realise tho importance of the present trade between the two countries. As far as he could gather, the various New Zealand products which have been tested in Canada receive unanimous praise. There are good prespeots for meat, dairy produce, wool, vegetables, and other produots. The only limit to the demand for New Zealand dairy produce was th.it of population, for tho quality of Ken- Zealand factor}- butter had taken a firm hold of the distributors and the consumers, and they now looked for this articlo end preferred it to the local supply. Previous to New Zealand making a name on tho local market, the supplies were drawn from the eastern townships.

An Expensive Place. 6n the whole, says Mr. Harkness, Vancouver seems to be an expensive place a-s compared with the cities of New Zealand. All foodstuffs ore certainly from 30 per cent, to 50 per cont. dearer than in Now Zealand. The average wages paid, however, are high, ordinary labourers receiving Ms. to 15s. per day, carpenters IBs. to 175., and skilled artisans 245. to 235. per day. The visitor had no opportunity of inspecting any dairy farms in the province,. but during a rido out to the mouth of the Fraser River he inspected '1000 acres of the finest potatoes he has ever seen, ond also saw fine crops of grass, hay, wheat, and onts. The land in this locality was very rich, but there are large tracts of country which are exceedingly poor.

Tho' present prosperity of Vancouver, Mr. Harkncss says, seems to be dependent on the general activity of railway construction, the increaso of manufactures, and the settlement of unoccupied Crown nnd private lands. These things combined had giu-n a wonderful impetus to trade.