PEOPLING CANADA.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1731, 23 April 1913, Page 5

PEOPLING CANADA.

FOLICY EXPLAINED. A VIGOROUS IMMIGRATION SYSTEM. • BONUS TO SHIPPING AGENTS. The Canacb'an Minister for Trade and Commerce (Mr. G. E. Foster) recently gave a representative of tho Sydney "Telegraph" some interesting particulars of the manner in which Canada obtains population. "The movement of population into Canada for the last ten or twelvo years," he said, "has been a remarkable one, both as to the sourcc from which it comes and tlio.volume to which it has increased. In the'earlier periods, the trend of immigration was from Canada to the free lands of the western States, and wo lost hundreds of thousands of peoplo in that way. That was before our great west was opened up. IVo things then happenel. We had easy ingress into our north-west by tho Cana-dian-Pacific railway, when it was .completed in 188 G. Experimentation in the culture of our western lands, had shown they were productive, and that frosts and other detrimental conditions were not destructive to remunerative products. Then the free lands of the United States became practically worked out, 60 far as they wore inducements to immigration, and lands in western United States beenme high values. Land-seekers, therefore, both in the Old Country and in tho United States, had their attention turned, by thorough judicious advertising, to the conditions 'prevalent in our new western country, and Canada offered free lands to the extent of lliO acres to each adult settler. Thus commenced the trek towards the Canadian north-west, and the volume of immigrants increased year by year. "Last year'over 859,000 "entered Canada, a large proportion of whom have settled in the western provinces. Of this number about 130,000 were farmers from the United States, about 140,000 were British, while the remainder wore from northern Europe, chiefly, with some scattering - of numbers from various other countries. Tho United States farmer had tho advantages of having experienced and successfully worked through similar conditions in his own country, and so knew how to treat the lands ot tho north-west. The English and foreign immigrant had to learn the differences that existed between the farming conditions there and the countries from which they came. Tlis United States farmer came from lands which ho had owned, and which ho was ablo to sell at from ,£lO to .£2O or .£3O per acre. Coming with thnt money (o the Canadian west,, ho could buy equally fertile and moro virgin land for from £" to £4 per acre. Soon thero was the spectacle of United States fanners immigrating by train loads, bringing in their household effects, stock, and implements, to commence work at once' on the new farms. Tho Cinvernnie-nt put on very vigorous immigration policy, and agents were scatter-ed-nil through tho eligible States in tho United States.

"Besides personal interviews and offerings of descriptive literature, they organised parHos ot land-seekers, and took them into tho lapds of tho Canadian west, allowed them to view them, to come to their own conclusions, and effect their own purchases. In this way tho tide has r to its present proportions. During this year it is probable 150,000 or 100,000 peoplo will conic into tho Canadian north-west from, the United States alone, while from all piaccs tho, total will probably bo about •100,000. Canada is very careful as to the kind of immigrant that comes in. The law allows her to deport any unsuitable'immigrant, at. the expense of the steamship company which brings the immigrant, and modical and other examinations, as to character and fitness are rigidly carried out. Tho immigrants are met at tho ocean ports, nml aro' not outside the care, ndvico, and supervision of a Government offi-jM I until .they aro settled upon their iands in their distant homcs._ "It must be remembered," concluded Mi'. Foster, "that Canada dees not in any way. assist immigrants to make their way there. It pays a bonus to shipping agents i|i. the United Kingdom .for each ticket sold to immigrants. These are checked ,up, and the payments are made to tho shipping agents only when the immigrants aro'settled-in.their locations."