CANADA.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3209, 11 October 1881, Page 3

CANADA.

This country is not the bed of rosea we have been led to believe it to be, if we are to credit the writer of the following _ letter which appeared two months ago in the Mark Lane Express, and yet they have " Protection " a " Eailway Syndicate " and a constitutional form of government—two of these, some people in Queensland, are hungering and thirsting after—especially the " Syndicate." Had we not better listen to what the Canadians have to say on the matter. Theirs is the opinion bought of experience. The writer says : —" Last winter, a year ago, during the time the Dominion Parliament was sitting at Ottawa, there was a bread riot. They went to the House of Commons and demanded either

Work or bread, about whioh you would see in the papers. At the same time our Government was paying emigrants to come here, and many of them landed with scarcely a penny, and were simply paupers among us, as our men could not get work. Some of them called at my place, and cursed the GoYernment for bringing misery upon them. It is all very nice for Sir Alex. Gait, one of our Government agents in London, to lecture to the people of England with his thousand a year and a fine mansion, far away from the scene of misery where the poor emigrant has to suffer in these bad times. This Government came into power in 1878 (the leader of which is Sir John A. McDonald) who by false promises and pretences to farmers, who are the backbone and strength of this country, they promised to put on certain tariffs on American grain and manufacture, as they have had a tariff against us since the American War, in order to punish, us as say we took part with the South instead of the North. Then thie ■was a plank in our present Government's platform in tbe election of 1878. But what did they do when they got into power ? Why, they raised the tariff from 17 per cent to 30 and 60 per cent on British manufactured goods, while at the same time our manufacturers were getting rich on 17 per cent. Then you see the great body of working people have to be taxed enormously to enrich a few manufacturers. But this is not the worst act they have done, as you •will have Been by the papers I have sent you in relation to our Great Canada Pacific Railway, of which our last and present Government have built 100 miles. Since this Government came into power it laid the land out, into belts on each side of the track. Pirst belt joining the track is called 'A j~ second B ; and so on. Now, mark here, belt A was valued at four and five dollars an acre j B, three and four and so on with the rest. Now, when Government proposed letting this railway to build, the company was to take every alternate block of twenty miles square on each side of the ~ road, and the Government the other. Now, this Government never advertised it for tenders or competition ; Parliament knew nothing about it, only the ministers, and when Parliament was called together to ratify the agreement there was a perfect storm ; petitions rolled in from all sides of the country against the agreement, and from t all the provinces. If there is any bad land in those blocks which the company gets it can reject it, and go anywhere it likes to get it, and get ifc for ever ■wifchemfc paying taxes. ■ They get 25,000,000 acres of our best lands and 25,C00,000 dollars, and no taxes. I pity the settlers. I have not shown you the ■worst feature of the contract yet. Those belts of which I have been speaking, this company gets them at one dollar an ncre. If this company is like the other companies of Canada, such as the Canada Land Company which has or had land in every county or township in Ontario, which was once called Upper Canada, they will hold their lands until the poor settlers have made them valuable by making the concessions and side roads. Look how inconvenient it will be for schools and churches by dividing the people by this company's lands. lam an old settler of 36 years, and know the workings of these things. Many who have lived all thenlives here under the British flag went to the United States last summer under the protection of the stars and stripes. It is said near three thousand left the country and many will go this summer. It will take three generations to get rid of this syndicate or company, or rather this gigantic monopoly. Counties are divided into townships, and each township has its own council of five

men, except very thinly populated, then two or three are united, Now, eyery man here, ■ married or single, if he has no property or land, works two days statute labor each year . on the road. A farmer works so many days according to his property. The place on which I am living Rives eight or nine days. When the statute labor does not accomplish to make roads or bridges, we are assessed -' for by the council. Then there are school - taxes, township and county taxes. A man • :,: who has half a dozen children gets them schooled for nothing if he has no property, • ' because it is the property that pays the school tax, according to its value. Now,' you can see how hard a place it will be to live in Manitoba, in which this company has bo much, land and pays no taxes. If any of my,friends want to come to America tell them to go to the United States. You may publish, this letter if you think proper. \ I i> cati face the music if it comes back to me again in print."