A VOICE FROM CANADA.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5062, 14 June 1877, Page 3

A VOICE FROM CANADA.

THE HON. JOHN TODNG, 01’ CANADA, AT THE

CHAMBER OP COMMERCE, BRISBANE. (From the Courier , May 15.) There was a very good attendance of members at the special meeting of the Brisbane Chamber of Commerce, held yesterday afternoon, for the purpose of receiving the Hon. J, Young, the Canadian Commissioner to the Philadelphia and Sydney Exhibitions. Mr. E. B. Drury, the chairman, said he had had great pleasure in summoning the Chamber for the purpose of meeting Mr. Young, who was on a visit to these shores from Canada, that other great dependency of the British Crown, aud who had represented that Dominion at the Centennial and at the Sydney Exhibitions.

The Honorable Mr. Young said, —-I thank you, Mr. President, for giving me the opportunity of meeting the members of your Chamber to explain the object of my visit to Australia. I am here because of the action taken by the Australian Commissioners at the industrial meeting in Philadelphia,in urging on theCanadiau Government the advantages which would flow from a part of the Canadian exhibits being sent to the Exhibition which has just been held at Sydney. The Canadian Government readily assented to the wish of your Commissioners, and to the Canadian manufacturers, and agreed to pay the freight aud charges to Sydney. Two vessels were loaded, one at Montreal and the other at New York, aud I was named by the Government to eome to Australia and ascertain whether, in my opinion, trade between Canada and Australia could be increased. I have travelled through New Zealand, Tasmania, a part of Victoria, and New South Wales, and I am now iu Queensland, and I have no doubt whatever that the trade between the two countries can be greatly increased. There is a trade now, but Canada gets no credit for it. Canadian goods and Canadian timber are sent inland from Canada to New York and Boston, and are shipped from there and other ports as American goods. Canada is never mentioned. Why the other day I went into a music store in Melbourne, and I was surprised to see the name of a Canadian manufacturer on several musical instruments. I asked how these instruments were liked ? The reply was “ first-rate,” and that he had ordered twenty more of them. Then I asked “ Where are they from ?” “ America,” was the reply. I said, “You are mistaken ; these instruments are Canadian, and not American.” No, no,” says the seller ; I have the bill of lading from New York,” “ That is no doubt true ; but there ai-e the words, ‘ Bournaville, Ontario,’ and that is a Canadian town, aud I know the manufacturer.” Mr. Young said he could recount many instances of the same kind, but all showing that our enterprising neighbor Jonathan was active. Canada had so far done little to ship her own goods from her own ports to Australia. The Canadian manufacturers ought to be able to turn out goods as cheap as those in the United States, and as good, for all raw materials enterin'' into their production were admitted free of duty. If, therefore, it is found we can sell you as cheap and give you as good an article, you will give us a preference. (Cheers.) Canada is destined to become a large manufacturing country. There is not a river running from the north into the St. Lawrence that has not got its water power, while the long Canadian winters give ample labor, now employed in the United States. Mr. Chairman, you have asked me for my views about Federation. I can only repeat what I said lately in Sydney, that I think the future and full development of Australia largely depends on all the Australian colonies uniting together under one general Government. You have got an enormous country. Public works, especially railways, are required, beyond the power of any one colony to supply. These railways, to be effective for good, must be gigantic in extent, built for the benefit of the whole country; and if so located and built, each colony’s interests will thereby be best promoted. If I had the power I would begin with constructing a main trunk line of 4 feet SA-iuch gauge across the continent from north to south—and from this branch lines could be constructed to all the porta. A united Australia could borrow money for this purpose almost as cheaply as the Government of England, while the increased value of the land through which the railway passed and made accessible would more than pay for the cost of the railway. Population would increase, and the doubling of the population would lessen the cost of the railway by one-half to the present veneration. In saying this, I do not speak at random. I have seen these results in Canada. Our position there was exactly what yours now is—each colony had its adverse tariff to the other; there was no free exchange of labor, and in Canada we pursued a policy such as you are now pursuing, of trying to do as much injury to each other as you can, and without the slightest wish of doing so. You have asked me, Mr, President, to give you my experience about dredging your harbors. Well, that is a matter in which I am familiar. I have not seen the dredge you are now working, nor have I gone over your harbor. I shall, however, try to do so to-morrow. I am chairman of the Montreal Harbor Commissioners, who have been envaved for many years in deepening the St, Lawrence between Quebec and Montreal, and now arc engaged in further deepening the channel to 25ft. at lowest water. We bring up from sea now vessels of 4000 tons, and we shall soon be able to bring up the 5000-ton steamers, with outbreaking bulk, to Montreal. This cheapens freight, aud, as vessels are constantly increasing in size, it is important for yon, and for all Australian ports, to deepen your harbors to accommodate the largest ships. I believe we have in Canada the finest dredging machinery in the world, and the work we are now engaged in is the largest of the kind. We have not only the elevator dredge, but the spoon dredge and the clam dredge lifter ; and when I return to Canada I shall*see that you get copies of our reports, and drawings of our machinery. You ask me, Mr. President, to give you my views of Australia. I have not seen enough to enable me to do that. For the past two days I _ have been travelling on your railway to Warwick. I have visited that wonderful tract of country, the Downs, and examined your excellent and well-built railway, which is a monument of engineering skill; aud I have lonrnt that beyond this railway there are now “stations” from whence wool is hauled by oxen at a cost of from £7 to £l2 per ton, and as much for what is taken back, all convincing me that when the railway is there also, doing the same work at 15s. per ton—the country will be advanced, nor car; any one now tell how many “Downs” there are beyond, nor of their extent. I fear, however, I tiro yon. (No, no.) I wish now to say that my assistant, Mr. Fleming, will for the present remain in Australia. He will come up to your Exhibition in August, and will bring with him such exhibits as have not yet been exhibited in Sydney. I shall get him to visit your interior, and I hope to be able to have a ship loaded direct from the St. Lawrence to Brisbane this' year with Canadian productions. Mr. Young here exhibited a large map of the survey, by Fleming, of the Canadian Pacific Kailway, on which the Government of Canada has already expended upwards of two millions and a half of dollars, and are steadily going «n with the work. This railway will shorten the time between England, Japan, China, and Australia fully two and a-half days, and is a work iu which the people of Australia should take a deep interest. The pass over the Bocky Mountains is some 4000 feet less than by the route to San Francisco. In answer to questions proposed by members of the Chamber in response to his invitation, Mr. Young stated that the money for the construction of the railway,referred to was raised by loan, secured on the general revenue of the whole Dominion. The length of the railway across the continent would be about 700 miles, and the gauge adopted was the 4 feet 8A inches. Upon good tracts of country, the cost of the line would be about £OOOO per mile. A large quantity of the land iu the vicinity of the line was being taken up ; the land was disposed of at Is. pier acre to immigrants ; the country did not care much what was paid for the land so long as it was for settlement;_ but they did not dispose of it in large quantities,

as was done in Queensland. It was a part of the principle in the construction, of this line to "ive a portion'of the adjacent land towards paying for the line ; but the present Government opposed it, and he (Mr. Young) believed they were right, and when the line was finally constructed, no doubt it would be done for hard cash. As a matter of fact, the value of the land would be increased by the railway. The Federal Government had charge of entrances to harbors, and they had large and powerful machines, under the superintendence of an engineer, to clear out the bars. Iu these colonies, as far as he had seen, there were scarcely any harbors but required improvement in this way. The Canadian dredges moved about four times as fast as that he had seen in the river here. He had no doubt, however, after an inspection of the dredging plant/iu England and Scotland, that of Canada was about the most efficient in the world. Mr. Drury thought it only now remained for them to thank Mr. Young and his associate, Mr. Brown, for their kind attendance on the present occasion, and to carry by acclamation a vote of thanks to Mr, Young. The vote was accordingly carried. Mr. Young, in returning thanks, said he had taken"great interest in his mission since he had started, because he believed the trade would yet increase between these colonies and Canada, and as they were all kith aud kiu of the same good old mother, he hoped they would succeed in the endeavor to establish business relations that would benefit both. Mr. Brown briefly returned thanks also, and the meeting was brought to a conclusion.