FACTS ABOUT CANADA.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 55, 29 October 1912, Page 3

FACTS ABOUT CANADA.

INTERESTING POSSIBILITIES. At the conclusion of the business before the meeting of the Eltham Chamber of Commerce on Thursday evening, Mr Geo. H. Buckeridge gave an extremely interesting address on Canada. He said he did not propose to give his few words the dignity of terming them a lecture. The subject was so extensive that one might spend weeks on it without exhausting it. He had chosen it really with the view of endeavouring to explain as far as possible some of the maps on the walls of that chamber. If the general public could be induced to realise what the possibilities of Canada were he felt sure they would make arduous efforts to do what they could to retain their present strong position in the Home markets. Canada would take the place that suck an enormous country naturally must in controlling the Home _ markets, and the super-excellence which they had attained in New Zealand was the only thing that would enable them to make secure their position.. Its History. Mi- Buckeridge then gave a brief but explicit review of the history of Canada from the year 1000 A.D. to the present day, dealing in an able manner with its various phases, a?id the cause and effect. The area of Canada, ho proceeded, was about million square miles, or three-quarters of a million square miles larger than Australia, while New Zealand was of about the same area as the Great Lakes. The population of Canada was about seven millions, including one hundred and ten thousand natives. There were quite a number of large towns, the chief being Montreal, with a population of over two hundred and seventy-six thousand, or nearly three times the size of Auckland. Having given the figures of the most important towns, and illustrated their very rapid growth, as in the case of Vancouver, which in 1906 was 50,000, and whihe has now increased to three times that number, the lecturer proceeded to deal with the country, of which ho said there are immense tracts still unsettled, and an enormous area yet to bo brought under cultivation. The means of getting about were rail and water, and one of Canada’s greatest boons was the Great Lakes, which fine waterway enabled a very large amount of the produce of the west country to be conveyed direct to the eastern ports by water.

The Climate. The climate was fully dealt with by the lecturer, who in the course of his remarks referred to the “jumping” season and the glorious change which it effects with marvellous speed on the rolling prairies. The beneficial effect of the snow, which covers the ground to some depth throughout the winter, with regard to cereal crops was also clearly explained, and the lecturer then gave details of the various products of the different portions of this vast land, making special reference to the dairying and cattle rearing districts, in the course of which be mentioned that many who bad commenced dairy farming and had given it up and returned to fruit growing on account of the dearth of labour. The . harnessing of the immeasureable pow--1 or of the Niagara Falls was another interesting point, while the immigration question was fully dealt with. The lecturer gave a cancise account of the educational system | which he said was denominational and separate, partly no doubt because there I were so many French Catholics there. 1 Trade and Commerce. ; The lecturer proceeded: “The greatj or part of the exports of Canada arc derived from agriculture. The Canadians recognise that in order to put themselves on a level or to keep ahead of competitors it is necessary to educate the young people and they have an excellent department of agriculture and numerous fine educational and experimental institutions. The system is developed on much larger lines than anything we have in this country, and they have exports in all the branches of agriculture and dairying, experts

that inquire into anything and everything affecting the farmer. Every assistance possible is being given the farmer, and in no other country is it being carried out so completely, except perhaps in the United States.” The number of factories and creameries in Canada in 1891 was 1733; eight years later there were 3619; and in 1908 there were 4355. In the latter year 84 per cent of the cheese imported by England was from Canada, where they exported 97,000 tons, while New Zealand exported 21,000 tons last year. Opportunity For Trade. Concluding, Mr Buckeridge mentioned that New Zealand was securing •a large market for butter in Western Canada. The increase of trade with Vancouver was almost phenomenal. Space could not now ho procured on the boats to send another 100 boxes across during the coming season, and the number of ships in this trade was bound to increase. The Union Company were contemplating putting on several more large vessels, and there was plenty of room for improvement in this direction, and it certainly looked, concluded the speaker, as if this trade route was going to develop very much more rapidly than they had any conception of at the present time. Mr Buckeridge resumed his scat amid applause (says the Argus) and after a short discussion and a few interesting remarks from several members the meeting concluded with a very hearty vote of thanks to Mr Buckeridge.