The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-06-14
British Columbia and the Canadian Do
miniOn.

miniOn.
The authorities Of British Columbia have
made an official statement of the conditions
upon which that colony will be willing to
become member of the Canadian Dominion.
The most important of these conditions is,
that the Dominion shall within three years
from the contamination of the union con:
struct and open for traffic a coach road from
Fort Garry to the main trunk road Of Co.
lmnbia, and shall also undertake 10 complete
railway communication across the Rocky
Mountains at the earliest practicable time;
and that a sum of not less than one million
dollars shall be expended every year, begin
ming at three years from the date of union,
in actually constructing the initial sections
of such q railway from the seGboard of Brit
ish Columbia, TO connect with the railway
system of Canada.
In addition TO all this, the Dominion Is to
assume the debts of British Columbia and
Us those debts are not equal TO those of the
other provinces, the colony is to receive in
tcrest ut the rate of five per cent. on the diff
ference between the amount of her debt and
that proportion of the public debt of Canada
for which she will be liable after having en-
tered the Dominion. The Dominion Govern.
ment is also to pay 10 British Columbia an
ann g..sl grant of S35, 900, besides eighty cents
a wear for each perlon of the population. This
last paymentis 10 go on increasing until ,,r,t.
ish Columbia shall contain 400 900 souls,
after which it shall not be subject to any fur
thcr increase The present population Of the
colony being taken at 10000 souls this an
nual per capita contribution from the Domin.
ion will accordingly commence at the rate OF
100000 year, and increase until it reaches
10000, at which point it will remain sta
tionary.
The Dominion is likewise to pay the sal
airy and allowances of the Lieutenant Gov
ernor, the salaries and allowances of the
judges and officers of the courts, all charges
connected with the customs department and
postal department, and all charges for light.
houses, buoys, beacons, and light-ships. 1t
is also TO furnish suitable pensions for those
officials of the colony whose positions and
emolumeuts will be affected by the change
consequent upon the admission of British
Columbia into the Dominion. The Dominion
is, moreover, to guarantee the construction OF
frst-class dry dock in Columbia; to
provide fortnightly line of steamers DO
tween Victoria and San Francisco TO erect
and maintain marine hospital and lmatic
asy lum at Victoria to erect and maintain
penitentiary to maintain an efficient
steam mail service along the seaboard of the
province; to extend to British Columbia all
the encouragement and protection given to
the fisheries of other Canadian provinces
and to encourage the efficiency of the volun.
teer force of British Columbia.
These terms are similar to those granted To
the people Of the Red River country in the
act organizing the province of Manitoba
and are not unlike those upon which the
eastern provinces came into the Dominion
The only difficult problem in the case is the
demand Of the people of British Columbia fol
the speedy construction of q railroad, and
for the annual appropriation of one rnillior
dollars TO that work. This will be q very
troublesome thing for the Government o
the Dominion 10 do, and will probably caus'
J some delay in the conclusion of the bargain
The railroad enterprises. Of Canada have al
! been unavoidable. and have entailed seriou