New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-27
A FAR-OFF LAND.
GLIMPsEs OF BRITISH coLyrr

CIFIc RAILwAY-HOw ELECTIONS ARE u.v
AGED-vIcToRA AS A SUMNER RESORT
IRON AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBryp :
VICTORIA, ID. G., July 6.--I have ALWAYS had =
fondness for little countries and out-of-the ,vo,,
places, and being in Portland, Oregon. the otbc,
day The qualification OF this sentiment by visit to
british Columbia only a matter Of thirtv.sv
hours travel by river, raI and inland seas British
Columbia hangs on to Canada, which is 4, 900 miles
distant. and Canada hangs or to England. q GOO
miles further off thus this little wilderness, co,o
muli ty on the North Pacific Coast il
dependency OF n dependency-a colony of colonv
granddaughter, one might say of the great Dation
from which it is separated by continent and On
ocean, BY its geographical position and Its natural
trade interests it is identified with the IIn,t.d
States; but its political relations run through
Ottawa to London. The only way it has Of reach.
ing the world is by steamers to San Francisco and
The Puget Sound ports; but its commerce is regu
lated by tariff laws passed IN Canada and il /,
forced by high duties to buy its goods in Montreal
and Toronto, and bring them through the whole
breadth Of the United States.
Nomnalfy, or rather officially. the popplator -
the province is As, 900 that is to saw il draws an
nuaiiy from the Dominion treasury 81 per capita for
| 4o'oOo people, under the terms of union adopted
in 1871 but that figure is hypothetical A conn
assures me that there are not more than "a 600
white inhabitants in the province, about ha Of
whom live on Vancouver's Island, and the remainder
on the mainland. The Indians, of whom there NAV
be 10000, should be counted however, as Of some
value to the body-potic for they are self sustain.
ing working at various avocatiOns, and bringing
TO market the furs of the sea-Oter the arctic fox
the mink and the beaver. have seen here sjngle
otter skins worth $50, and fox skins valued at
800 apiece. People who manage TO pick up living
and make such valuable contributions to com.
merce as these beautiful furs are not ex-
actly cumberers Of the ground, if their
complexlons are rather of-colOr At present
there are nearly 10000 Cinnamon in the province
food Of Mongolian invasion having poured in Of
late to meet the demand for labor on the Canadian
Pacific Railroad Most of these people Will manage
to cross the line into the United States when the
road is built, in spite of laws of Congress. There
will be nothing for them to do in the British
Northwest, and they will make their way to Amer
lean Labor markets over mountain trails not
watched by custom-hOuse officials Their arrival
by the shii load has brought the Chinese question
into the politics of the province. Public opinion is
Just as decided and as one.sied as in
California on the unwis lon of keeping open doors
for hordes of pg-taed pagans, but nothing
can be done to shut ont these undesirable
immigrants, except through the action of the far
away Dominion Parliament. The only consolation
the white people find under the circumstances Is in
the belief that John will take himself off TO the
States as hIs job on the railroad Is ended.
Including both Chinese ana lndi ans, there would
seem TO be a scanty population to support a Govern
ment having substantially the same functions as the
American State Governments. Curious to know
the financial basis when the province stands
| went down this morning to the bit of park in
which stands the group Of pretty low red-brck
and timber buildings whence official authority
emanates. They look like annexes TO Worlds
Fair. There is Legislative Hall for the sim
gle law-nakiDg body, an Executive build
ing Supreme Court edihce, a Printing
Office, a Land Office and an Arnory, representing
al together perhaps 100000 of expenditure. The
officials, though evidently surprised at the nya-
sion of Yankee journalist, very courteous in
furnishing information According to the balance
sheet they exhibited the total cost OF carrying on
the Provincial Government during the last fiscal
year, including salaries, interest on public debt
schools, hospitals, charities and public works was
r37 800 moderate sum, certainly but neverthe-
less heavy tax on the less than 10000 peopls
of all sorts, white. yellow and red. Or
the revenue side of the account, however appear
various items obtained from Canada under the
agreement which persuaded the reluctant province
TO join the Federaton-an interest payment Of
$4,000, direct subsidy of 49,, 900 per capita
grant of $4,000. and an allowance for public
lands to be given the railroad OF 500, 900; making
total of sos, 000-considerably more than half Of
the whole expense account.
COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE DOMINION.
The thrifty COlumbans when they entered tn,
Dominion Federation, not only stipulated for thee
payments, but required from Canada promise that
a transcontinental railroad from the St. Lawrence
70 the Pacific should be built within ten years.
Apparently they drove tidy bargain with the
DOMINION, but the ten years expired in 1851, aud
ten more will elapse before the road iss finished.
Meanwhile the Canadians, having thsipoyer IN
their hands, proceeded to raise the tarfH fdRtes
Victoria used to be fee port, and such enjoyed
an important commerce. The tariff has killed
large share of the trade of the place. and the peo
pie who raise only small part of what they eat,
are grooming under a duty of 81 barrel 90 -four
a bread tax almost as grieyous as was imposed by
the old English corn laws British Columbia manu-
features nothing, unless saving lumber and
mining coal can be called manufacturing.
and therefore gets no return in the form
of stimulated industries for the $4,000
the Dominion custom-hOuses collect annually.
Discomfort with the existing condition of affairs is
deep and widespread. 1t might have proceeded
TO the length of attempted secession from the
Dominion had not the Government AZ Ottawa made
the ongdelayed arrangements for the completion
of the Canadian Pacific Railroad The most ex-
pensive portion of the line this coast. About
$40 200, 900 Will be dsbursed for the grading, ties
and bridges on the division from Port Moody on
Burrard Sound, short distance north of the mouth
of the Fraser River to KamOops Lake, near tno
base of the Rocky Mountains, distance OF 10
miles. large part of this sum Will he sent 10 'ne
Flowcry Kingdom by the thrifty Chinese laborers
but considerable will remain to moiSten the tlhrsy
channels of trade in the province.