The evening times., 1898-02-11
A MIGHTY LAND GRAB.
Canada's All Canadian Yukon Route
Developing Into a Scandal.


Ottawa, Feb. IA storm of no
small magnitude is brewing in the
Canadian Parliament over the propos-
ais of the Dominion government in
respect to the construction of the Sti-
kineTeslin Railway To the Yukon. Sir
Wilfrid Laurier has announced that
there must be no delay i'm the ratifica-
tion by the house of the contract en-
tered into with the contractors,
Messrs Mackenzie and Mann, for the
construction of a railroad from the
navigable headwaters of the Stikine
River to the navigable waters of Tes-
lin Lake. Accordingly. on Tuesday
last the government brought down its
bill providing for the ratification of
the agreement. The minister of rail-
ways explained its provisions.
The contract was concluded secret
1y with Mackenzie and Mann on jan
uary 26 last, just nine days before the
opening of Parliament Emergency
and the imperative necessity of the OBJ
Jects To be promoted are the sole ex-
cuse for an admittedly high-handed
and ultra-constitutional proceeding on
y.
Parliament could have an opportunity
to consider the agreement and pass
judgment upon it. and even before
government supporters in the house
had been consulted.
The ministry depends upon a plant
majority to rush the bill through Con-
stitutionalists in botk political parties
regard the move with apprehension as
il will establish dangerous precedent
which will tend to nullify the impor-
tance of Parliament and trench very
seriously upon its constitutional pre-
negatives.
The minister of railways has express
ed the peculiar notion that Canadian
ocean steamers would be able TO trans
ship goods on the Stikine River in the
vicinity of Fort Wrangel and lighter
them to Telegraph Creek without
coming under the United States Gus
toms laws. Although navigation of
the Stikine is free To Canadian bot
toms, it is no freer than the ST. Law
renee is to American vessels which are
amenable to Canadian customs laws
when navigating its waters.
There are now about thirty-seven
Yukon railway bills to come before
Parliament
The aim of the government is To di-
vert trade from American points to
the Canadian centers and secure its
permanency to Canada by means of
an all-Canadian route.
The contractors or their company
are to receive ,, 600 acres of auriferous
lands for every one of their $50 miles
Of railroad. or 8. $50 900 acres. They may
select these lands anywhere within the
Canadian Yukon territory. which Sc
lection will be made from the richest
gold fields known in the world. The
value of this land subsidy is greatly
enhanced by the conditions attaching
To ii. IT seems that the contractors
have six years in which to locate the
whole OF their grant. although it may
be fully earned by September next,
which is the time limit within which
the line must be constructed and in op-
GRAFTON. They will pay no taxes on the
land, and may hold every placer and
quartz claim in their grant indefinitely
for speculative purposes, there being
no condition for compulsory develop
ment. as in the case of ordinary
quartz mining claims.
As each ten miles Of the railway is
completed the contractors. having had
their proSpectOf'S out, may make Sc
lection of the due proportion of their
grant From the time each selection
is made il is closed 10 free miners. 4
royalty of only | per cent is exacted
from the placer mines of the contract
ors. while the free miner must pay $40