Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1902-08-13
ISLANDS CLAIMED BY CANADA.
The Dominion Asserts Its Rights to
Some Rich Lands in the
Arctic Ocean.

anu east OF the common proper mas
lately been called in question. These
areas contain the precious and other
metals, and some of them may yet
prove as valuable as the Yukon itself.
There are hundreds of islands,
some as large as England and Ire
land. One of them, Baffin land, is
some 100 miles in length and 500
miles across at it's widest part. Baf-
fin land lies at the head of the Hud-
son bay and is divided from that
enormous and almost unexplored Sec
ton of Canada known as Labrador by
Hudson strait. There are large is
lands in the strait itself between Baf-
fin land and Labrador and some In
the northern part of Hudson bay be-
tween the mainland and Labrador.
The rest of the islands are contig-
uous to northern Canada in the Arc
tic ocean.
These waters, states the Chicago
Tribune, are frequented by American
whalers, the owners of which have
established permanent fishery sta
tions far apart in various directions.
The question of sending Canadian
officials into these unorganized parts
to form them into provisional dis
tricts of Canada and exercise regular
jurisdiction over them has been fire.
quently mooted of late years, and
may shortly be carried into effect.
Attention was called to the SUBJ
ject, It will be remembered, at the
last Ontario land surveyors conven-
ton. A recommendation was adopt
ed to memorabilia the dominion gov
eminent to take formal possession
of the unorganized country on behalf
of Great Britain. It was declared
that the peninsulas and archipela-
goes north of Canada in the Arctic
ocean were known to possess consid-
cradle undeveloped wealth and might
be claimed by some other power.
Inquiries in official quarters devel-
op the fact that these areas are I'M
doubtedly within British jurisdiction.
The idea that they can be occupied
| by any power that comes along and
takes a fancy to them is unfounded.
They have belonged to Great Britain
for at least three centuries.
In September, 1880, an imperial Or
der in council was passed dealing
with them and formally transferring
all title in and jurisdiction over them
to the dominion of Canada. The
whole of these possessions, therefore,
form part and parcel of the districts
of Mackenzie and Franklin and are as
much portion of Canada to-day as
the islands along the British coasts
are portion of Great Britain. The
United Kingdom owned these PENN
sulas and archipelagoes, by right OF
prior discovery, a century and half
before the acquisition of Canada.
Canada's birthday glorification this
year had more solid cause than ever
before. The confederation is IS years
old. The peoples saving deposited in
banks, which totaled a trife over
$5,000,o0O, or $3.50 per head of the
population in 1868, amounted last
year to over $75,o00,000, or $13.95 pc,
head. Money on deposit in the banks
which amounted to under $34, 00(
in 1868, last year reached over $349,
1000.
An editor of Scotch extraction, one
of the coolest heads in Canada, is
aroused out of his usual reserve wher
he comes to consider the occasion
celebrated and the country in which
he lives.
"A golden era, comparatively, in {
country of GODS" he says: ''The
wonderful mountains, the. illimitablt
plains, forests of vastness hardly
conceivable, lakes and streams linn
pid, innumerable, endless, the sweet
ness of the Canadian spring, thu
warm beauty of summer, the match
less srlendor of autumn, the inspira
ton of winter days SO bright, st
hare, SO crystalline that one lives a
in the heart of huge diamond, thes'
across all the vast continent are ;
matter of course with, our people, 81
that we forget even to think once i,
awhile how infinitely blessed ou
country is by nature and we in it.
- Bargain GlamOr.
Edgar-Weu, Ethel, what did yo1
! find at that wonderful fire sale?
Ethel Oh, Edgar, got some love
= \ ;