Omaha daily bee., 1906-04-16
.CANADA'S CALL FOR CONSULS
Immense Territory in Which Uncle Sam
Now Has No Representative,
LAND RUSH OF AMERICANS CONTINUES
Quarter Million settlers from North
ern states .wnl Have EmigrRted
by End of Present Season TO
Great Northwest Country.
CFrom a stan correspondentO

mere Is a great interest throughout Ane
western portion of Cnaada in the report
that the United States intends to appoint
one or more consuls between Winnipeg and
Vancouver. As a number of consuls have
recently been cut Off in eastern Canada,
the people Of the west, which needs them
so greatly. hope that the government at
Washington will act promptly.
At present there is no consul between
Winnipeg and Vancouver. a distance OF
1850 miles although there is no other
part of Canada in which there are so many
Americans and where American interests
are so proportionately large.
1t is estimated that since 1898 over 10000
Americans have settled in Manitoba, Sas-
katchewan and Alberta and they are now
going I'm at the average rate of 5000 year.
This year the number of Americans seek
ing homes in western Canada will not be
less than $1,000. So great is the rush that
the railways leading from Minneapolis and
St. Paul to the boundary have both their
freight and passenger traffic congested.
Cars containing settlers effects are pass
ing through Portal. where the 500 rail-
ways western line enters Saskatchewan, at
the rate of about 300 cars a week, and 1000
or 1900 persons have been crossing the line
each week on the Great Northern Northern
Pacific and 500 since the opening Of the
season. Up to April 1900 settlers had en-
tered western Canada and more than half
of them were from the United States. These
American emigrants go from all over the
country, though the several northern states
contribute the larger number. The official
report for the last year gives the official
distribution of the emgrants by states of
origin as follows:
Minnesota Heads List.
Minnesota, 7.547; North Dakota, 1000;
Iowa, 2,2l2; Nebraska, 92O Wisconsin, 1926;
South Dakota. 1,S4S; Michigan. 1,515; New
York, 542; illinois, 1887 Kansas, 54s; Idaho,
S34; Oklahoma, 35e; Massachusetts, $50;
Utah, 2zl; Pennsylvania, 26S; Indian Terri
tory, 80; Ohio, $50; Colorado, 235; Indiana.
4O0 Wyoming, 1O9; Missouri, 541; Maryland,
s; Texas, 1O2; Kentucky, 49, louisiana, s;
Georgia. 5; Washington, 7o2; Arkansas, S3;
Virginia, So; New Mexico. "a; oregon. 16S;
Rhode Island. 81; New Hampshire, 65; YER
mont. 81; Connecticut, so; Florida, 3: Ala
bama, IS; Tennessee, 6; South Carolina, 26;
New Jersey 49, California. IS; Delaware, Z;
Nevada, 1 Arizona, "A; not classified, IS.
1t is impossible to estimate the amount
OF American capital interested in western
Canada. The land and immigration busi-
ness is largely in the hands of Americans
and they have gone into scores of lumber,
-four milling and other manufacturing en-
terprises.
Jim HIS Big Enterprise.
The immense amount of new railway
building under way in western Canada,
about 5000 miles, is drawing hordes Of
American laborers, contractors, etc. j. j..
Hill Of the Great Northern has announced
that he will Immediately proceed TO build
trunk line from Winnipeg to Vancouver.
He says his lines will be completed within
three years and will be i'm operation to the
coast two or three years before the Grand
Trunk Pacific gets through.
Mr.. Hill is already building branches from
| st. John. n. D.. to Brandon, Manitoba,
and from Neche, n. D., to Portage lie Prai-
rie. He has charters which will permit
| him to build an unlimited number of
branches. His main line will lie south of
the Canadian Pacific and branches will be
built into Calgary, Edmonston, Regina and
Moose Jaw and will radiate throughout the
wheat belt
Mr. Hills activities will doubtless tend
greatly to promote emigration from the
states into western Canada and will vastly
expand American interest in that country.
There is no doubt there ought to be a
consul at Regina, the capital of Saskatche-
wan, and another at Calgary or Edmons-
| ton, the latter being the capital of Alberta.
Each of these new provinces has about
$50, 900 people and is growing rapidly They
are large producers Of agricultural wealth
and are extensive importers of American
goods
Question of Free Seeds.
As the impression prevails in some quar-
ters that Secretary Of Agriculture Wilson
! and the officials Of his department favor
a continuance of the congressional free dis
tribution OF common garden seeds, an in
quiry was addressed to DR.. b. T. Galloway
chief of the bureau OF plant industry. to
which Dr. Galloway replied: "The views
OF this department with reference to the
distribution of miscellaneous vegetable and
flower seeds have been quite clearly sci
forth from time TO time in our various
reports The attitude OF the department
was clearly stated by the secretary in his
report for 1903. extract from which 1 send
enclosed"
The extract referred to says with re-
gard to the securing and distributing OF
miscellaneous garden and flower seeds, the
fact remains that this work does not ac-
complsh the ends for which the law was
originally framed. There are collected, put
up and distributed now, on congressional
orders, nearly 100000 packets OF mis-.
cellaneous vegetable and flower seeds each
year. These seeds the best that car
be obtained in the market but from the
fact that large numbers of packets arr
wanted. the seed obtained can be OF stand
ard sorts only. such as are to be found
everywhere for sale in the open market I
As there is no practical object to be gained
in distributing this kind Of seed, # seem:
desirable that some change be made. Tt
this end il would seem wise to limit oul
work entirely to the securing and dis
tributing Of seeds, plants. etc. OF new and
rare sorts. This Is a line of work thai
would result in much more value 10 in,
dividual districts throughout the country
than the distribution OF a large quantity
of common varieties OF garden seed which
have no particular merits so far as newnes,
or promise are concerned"
Opposition OF the Farmers.
Those members OF congress who are stn
hanging on to Free Seeds" are defendins
their position by asserting that the farm
ers want them" This position appear:
untenable from the fact that the National
Grange at it's last annual convention al
Portland, Ore. vigorously condemned the
free seed appropriation. as have the state
oranges Of Illinois, New York and Other
states.
n. J. Bachelor Of Concord. n. H.