Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-10-03

ara Z. u y. 1ASu the lOldi 4AtcIcSL IL
furthe. exploitation OF the water
wc1ld probobly be strong enough. not
only TO smash any political force
favorable TO Niagara conservation
but strong enough to effect revision
of any internationl treaty made to
save the Falls. To suppose that the
industrial interest can be permanently
defeated must seem exceedingly i'm
probable to the Canadian government.
Hence the government is bound to
proceed for the conservation of all
the advantages of situation which the
Canadian side of the Fshs enjoys by
nature in respect to water exploitation
The greater part of the existing plant
or that soon to be operated, is on that
side. To the side the water runs
naturally, so much so that fully 20
percent Of the total exploitation pos
sible without a limiting treaty would,
it is credibly stated, necessarily De
on the Canadian side, if that total ex.
ploitation were effected. No Canadial
/ government could venture to give
this natural advantage away for no
| thing. Sir Wilfrid is in duty bound to
! conserve it. A future Canadian interest
of great magnitude would be sacrific.
ed by treaty unless the treaty con.
tanned provisions Tor securing to
Canada, at any future time when Nj
| agara exploitation may be enhanced,
the proportion of natural advantage
Canada now has by the natural clay
of the land" or river bed
The advantage is not merely in re-
spect of water-taking power. 1t is
| largely in respect of a future Cana.
dian power to tax Buffalo, Niagara
City and all places and plants on the
America side which may use cleo.
trical horsepower derived from gel.
orators on the Canadian side. No one
who does to Niagara, looks over the
ground, and reflects on the manuf ac-
turing progress visible there, is likely
To doubt that the greatest of Ameri.
can manufacturing regions must be
there within fifty years. Quite likely
it will be the greatest manufacturing
region in the world Such is the at
Effectiveness of cheap electrical power.
Well, that prodigiOusly busy Ameri.
can city or region must depend on
the Canadian side for a large proper.
ton of its power. The bigger the
manufacturing development the more
| dependence on generators in Canada,
no matter whether owned by Ameri-
cans or Canadians. Now every horse
power transmitted from Canada may
be made subject to Canadian export
duty. A New York State legislator
talked, last week, of the propriety
there would be in some sort of state
tax on power transmitted from New
| York to Ontario. There is at present
little such He did not seem to have
any notion that much the greater
power to tax electricity transmitted
across the river viii very soon be in
the Dominion government.
1t is not merely in power to raise
revenue by an export duty on cleo
trical horsepower that Canada's ad.
vantage lies. That connoes power to
levy on future American plants so
IGdFIy LudI II LHISuL DS GAp6ulSHL
for many of these to move across the
river into Ontario and thus get I'M
taxed electrical horse power. And
that in its turn, signifies important
addition to the strength of Canada S
position in any future bargaining for
reciprocity. 1t is ridiculous to believe
that Sir Wilfrid will give all this I'D
for the sake of pleasing us amiable
beings whose souls revolt at imagin.
ing the site of the Falls adorned with
Virginia Creeper and Jap Ivy.
If all this be correct, the problem
of Niagara conservatism involves not
only bringing the Washington and
Ottawa governments to conference
for truly preservatory treaty, but
the education Of the American public
to perception that Canada may fair
ly claim some important concessions
in return for agreeing to so limit ex-
ploitation that no more Niagara water
may be taken than has been conceed.
ed already Were such an agreement
internationally made, then surely the
existing concessionaries ought to be
smartly taxed for the monopoly thus
secured to them in nominal perpe.
tuity-Special Correspondence from
Ottawa.