Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1907-10-31
A HELP TO CANADA.
A Fourteen Foot Waterway Has
Added to That country's
Prosperity.
PROPOSE TOMAKEIT DEEPER


Kansas City, MO-, Oct. 26.-hoDerl
r. Sutherland, speaker Of the Cana
dian house Of commons, was the guest
Of honor here Friday evening at the
frst dinner given this season by Knife
and Fork club. Mr.. Sutherland re-
sponded to the toast Canada and Her
Transportation Problem" In recent
years, he said, Canada's progress had
been 30 marked along all material
lines as to be surprising. He traced
the great expenditures that have been
made in lettering his countrys trans
portation facilities, the railways and
canals and predicted further strides in
this direction. Under existing trans
portation conditions, an enormous
quantity of Canada's product Of grain
could not get out of that country, but
he believed this question would be
solved by the completion Of the Grand
Trust Pacific railway from the wheat
fields Of the West to the seaboard with
a maximum grade Of four-tenths OF !
per cent, or 81 feet to the mile. Re-
ferring to the waterways OF Canada,
he said:
"In 1865 Joseph Aspinwall longed
for a 14-foot draft from the upper
lakes to tide water. In 1901 this had
become an accomplished fact, and 1t
became then possible to say that a
vessel of 14-foot draft could proceed
from the western end of Lake Superior
to the ocean, and except for an In
finite small part Of the journey could
do so with all the sea room and free
dom that are characteristic of the
ocean itself
Canada has borne the burden Of
the whole of this task. From end to
end she can thread this continental
waterway without being once outside
her own territories. But the task is
really not yet completed People now
alive may live to see the minimum
depth made 81 feet and when that
day arrives Montreal and Quebec,
Halifax and st. John, and perhaps
some quiet harbor that is as yet only
dreamed OF, will be the busiest ports
Of the North American continent. OF
this great highway Canada holds the
door. 1t is a great national asset and
more than anything else gives Canada
a dominating position on this conti-
nent. This will be more manifest in
the future than 1t has been In the
past. New York state is about to
spend $10O,0v0,000 in the deepening
Of the Erie canal to IL feet. Even
then It will be two feet shallower
than the waterway 1t is intended to
rival, and while in the one a vessel
will be almost continuously In
Strengthened waters, in the other, with
the exception Of few localities, she
will have ample room for full steam
ahead. And as we have said, Cana
dams are looking forward to the 81
foot channel of the future.
Our time is coming. II we have
sense enough TO conserve our great
national assets; and we are waking
up very rapidly to the desirability and
necessity for doing this, there can be-
little doubt that our progress in the
future will be as marvellous as yours
has been in the past
In closing, Mr., Sutherland said: "We
rejoice In the great property of our
cousins In the United States in the
past, and we desire to live in the
most friendly and cordial relations
with them now and always. but we
trust that future years will disclose |
that on the northern half Of this con-
tinent a nation as well educated, as
refined, as moral, as numerous, as
and as progressive will be
developed as any history will dis
close"