Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-16
POLITICS IN CANADA.
VI-PROSPERITY.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

tors in combating Sir Williams argu-
ments, never neglect to point out that
the railroads oppose reciprocity and trade
expansion with the United States for or
binary folks, but are very careful to fos-
ter it for the railroads.
In the extreme western part of the
dominion, at Victoria, British Columbia
the argument is advanced that the reci-
procity agreement will injure the prosper
1ty OF the province by letting in great
lot of cheap food products from the
United States, where. it is argued the
prices OF farm produce and foodstuffs is
on much lower scale than i'm Canada,
since the people in Washington and Ore
gon are not able. on account of their low
standard of prosperity, to pay the high
prices which are quite within the means
or their more fortunate neighbors of Brit
ish Columbia. The leading anti-reciproc-
ity authority in the politics of British
Columbia sets forth this view in the fol-
lowing language:
AT the first glance the average man
is all put certain to conclude that that
Whicn reduces for him the cost of living
must necessarily be worthy of his ap-
proval. And yet the mere reduction of the
prices OF certain commodities in universal
demand may prove disastrous,y expensive
TO the consumer and also to the nation
If the price paid for the alluring reduc-
ton is cprtailment Of the ability TO
buy, restriction of home production
checking of industrial activity and bust
ness depression in all that that term
implies.
"A minimum cost Of living is not in
evitably an unmixed blessing. Here in
British Columbia
Situation in the situation IS it
British Columbia. 90. - u" era peUp.e
different M of the
Dominion or OF all America is today
more prosperous or developing with
greater rapidity. Possibly it is quite
true that the Seattle householder can
buy his mutton chops at II to IS cents
per pound, while the Victorian pays Is
to 20: that poultry is purchasable in Sc
attic at 20 to % cents per pound which
here commands 20 to 30 cents; that eggs
are listed in Seattle at from % to Is
cents dozen and here at 30 to 30 cents,
with other standard comparisons in pro-
portion. But is the Seattle consumer as
able to pay the current prices in Seattle
as the Victorian Is to pay those pre-
yailing here?
No one in touch with business con-
ditions generally in the two cities, who |
studies the bank clearing statements. |
the savings banks reports, the market |
for labor and the wages paid. and the |
payments will hesitate to answer" |
1t is somewhat discouraging to the |
average American tourist who has been |
in Canada in the
Talk Of Disaster last week or two
r. n. to read morning /
- DAoeo"Ao6A"6' and evening in the |
of the financial disaster and |
industrial woe in his home country. The |
newspapers play up" in |
the boidest type items of news from all
parts OF the United States telling of bust |
ness failures. crop shortages and the like |
kilograms telling of mills closing down |
and Of men thrown out of work greet |
the eye on almost every page. And 1t |
is to prevent the extension of these dis |
astrous conditions across the northern
line into Canada that these /
are pleading with the voters