Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-07-20
HANDS ACROSS BOUNDARY.
Engineering view Of Pending Reciproc-
ity Arrangement with with Canada.
(From the Engineering News)


the discussion OF questions purely poliu-
cal in character. The question Of rec'p-
rocal trade relations between Canada
and the United States. however. Is one
or economics, of engineering, of trans
portation and of manufac turlng indus
try more than It Is Cor rather should b0
question of politics
In all the discussion concerning recipro-
city which has taken place, nothing has
been said concerning the geographical
and Typographical conditions which make
trade between the different parts of can
ada and the parts of the United states
adjacent to them particularly easy and
advantageous and trade of the different
arts of Canada with each other ex-
ceedingly costly.
Few people In the United States realize
the extent to which Typographical condi-
tons divide the Canadian nation into sep
crate parts. remote from each other. each
cf which finds It's natural commercial re-
Lotions with the part Of the United States
Immediately south of It, rather than with
ether portions of the Dominion.
The 'rst Of these great divisions of
Canada Is the Maritime Provinces Nova
Scotia and New Brunswick. These are
separated from the trade centers of the
Province of Quebec, their nearest Cana
dian neighbor on the westward. by dis
lance of over 500 miles. The distance from
Halifax to Montreal by the Intercolonial
railway If ST. miles and the road trav-
erses hundreds OF miles Of almost unin-
iabitcd country in the district lying near
the mouth of the ST Lawrence river BY
the shorter cut across the state OF Maine
built by TIE Canadian Pacific railway
some 20 years ago, the distance from St
.'ohns to Montreal Is nearly 800 miles
The water route from the Maritime Prov
ii ces to Quebec by way Of the St. Law
ience river is over LOCO miles In length.
| and is subject to great risks of fog and
| ice.
On the other hand. the Maritime Prov
irccs are at all seasons of the year in
| quick and direct communication both by
| water and by rail with Boston ana New
England markets. The natural trade of
| the Maritime Provinces. therefore, IS with
Maine ana Massachusetts and Rhode Is
| land
| The Canadian financial and commercial
| Centers are the cities of Ontario and Que
hcc. and the bulk of the manufacturing
| Industries of the Dominion. with tho
|
greater part of the population. are also
! located in these provinces. The natural
! trade of this section of Canada is with
| New York. Chic. Michigan and other sec
| lions of the United States lying Inn
! mediatelv 10 the south. The difficulties of
trade by Ontario AMI Quebec with the
! Maritime Provinces have Just been noted
and In order to reach that great fertile
section Of the Northwest, Of which Win
nipeg is the center. a railway Journey of
1900 miles from Ottawa must be made
For most Of this distance tho railway
runs through the barren uninhabited dis
tri"t lying to the North Of LAKE. Superior
Tho wonderfully fertile and prosperous
section of the Dominion lying in the Cen
trail Plains district promises 10 become
one of the greatest wheat growing sec
lions of the world. It * incrca ing II
population and wealth at a phenomenal
rate, and one of the great economic prob
lens of the present day Is how the prod
uce of this vast and fertile section can
be cheapv transported to market
The barrier Of distance between this
Northwest region and Ontario has just
been noted. In order to obtain = shorter
outlet for products of the y rthwest sent
abroad, the Canadian government is now
undertaking to build the Hudson Bav
| railway-a scheme which will have to
cope with unprecedented veathor ooH1i-
tons in order to win success. The nat
ura channel Of trade for all thi, great
section, destined to supp0rt future pop
ulrton Of many millions. is with thu
middle west district # tho Tnite1 states
with the cities Of the Great Lakes and
| al