The Alaska daily empire., 1914-12-04
CANADIAN TOWNS
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 sHNTgsH. Nov 2S. fully 20Q0 |armea mea drilled and fainea Inc9s. sontf inoe tbe German tioota victory over lae British o1 chiie, now Enasa ! Victoria ona Vancouver from atlac.. In any Qoartar Aprox.mateiy o90 including l00d soldiers Nno @lll join i hc next Canadian contingent to leave E for Europe. patrol yic.oria and LOGO lmcra ere on watch at Vancouver in the event of a raid by tne German lheets tho troops will fight to Cue last ditc1. it is said, to repel landing par t.aa from the hostile cruisers
 Full deails of the military prep' aradons made to prevent t1e sack or lhe two chief British Columbia porla were told to a reporter of The Times by 2 Victoria resident who unti Q few weeks ago. was the manager of one oI lhc largest hotels In chat city Ever since the war began, be reports. arms and ammunition in great quantitles have been shipped to both ports espe- cialiy Victoria which Is expected to bean the brunt Of attack il tne Ger. man fleet attempts its contemplated raid of the British columbia ports, The Insurance rates Go cover losses from bombardment are almost prohib. itory
 Scores of four-inch and slx.inch guns have been mounted on Che hills sur rounding Victoria in bind batteriea. che locations Of which are known only to ,he officers detailed to the defense oi tho city ln addition to these bat' ,eries. which are manned by regular uo0ps. tho approaches to the haroor have been mined with both contact and electric mines,
 Vancouver We'll Protected.
 In fact he declared. go thoroughly have the courses been mined that yes. sells navigating in British Columbia waters are now obliged Go carry 8 gov enment pilot who has chart giving the location of the mines. The narrow courses leading into che harbor of Van ccuver. he said had been so defended that It would be Impossible for any ship to enter the harbor without cross lng a mine field seorchlighis have been mounted on the hills facing the approaches to Vancouver and a close watch is maintained day and night for the approach of hostile feet
 lnVictoria tlere is what would be known m the United States as the Home Guard he said, and when he left the city it had an enlisted strength Of 1900 which was rapidly increasing. The regiment commanded by malor of the regular army. detailed for the express purpose of teaching the men how Go repel a landing force. drills three nights a week and for two and @ half hours periods.
 The organization was started soon after tue beginning of ihc war and had an original strength of 25O men These were for the most par, yetor- ans of Che Boor War and former mom- bcra of the Northwest Mounted Police, who were in business in Victoria or else had lucrative positions which they could lll afford to resign to 50 up to the front until actually needed. The later recruits came from the ranks of the business men and men with lamii- les. who could not 60 to the front
 Home Guard Reinforced.
 The success of the German fleet un- der Admiral yon Spec has so increased the anxiety of the residents of the city, however. that the membership in tho regiment has rapidly increased un- | uI now 1.2OO are enlisted. Eight hun. dred more could be recruited within a few hours if necessary There are plenty of rifles and ammunition for all.
 In addition to the volunteer force for the purpose of protection to the city there are ,0OO men In training in Vic t0ria who win go to thc front with the next contingent Of Canadian troops. Should a land attack Of the town be attempted these men would be avaii- able for service and the infantry strength at Victoria would total 5000 men. more than three-fourth of whom would be trained soldiers.
 The premium =exacted by Insurance companies from merchants and others desiring to insure their property against bombardment, according to the former Victoria resident, who said that l per cent for every three months was the rate paid 1T a merchant in Vic soria or Vancouver with stock vai- ued at S8O0,000 wished to insure it be would be obliged to pay S4,OOO every three months.
 -e-s-e
 LONDON on. ALERT
 FOp wUE VTppETINS NS