The Washington times., 1915-12-23
WAR BRINGS VEAL TIL
, TO NOVA SCOT|ANS
Scenes in Halifax Recall the
PaImy Days of the American
+ Civil War.

"Tt all reminds mo of the palmy daYs
Of the American civil war. when the
Citadel, the streets. the shops. the fac
tories, and the harbor were at the
highest pitch of activity. Every Blue
nose has money. every man has a iCh,
and fortunes arc being made in ship
ping. Apart from recruiting. Halifax
offers a strange contrast to WinnipcS
and the western towns just now. Why.
you may even see the same old group
of blockade runners in the corridor of
the Halifax Hotel that ] used to over
hear swapping stories fifty years ago!
Halifax is certainly i'm it's proper ele-
ment in war time, and has been ever
since that memorable morning ir
August when the Mauretania, en- rout"
for New York, suddenly put into tnis
port, and some thousand startled AM
Crcan passengers looked out on the
gray Citadel and its ramrarts instead
II Is not only Halifax which is enjoy
ing a war hoom.s Take town like
New Glasgow, which. a generation ago
had no industrial existence, but where
steel works. in day and night shifts.
making war munit ons. Not only are
amherst, sydney. GlaCc Ray. and Ste
larton hives Of activity, nut every litt'h
mining property in the Province which
has heon largui%h'nG for years is now
l, inc worked tc the uttermost which
the supply Of tabor will permit.
Oddcst Spectacle.
But tho oddcst snctcaclo is to be seen
in tho outnnsts whore little cargo boats
arc being niled scunper-high with prod
uCe for Britain and neutral countries.
At Pictou the other dav | was inter
ested in seeing gang Of painters at
work covering the sides of quaint hriSS
and sChOOnerS with Swedish and Nor
NeCian devices in the hone. IT only
these cmhlCmS were big enough ami
lurid enough. that they would escap"
the fatal attentions of some lowering
German submarine. One must not i'm
Uuire too closely into the antecedents
present oWncrship. and destination OF
these boats. Manv of them have a
Morse or Swedish skipper and are carry
ing lumber to South America: hut some
have already mysterouslN disappeared
in northern latitudcs and eastern lonGi-
tudcs totherWiSc the war ZCncl. and
Nova Scotian ports will know them no
more It is wonderful what a lot Of
primitive craft ono sces-cNcn full-riGgcd
sailing ships, and hom"-huilt. homo
plvins craft now creeping forth stealth,
ily into strange waters to take a hand
in the great game. so full Of Derils. but
so full withal Of the chances of gain.
Warships' Movements Secret.
Nor must ono disclose what meets tho
harbor The secret of the movements
OF the great British warships has for
sixteen months been iealouslY Guarded
by the censors and by the citizens them
selves Battleships and cruisers which
have been here for daNs and whose
crews parade the streets vanish in the
night without notice. and others arrive
and take their places and I'm turn dis
appear. There is only one place in Can
ada, or. indeed, on the continent. where
one NAV realize the power and restless
ness Of the british navy in this war,
and that place is Halifax.
Recruiting throughout this province.
and, indeed throughout eastern Can
ada continues rema rkably brisk, most
OF the units now assembled consisting
almost wholly OF native born. Sir Sam
hughes minister of militia is author
ity for stating that by spring Britain
will have 5000, 900 men and Canada over
400, 900 With regard to she'll akinG
he states that today $50 institutions are
engaged in manufacturing shells or the
parts Of shells and 100000 workmen are
employed.
The danger which Is being noted here
Is that Canadians are losing financial
control, If the war lasts six months
longer. Of some of their leading indus
tries. new York broker who has
been observing conditions and tenden-
Gle. on this side of the line says:
Canadian stocks have been absorbed
the buying only slackening for the mo-
ment. IT promises to begin again in the
new year. Today Foundries and Forg-
ings Is being taken away-in small lots
II Is true, but it is going, steel Of
Canada, Scotia. and Steel Corporation
have all been gradually absorbed. and
New York thinks them cheap. Cana
dians." he adds have less confidence
in their own rising industries than New
York. and the result will be that they
vol Of Of hair
concerns"
IN this connection the president Of the
canadian PGcih, Railway. Sir III on,as
ShanghuCssv, thus expresses his senti-
ments in the course of a letter written
a few days ago:
"Our Crc0it now is Of the most urgent
Importance. since tho enormous cost Of
the war has made it difficult. if not ir.-
possible, fo1 Great britain and other
European countries to continue that in
Nestment in canadian securities on
which the Development OF Canadl de.
pended so much in the ten years pre-
c~dins hoStilIties Tho sentimental in
tArest taken by the mother country in
canada accounted to some event for
tho readiness with which the British in
Nestor bought or securities. i. as is
likely, we have to turn now fer ON
loans to Now York we can no lonPCr
count on sentimental SvmDathv hut
must be able to guarantee that the
Nncrcv which we desire to horrop' will
enterprises WI ich arc Immediately pro-
ductive. EXtravarant promotions. born
only tn serve political crd must he
vigorously Stired Mt their hrth and
those unhealthy offspring which have
hoen spoon-fed by too lenicnt subsidies
or government guarantees must he rc-
duced to Sternor tutela"e-in some
cases. rerhaps. handed over ~ the
guardianship OF an n@icinl receiver"
This. which ts generally regarded as
IN attack on. inter alta tho Tanadi, n
Northern Comranv rrNhahlv will evoke
refonder from Mcssrs. MaCkenzie and
Mann. Tho writer of the letter goes on
10
"If, then. We 500 to it that our secu"-
itv and our credit are good. 7 Sc" 10
resson 10 fear that the progress Of
Canada will he hampered by lack Of
car'tal. even though the EuropNan in
weston be cut off by tho nresNrt wa
The business man Of tho United Stat"s
is essentially an individualist AM
never has shown much belief in state
socislism or any form of commerCi II
enterprise operated nv Government
officials. however upright or welI-in-
tentioned. Where. on tho other hand
there II SCOPE for well-arransrd
private business or industry. with the
prospect OF good dividends no o1A
- more ready than the American 10
stake large sums without hesitate
what all this and other public pro-
nouncements TO the same effect indl-