New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-25

their demand for the refining to be
done at home Canadians are proclaim
ing the new imperial trade policy, SINH
lar to our national policy of protec-
ton, only applying to the whole en-
pire and to Canada, nationally, within
that empire.
Politics Unawares.
Politics is beclouding the meaning Of
the nickel controversy as it will in
evitably becloud every issue that can
be made political. Efforts have been
put forth to make by-elections turn
upon nickel, two of them within the
last couple Of months. Extravagant and
absurdly untrue statements have been
circulated, largely for party advantage.
A new species Of nickel hysteria has
been prevalent in Ontario, with nickel
hopelessly confused with other matters
in the speeches of candidates and their
supporters and in the public mind. Yet
it all has significance in revealing the
attitude of the people of Canada to
economic independence. Public inter-
est was quickly and easily reused. Two
governments have been forced into ac-
ton. Canada and her imperial part
ners will benefit to the extent of two
nickel refneries located in the Domin-
| ion and the control of this extremely
! INN ~ NJ ,pI vrbi oh
will give. This new development will
/ render impossible the continuance of
conditions which ought never to have
existed and which never would have ex-
listed but for the blunders of both the
Canadian and the British governments.
History of Nickel.
Discovered for the first time in 1856,
the value of the nickel deposits Of
! Canada was not realized until many
years later. Prior to this time the
demand for nickel had not been large
and had been easily met by the mines
of New Caledonia. At first nickel was
considered merely as a by-product in
the production of copper and the
Canadian Copper Company worked the
+ New Ontario deposits for the sake of
the better known metal George
Wilkie, a prominent Toronto lawyer,
who has had peculiar opportunities for
studying the history of the nickel
question in Canada. is authority for
the statement that in 1889 the Cana
dian Copper Company was selling
large quantities of nickel in Europe
and had an offer from Krupp to take
the company's entire output for three
years. Officials OF the United States
| government were advised by the COM
pany of the condition of affairs and
tests of armor plates were made at
Annapolis. The result is best told in
the following quotation from 1.-THE
Scientific American" Of September 81,
1890:
"The remarkably short time it took
for Congress, after the final results
at the recent trials at Annapolis were
=, made known, to make the large appro-
priation Of s1,000,O00 for the purchase
of nickel to be used in the manufact-
ure of nickel-steel plates for armoring
our war vessels is something phenom-
email. The very great superiority of
such plates over the English compound
plates. such as is used on most of the
armor-clads of the British govern
ment, was so plainly shown at the
trials as to admit Of no question"
Great Britain's Interest.
Following a report Of the Ontario
Commissioner of Crown Lands. the
Provincial government about this time
suggested to the British authorities
that ain view Of the important ma
tional uses to which nickel is being
applied by foreign governments .
an arrangement might be made under
which the government of the United
Kingdom should acquire a substantial,
possibly a controlling, interest in the
nickel deposits OF this province" The
Lords Commissioners OF the Admir-
atty rejected the proposal. Still
the Ontario government showed re-
| luctance To accept any Of thu offers