French Broad hustler and Western Carolina Democrat. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1915-1916, 1916-01-20
VAR CONDITIONS IN CANADA AS
SEEN THROUGH AMERICAN EYES.
Description of Life in Toronto Today
DIR. A. b. Drafts Talks Interesting
" of What He Found There.


DR.. A. B. Drafts, who with his fam
lily recently returned from a visit t.
relatives in the Dominion of Cana.
ia spoke very interestingly of condi.
tons as he saw them in the city o;
Toronto. He said, when asked to give
! a word picture of how a large Cana.
dian city appeared during the war:
! In some respects n could not tell
that the Dominion was in the throes
of that most cruel of conditions-War.
There is no excitement among the
{ people, life pursuing the even tenor OF
its way Just as it IS south of the boun-
, Diary line. The Englishman-in which
1 include the Canadian, of course, is
not q very demonstrative person, and
it is not always easy to tell just how
seriously he takes a situation until
you draw him out bit by bit. An
American expresses himself freely on
ali occasions and it is not hard to tel;
just wnere he stands. Of course,
Canadians are profoundly interested in
the war that the Allies are carrying
Oil, and that largely from a patriotic
standpoint. l believe the average Cana
dan feels himself just as responsible
for the conduct of this war as do
tine men who reside in the British
Isles, themselves.
I'm the minds of the people there is
a settled conviction that the war must
be seen through to a successful issue.
They have no thought of anything else
than victory for the Allied arms, and
they are making every necessary ad-
justment and sacrifice to meet the sit
uation. For instance, / visited a fam
lily wherein there was but son, a.
young nan of about twenty-one years
OF age. When the call came for VOL
urteers from Canada, there was not a
moments hesitation on the part of the
young man o rof his parents. 1t is
assumed as a matter OF course that
every available man who can be
S paI ed wi 1 join the arms. To fail 10
do SO would bring only eensure and
scorn on both parents and children.
what about business conditions?
Well so far as the eye can see bust
as usual is about correct. If n
takes the trouble to inquire around ne
will learn that many positions are va
cant, but are being held open for the
volunteers when they return home
from abroad. Also, one will note
quite an unusual number of vacant
stores in the business section, due
partly to failure, and to other reasons. ,
When you consider tnat there are So |
900 men in the army from the city Of
Toronto alone, you do not wonder that
business is not exactly normal To
ronto has a little more than 100000
population, and $4,000 taken out makes
quite a. little hole in the number: There
is no evidence or feeling of gloom or
panic in businss circles, just a deep
sense of the reasonableness of the sit
and a desire to adjust things
accordingly. Big money is being
made by the manufacturing interests
I'll throughout Canada, just as in the
States. Every. factory capable. OF be
iEg utilized for turning out war NUM-
lions and necessities, is being nun full
capacity, and large fortunes are being
built up. Ever since the war hegai4
a moratorium has been in effect /
which means that may not collect
debts during the war or
course. this has resulted in hardships,
and leads to some financial troubles,
but the people seem willing to- aid the !
government all they can, and are not
grumbling. Some rather curious sit
resulted in real estate circles
because of the moratorium. A landlord
can not legally collect rent from his
and if one of them chooses to
he may decline to pay rent Often
the landlord is willing to let matters
stand that way to keep his house open.
[ have heard that some landlords find
Il pays them to not only not insist on
their rents being paid, but are actually (
coal for the tenants in order =.
10 hold them. 1t is estimated that
there are $4,000 vacant houses in To I
onto. The reason is that the people I
have, been forced to curtafl expenses,
and have 'doubled-up'-two Or more
occupying a single house or
apartment.
Socially, things are about as usual.
Toronto folks are great theatre goerS.
Everything is running in amusement
just as it did before the wal.
Large crowds may be seen every night
going to and from the theatres and
movies, laughing and enjoying them
"But there is one e~ver-present re
of the war in Europe. Troops
.re everywhere. They are marchins
and counter-marching, ~setting-up x
and drilling in every branch
Of the service, in all parts of the city.
Day and night the streets echo to the
tramp of the recruits feet, as he is