New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-17

caRo iS Tor our country. pu' DN'N
Nsuch a tendency positively develops
there must be a change IN the dispose
ton of Canada toward itself; and the
war is not helping to produce any sucn
change.
What is little more than an accident
of international history left Canada
narrow, though rich, British fringe
upon the Arctic Zone, north OF the Tree
and independent United States. Into
this fringe Maine projects northward
far out of line into the British possess
sions. Over the fringe, to the east
ward, hang New Brunswick and Nova
Scotia. Between the United States and
the Dominion switch for hundreds oil
miles the great fresh water seas so TIT
ed that they have thrust Canada upon
the west far northward. 1t is a geo
graphically defensble but commercial
ly, industrially and politically an UNI
fortunate boundary-for the Canadians.
New Brunswick and British COLUMBIA
are a continent apart, with no VIDE,
we'll populated bond of communication.
Canada Lacks Unity
Canada is confederated, consolidated,
but not integrated, unified. Canada
looks to London for economic and po-
litical direction and to New York Tor
economic help. And until the Dominion
becomes self-conscious and self-rellant
the economic troubles here will con-
4. o.
Borrowing ideas and borrowing money
may keep people ahoat, but these
methods will never make that people
rich, powerful, prosperous and digni-
fed.
As one man in Canada put it to me:
Eve borrow all the capital we have
from London, and what we cannot get
from London we beg from New York
The business of Canada centres IN the
banks TO a degree distinctly amazing to
an American. II is not only that there
are half a dozen banks rivalling the
greatest in New York and in Chicago;
not only that these banks have branches
in every important city; not only that
in every large city there are main and
branch banks every few blocks, but
also that the bankers own Canada. I'm
fortunately, there is a peculiar ten
Gency upon the part of bankers to en-
courage commercial rather than agrl-
cultural, manufacturing and mining
enterprises, FOR the simple reason that
the merchant can meet the require
ments of short-time paper and of vlsl-
Bile evidences of ability to pay. The
turnover of the merchant comes every
month, or at least every season.
II is an astonishing fact that bar,
! half dozen banks in a region of but
seven million Inhabitants have re-
sources totalling 81 ,0O0,00O,000. What
! is needed now is not only more bank
! ing capital and resources, but an al
most complete conversion of the pres
/ cnt resources to manufacture and agri-
| culture.
There is but one automobile manu-
! featuring plant of Importance in Can
/ ada. Pianos are built. And there are
few other manufactures Of finished
nature. But in general Canadians wear
| English or American clothes, English
or American shoes and English or
! American underwear They ride IN
American automobiles or in English
/ carriages or upon English bicycles, for
! in Canada the car has by no means
| driven out the horse and the bicycle.
They use American brushes, soap,
| breakfast cereals, stationery, Ink,
books, pencils, carpets, rugs, jewelry,
watches. plumbing, crockery. glass, but
tons, thread and hundreds of other
articles.
Canada's New Steel City
The great new Canadian steel city is
being bui,t near Windsor, in Southwest
| Ontario, with American money. In the
| first week Of September contracts were
let there for 1870 houses costing from
$4,000 to $4,000 each.
One man in every fifteen in the Do
minion fishes for a living in the seas,
! lakes or rivers. Fishing as a liveli-
hood never made much appeal to men
with an instinct for business. The
primitive still has large place here.
Lumber, wheat, metals. fishing, rail
reading, retail trading, house building,
real estate and banking; these have
been the great interests OF Canadians
to date.
And yet the wonder is the achieve
ment. Compare Canadian cities with
American cities of the same size; and,
city for city, Canada surpasses the
States. both in solidity and in beauty
of structure. Seven million Canadians
have built the magnificent Dominion
Parliament and other government
structures, besides similar structures
in every province. The Canadian
house is proof against the Canadian
winter.
And what has the war obviously done
to affect these basic conditions?
1t is an interesting fact that very
few Canadian women and girls will
wear store bought new hats this win
ter. In audience after audience in one
city after another | saw the evidences
of severe economy in ladies' garments
and millinery. As for mems shoes,
Americans are long way off from wear
ing down our footgear as do these
Canadians, who are buying bonds TO
prevent the superior international
control Of London by their British kin
passing to their German foes. By so
much as they love Queen Mary and re-
spect His Majesty King George, so
much they hate and fear his cousin,
the Kaiser, who has played false to the
peoples of his grandmother, the be-
loved Victoria.
Because of home economies and Of
investments in foreign and domestic
tuo-fold citizenship everywhere in
tanada there are vacant houses 10 let
or for sale; families are doubling up or
going TO board. Farms are for sale
cheap. Retail trade has shrunken in
volume of goods turning over Rail-
way travel is light.
Such is Canada in war time. Such
are the Canadians who are now facing
several great economic problems, among
them the government purchase of the
insolvent Canadian Northern Railroad;
protecting real estate values in the