Evening star., 1927-02-16
CANADIANS OPPOSE
LAKE-TO-SEAP PLAN
Cooperation on Peace
Bridge Different Matter,
However.
BY j. &. ROYLE.
Special Dispatch to The star.

Special Dispatch to The star
NEW YORK, February l6.-The
opening of the peace bridge across
the Niagara River between Buffalo
and BridgetoWn, Ontario, next Apri
unquestionably will bring millions ol
dollars to residents on each SIDE OF
the border American tourists III
1926 spent over S250,000,00 in Canada
and the new bridge will surely IN,
crease that amount, since IL VIII
handle $500 vehicles an hour as
against about $500 a week over the
old ferry.
The future is being heavily specu.
lated upon by both American ana
Canadian residents. For 20 m'ies ,
back from the bridge, practically
every available piece Of land has been
bought and sold half dozen times
laid out i'm subdivisions and dealt in
IN a scale reminiscent of Florida TWO
wears ago. The Canadian authorities
promise to do their part by building a
most comprehensive system of high
WAYS Large sums will be expended
on this work.
Ship Channel Different.
1t is evident from talking with Ca
nadianS here that many of them are
by no means so willing to do their
share when it comes to constructing a
ship channel from the Lakes to the
Gulf of st. Lawrence. which is adVo-
Gated by Secretary Hoover and num-
Der Of communities, corporations and
private individuals on this side of
the border 1t is no infrequent thing
TO hear Canadians discuss the st.
Lawrence as "our river" and to indi-
cate they feel that the United States
has enough without being assisted in
building this project.
Millions of American capital have
gone into Canada from huge Amerl-
can industrial and power companies
and the Canadians call attention to
how advantageous 1t would be for
some of those concerns If the govern
ments built the dams and the com
panies got the power.
Quebec has served notice on her sis
ter provinces that she is bitterly op-
posed to the project. This is natural,
since instead of Montreal being the
great port she now is, the main termi'
nal would be moved hundreds Of miles
west. Montreal shipping men have a
score of faults to find with the pan.
They say neither lake vessels nor
salt water ships could operate effect
fvely in both kinds of water. A load
which could comfortably be carried
in salt water would sink a vessel
three feet deeper in fresh water.
Crews. wages and regulations in the
two trades are radically different and,
1t is claimed, could not readily be ad-
justed.
Canada Hasn't Money.
The most potent objection to the
carrying out of the project, however.
according to it's opponents, is that
Canada has not the money to carry
Ii out and will not have for so years.
The mines of Ontario seem destined
to have a most successful year. Pro
duction was at a, high level in 1926
and the present year has shown i'm
provement as compared with last Feb
ruary Additional land has been pros
pected, many new properties opened
up and more capital has been made
available. More important still, the
science of mining is revolutionizing
production methods. This fact Is of
utmost Importance, especially where
gold is concerned, since the price of
that metal is pegged at $20.67 an
ounce and cannot rise along with
costs of production.
There is one kind of bootlegging or
smuggling which many Canadians
think would prove as profitable as
rum-running, but no one as yet has
made success of It.. This is getting
used American automobiles into
Canada. Canadians have been pay
ing high prices for automobiles by
reason of tariff restrictions and look
with longing eyes at the price lists
of American used cars.
-Af iC oh oil ho