Evening star., 1928-05-13
POLITICS MAY DEFEAT
ST. LAWRENCE SHIPWAY
Fear of u. S. Gaining Ultimate Control
Also Seen in Recent Exchange
of Notes.

I But even in Ontario and the Middle
| West there prevails a general fear that
when the waterway is built the control
will pass into the hands of the United
States. The chief worry is over the
export of power. Canada has not
enough factories to use all of the power
| Immediately available when tn. water
way is completed. The United States
not only has enough factories to use her
half of the power. but could use much
of Canada's power as well. Canada S
natural temptation will be to rent some
OF her power to the United States. but
she fears that to DO this will cause
| international friction and industrial
calamity in the United States when
she seeks to withdraw that power.
Canadians point to the case Of the
Chicago drainage canal and argue that
the power of the United States is such
that she usually gets her own way re-
gardlesS of international equity.
In the face of this popular mistrust.
whether justified or not, Mackenzie
King cannot risk any real initiative to
please the Province of Ontario. the
stronghold of his opposition, or even to
please the farm bloc. Above ALL he does
not want to repeat the mistake which
Sir Wilfred Laurier made when he went
to the polls on the issue of the reci-
procity treaty of 1911 with the United
States and suffered an overwhelming
defeat.
The question of reciprocity at that
time was twisted into a fiag-waving
campaign against the United States,
and reciprocity was interpreted as
meaning that Canada should virtually
/ leave the British Empire. The ST
Lawrence waterway offers exactly the
same possibilities of being twisted into
a campaign of nationalist jingo-
batting.
Mr.. King. therefore. hay resorted to
bargaining. and is endeavoFing 10 show
the Canadian people that he can secure
some advantages for theni in return for
their cooperation In {tne waterway
What Canada wants from the United
States more than anything else is ex-
actly what she turned down when she
threw away the reciprocity treaty In
1911, namely, free entry of Canadian
fish and agricultural products.
In his notes to Secretary Kellogg,
therefore. Mr.. King hints pointedly at
such bargain. Restrictions on the
importation Of Canadian farm prod
uctS,' he says. land duties on the prod
factors which have contributed to bring
ing 1t about that public opinion in
Canada has not so clearly crystallized in
favor of the waterway project"
In all justice to Mr.. King. however, It
should be. noted that he personally is
heartily In favor of the project and has
already done much 10 win over the
recalcitrant power interests of Quebec
by promising Louis Alexandra Tasche-
reau, Quebec's premier. that no power
will be exported 10 the United States
and that those sections of the waterway
wholly within Canada shall remain
wholly under Canadian control.
Despite this initial step In winning
over Quebec the political situation is so
involved that it seems most improbable
that any real progress will be made to-
ward actual construction Of the water
way until after the next Canadian elec-
tions. which are due either In 1880
or 1881.