|
After having travelled from one end of
Canada to the other, it is necessary to say something of the various
industries in which Canadians occupy themselves — industries to
which Canada owes its present position, and upon which the future of
the country depends. In Canada, as in most of the other Colonies,
there is no leisured class. Everybody works more or less hard, and,
although there are a few millionaires in the country, the generality
of the people have incomes that are moderate compared with those of
tho higher classes in the United Kingdom, although the general
standard of wealth is probably greater than it is at home.
The principal industry is of course
agriculture, and it applies equally to every Province. Most of the
country is situated in temperate latitudes, and the soil and climate
are eminently suited for the production of the crops, fruits and
vegetables that grow in Central and Northern Europe. Considering the
size of the Dominion, the climate naturally varies, but it has a
regular summer heat which is sufficient in almost every part of the
country to grow all the smaller fruits in perfection, and even many
of those which do not ripen in the open air in the United Kingdom.
Exception must of course be made in this statement to Manitoba and
the North-West, but even there, although apples do not grow, and
grapes are not common, yet all the smaller fruits like strawberries
and raspberries, gooseberries and cherries, grow wild and very
luxuriantly, while wild hops are frequently seen in the summer time.
Cattle raising and dairying are carried on everywhere. Canada sends
more cheese to Great Britain than any other place in the world. Tho
quantity of butter exported is also increasing, and the cattle
shipments from Canada are sufficient to have created considerable
feeling among agriculturists, both in England and Scotland, in
connection with the restrictions that have recently been placed upon
their importation.
The next industry in magnitude is
probably that connected with the timber trade. In the Maritime
Provinces, in Quebec, and in Ontario, in the northern parts of
Manitoba and the North-West Territories, and in British Columbia,
timber of all kinds is found, and there is not only a largo local
demand, but, both on the Atlantic and on the Pacific, the export of
lumber is a considerable business, employing a largo amount of
capital and many thousands of men.
Probably, next in importance to
agriculture and timber is the fishing industry. This is principally
exploited on the Atlantic coast and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and
it is the nursery of a hardy race of sailors which have made
Canadian ships and Canadian commerce known in all the ports of the
world. The importance of the fisheries is also emphasised by the
endeavours that have been made so frequently by our American cousins
to Bharo in this source of wealth. There are considerable fisheries
also in the rivers and lakes of the country, from the Atlantic to
the Pacific, and on the shores of British Columbia the fisheries are
particularly extensive and valuable, although practically
undeveloped, owing to the difficulty at present of finding markets
for the fish when caught.
Canada is exceptionally rich in
minerals. Largo deposits of coal exist both on the Atlantic and on
the Pacific, and naturally these are of exceptional value to the
Empire, as without coaling stations the Atlantic and Pacific
squadrons would be very much embarrassed in times of war. Coal is
also mined in the North-West Territories, and its discovery has done
much to promote the settlement of that part of the country. Iron is
found in many places; gold and silver are also worked in the
different Provinces, and in the near future, as the country becomes
developed, it will be strange indeed if deposits of these precious
metals are not discovered which will create much attention. Gold is
being obtained in small quantities in Nova Scotia, in Quebec, in
Ontario, and in British Columbia, and in the last-named Province the
same range of mountains passes through the country that have been
such a fruitful source of wealth to Colorado and California. In
fact, it may be stated that Canada possesses deposits of almost all
the known minerals, but, although the population has rapidly grown,
it is still very small indeed for the size of the country, and
hardly more than a fringe is at present peopled. As it becomes
opened up, more populated, and is made accessible, tho mineral
industry is likely to assume far greater proportions than at
present.
With all those natural advantages,
and particularly in view of tho fiscal policy which has been adopted
in the last 15 or 10 years, it is not surprising that a largo
manufacturing industry has been developed. The census of 1891
demonstrated tho great progress that had boon made in this direction
since 1881, and an advance almost equally extensive was shown in the
census of the latter year. The capital employed in manufactures has
increased, also the number of factories and the number of hands
employed, and the great expansion in the traffic carried over the
railways and along the waterways shows the important position local
manufactures are assuming in connection with the requirements of the
country. The manufactories have a very wide range, and include
almost every article of production; and no doubt the progress that
has boon made has tended to prevent the increase in the import trade
which would otherwise have taken place to supply the wants of the
people. The way in which the country has become inhabited is
calculated to assist in the development of manufacturing industries.
In the Australian Colonies there is generally one very largo city
and a few smaller ones; but the system of small towns and villages,
which is common enough in the United Kingdom, seems to be more or
less unknown in the outlying parts of the Empire, excepting perhaps
in Canada. There, villages and small towns are numerous, and there
is quite a respectable number of them (about 150), containing each
more than 2,000 people. Naturally, in these places there is a
tendency to start manufactures, especially where water-power is
available, and therefore factories are seen in all the older
Province especially, although they have not developed so rapidly in
Manitoba, the North-West Territories, and British Columbia.
In addition to the industries
already mentioned, railways and shipping employ an immense amount of
capital and a large number of men; and there are also the learned
professions. Mechanics and unskilled labourers of various kinds are
numerous, but there has never been an unemployed movement of any
extent. The people are generally in more or less constant employment
and in receipt of wages which enable them to live comfortably, and
to bring up their families in a way which is not always possible in
older countries. There is no distinction of caste to anything like
the same extent that obtains in the United Kingdom. A man is
regarded according to the position he makes for himself, by
sobriety, energy, and perseverance; and the facilities for education
are such that the poorest boy in the land has the opportunity of
fitting himself for the highest positions the country can offer. |
