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It is only natural that an inquiry
should be made as to the chances and opportunities Canada offers to
the various classes which form the bulk of the emigration movement
both from the United Kingdom and the Continent. In a new country
there must necessarily be more opportunities for advancement than in
an older one, and usually there is not that observance of cast-iron
rules which generally prevails in more ancient communities,, It must
be stated, however, that success in the Colonies demands just the
same qualities as those which are required elsewhere, and perhaps in
an even greater degree. Many people in the Colonies—and this applies
especially to Canada—have risen from very small beginnings; and
practically the same chances are open to the youth of the present
day, with the qualification, of course, that competition is greater
now than it used to be. After
all, however, the classes of people wanted in Canada are
comparatively limited, although there is room enough for an
unlimited number of the right sort. Capitalists, large and small,
are what are chiefly desired, and, if they can be induced to go in
any considerable number, there will be no difficulty in getting
those who live by their labour to follow. In agriculture, in lumber,
in the fisheries, in mining, and in manufactures, there is, no
doubt, money to be made, but it is the agriculturist that the
country stands in special need of at the present time, to bring into
cultivation the millions of acres of land that is now unoccupied.
The farmer with a little capital may go to almost any part of the
country with the certainty of doing well, but, of course, some parts
will be likely to suit him better than others, and upon this point
ho must m&ko full inquiry. In the older Provinces of Canada, while
Government land may still be obtained very cheaply, it must not be
forgotten that the land is generally covered with wood, and requires
to be cleared before it can be tilled, and that the average “old
countryman” is not specially qualified for work of that character.
Improved farms may be obtained at reasonable prices and on easy
terms of payment, but much will depend, of course, on the contiguity
of the farm to settlements, railways, and waterways. In Manitoba and
the North-West free grants of land may be obtained, unencumbered
with trees and ready for the plough, but even there it must be
remembered that land near the railways and the rivers is taken up
rapidly, and that free homesteads can only now be had a few miles
distant from railway stations and settlements. It is therefore a
question whether a settler, if he has a little capital, would not be
well advised in buying an improved farm even on the prairie, leaving
the younger and hardier spirits to undertake the pioneer work.
Canada, of course, has its drawbacks, as well as its advantages, but
the latter are generally considered to outweigh the former, which
explains the expansion that is continually taking place. It would be
idle to ignore the fact that the Canadian farmer has felt the
depression that has been passing over tho world, but at the same
time the low prices have hit him less hard than farmers in many
other countries. This arises from the fact that his land is cheap,
taxation is low, labour-saving appliances are in constant use, that
ho is his own landlord, and last, but not least, that ho and the
members of his family do their own work and only employ such
additional hands as are absolutely necessary. Of course there is no
royal road to fortune by way of agriculture in Canada any more than
elsewhere, but it will provide a comfortable living and a healthy
life, two things in themselves sufficiently important to attract tho
attention of people who may be thinking of emigration.
Farm labourers are in considerable
demand in all parts of the country, but single men are preferred to
married men with families, as it is not the custom to put up
cottages on Canadian farms for the use of the labourers, all the
hands employed living under the one roof. Of course there are
exceptions in the older Provinces, but, as a general rule, single
men are preferred. Canada affords excellent opportunities for farm
labourers. They live well and get good wages, so that if they are
hard-working and thrifty there is nothing to prevent them starting
on their own account in a few years if they have any ambition to do
so. Hundreds and thousands of instances could be found where this
has been the case, and one cannot help thinking how much bettor it
would be for the thousands of farm labourers who in the last few
years have migrated from the English rural districts to the towns,
if they had gone to Canada instead of passing a more or less
miserable existence among the congested populations which they have
helped to swell. In Canada they could have turned their skill to
some advantage, while in the English towns they have simply become
unskilled labourers, uncertain of employment, living from day to day
and from hand to mouth.
Another class for which there is a
great demand is female servants, both in the country districts and
in the towns. In every place that one goes to, the cry is, “Send us
more servants,” and the wonder is that the demand does not attract a
greater supply. Wages are generally good, although, excepting in
Manitoba, the North-West Territories, and British Columbia, not
higher than in London; but the homes are comfortable, and the girls
seem to have more freedom and more liberty than at home. One of the
difficulties of colonial ladies is that their servants get married
so rapidly, which perhaps, however, the servants do not regard as a
disadvantage. There is no doubt that servant girls have a
disinclination to travel far away from home, especially if they have
to go alone, and have no friends in the places to which they may be
going. This difficulty, however, is overcome to a certain extent by
the supervision that is afforded by Emigration societies in the
United Kingdom, by the Government agents, and by the Ladies’
Committees which are to be found in most of the Canadian cities and
towns. In many cases, accommodation is provided by the committees
until satisfactory employment is found, which is generally only a
question of a few hours.
The emigration of mechanics,
general labourers, and navvies is not encouraged, unless they are
proceeding to join friends already settled in the country. The
reason for this is obvious. The demand for labour is generally met
by the available supply on the spot and by the immigration that
voluntarily takes place, and it stands to reason that if, in a
country with a limited population like Canada, a large
indiscriminate immigration was invited of people to whom immediate
employment was a necessity, it would be simply creating a congestion
of population, and an unemployed question, and throw back the
current of desirable immigration for many years. Therefore, it is
much bettor that emigration of this class should only be encouraged
in such numbers as can be readily absorbed. The emigration to Canada
could easily be increased to treble its present numbers, but, unless
it consisted of people for whom there is a demand, it would only
promote difficulty and trouble, and the Canadian Government deserve
congratulation on tho careful and circumspect manner in which this
part of its work is conducted.
With regard to the professions and
to the lighter callings, including clerks of all kinds, it may be
stated that there is little opening for emigration of that kind. The
demand is met by the local supply, and naturally anyone living in
Canada has an advantage over the stranger, although ho may be a
British subject. Of course, there is always room at the top of the
ladder, but competition is keen, and anyone who knows the country
would hesitate to recommend persons of the classes named to go out,
especially if obliged to rely upon immediate occupation for a
livelihood.
The object of tins series of
letters has been to give some description, slight and imperfect
though it may be, of the parts of Canada which are traversed in
journeying from the Atlantic to the Pacific; also to give an idea of
the industries of the people, and of the classes which can be
recommended to go to Canada, with the certainty of doing well. If
they are successful in creating some little interest in the country,
and in stimulating further inquiries about its many attractions, its
great resources and capabilities, the writer will be abundantly
satisfied. |
