FOE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE Canada Paoiflc Railway, Ab During the process of the construction of the railway, the Govern- ment ought to be able to sell to actual settlers 10,000,000 acres of land, at an average of $8.50 per acre. This is lower than t!he Ameri- can Railroad C'-'s. charge for poorer land. Their prices range from $3 to $10 pet acre, making an average of $6.50 per acre. Within the 20 mile limit on both sides of the railway line (not including that portion of the line which runs through Ontario, for Ontario will give nothing to the railway) there are about 51,000,000 acres of land. If a railway company constructs the railway under the existing Charter, they will get the half of this. And they wiU have to get 25,000,000 more, eithear in a block or in alternate sections. If they get it in block it would of itself make a whole Province one hundred and fifty miles broad, and two hundred and fifty mile long ; and for it. ought wo kuow, the company may get it in the South Saskatchewan Valley, possossmg a climate equal to the moat favored parts of On- tario, and a soil superior to it. But some readers will doubt that the lade scheme proposed to grant so much land ; but make the calcula- tion yourself. A strip of land twenty miles wide, and two thousand miles long contains twenty-five miUions and six hundred thousand acres of land. According to the Government scheme, the company was to get about sixty milhons of acres of land for the J^acitic ami other railways. A portion of it in alternate sections ten miles v.ido and twenty miles deep on each side of the railway, and the balauco somewhere else ; and if the company helped tho Government, well perhaps the company would have the privilege of choosing tho loca- tion. Nor wa3 the company to have any rocky laud. If any of tluir .sections were too rocky for sale, the company was to have the privi- lege of exahanging it for good land that would sell. In the above describedlblock of land, I have only taken into account the land grant to tho Canada Pacilic, proper other railways were to be built by the same company to connect with it, for which bonuses in the shape of additional land grants were to be given. In case the company construct «,ll the railways specified in the Charter, the si2e of the block I have referred to, would bo greatly increased. As soon as the Government have sold their lauds at a cheaper rate the companies land would be in good demand, and they would get from §8 to §10 per acre, or an average of $7.50 per acre. Hence they would get a land bonus which will be vv-orth three hundred and seventy-five millions of dollars. Quite a nice little bonus. No • wonder that Sh- Hugh desired it so much. Accordiiig to my scheme an eighty acre section at $5 would amount to $100. That is at the highest rate the Government would charge. But if a company con- constructs the Rail way with the land bonus they will ask $10 per acre, and for choice io ?:.;•. of land lying near stations will no doubt ask .^IT) per acre. When I have hstentd to the oft repeated story of the hardships of the settler in his struggle to maintain Lis family, make improvements, ,. construct roads with ^markets far away and poor, and at the same < time pay ofi' a debt of ten or twelve hundred dollars for land that cost a company qr speculator 25 cents to a dollar per acre, I have . been sorely vexed tnat a law could not have been made and enforced to prevent such wrongs. If a company construct the railway they ^ will not be obliged to sell tlieu- lands for less than I have stated, t A. bonus of $10,000 a mile wnich the Govf nmont proposes to give r them in gold, will grade the road and then it can .be mortgaged for > iron and rolling stock. The company would only need to raise mo - mey to pay interest on their mortgages. Suppose the ballance to be $70,000,000. The estimated cost of the entire lin« fi-om Lake Nip- i pissiftg to Esquemault is $100,000,000. The company was to re- u ceiv© $80,000,000 in gold, thus leaving the balance stated. Theifli;^,/^ . ., ' ,,, . . ..... .■ ■ iu«*« terest ou this sum at say five per ceut (tliey might borvov/ money in the English market at this rate if well secv red) would be §8,500,000 three milUoa and a half yearly. 500,000 acres sold yearly at $7 per acre would yield this sum. It would take one hundred years to sell their entire grant if they sold only this quantity yearly. They could get this price for lands next stations anu would not be obUgcd to sell for a less price ; hence they would bo able to hold their lands at a high figure for all time. Has not the Canada Land Company given them oxperienoe enough ? Has not speculators in land given proof enough of the very bad policy in giving land to any one except the actual settler ? This is a question worthy the consideration of overj' parent in Canada. Your son may wish to have a farm — he may not be able to purchase in the old settlements — if he gets land ho must go to the new country, and endure all its disadvantages : lack of roads, schools, stores, mauufacturies, houses, bams, fences, too much or too Uttle woods being some of th^Ui, he will have enough to do to live and make himself comfortable, without paying $1,000 in instal- ments oi §100 per year with interest at 8 ^)er cent. We have no proof* that the Canada Eailway Company will not charge this sum for lands anywhere near the railway, or even for good lands a little further off. American companies charge more than this for their best lands lying near stations. Men with only average business capacity will buy these lands, and after years struggling and some poor crops they will have to give back then* lands to the railway company (railway land sharks may I be per- mitted to call them) with all tkeir improvements for nothing — this laud to be sold over again at a higher rate. It is an unmanly, unfeeling argument to state that these people ought to look out and not pmrchase lands that they cannot pay for. But it is the duty of every Government to protect the weak against the strong, for this was Government instituted. Hence the Government ought to hold these lands for actual settlers at prices within their reach and the payment of which will not distress them. But the people must remonstrate against any further spoliation of the public domRin. .^mvv. • :- T..:^.'i...t .»t^ V:'^/";:;^' But some make the following dbjeclSou. If the GoVei'nrQent cbn'-' structs the railway and run it, it wiU place to much power in its hancis. But these objectors forget that the Goverment has under its control custom, excize and post-offices yielding a larger revenue and requiring a larger number of ofiicials than will ever be required on the Pacific Railway. Should a company cbntrol the railway, the ^^•ector may dismiss any official, who may vote or use his political i^ueuce contrary to the wishes of the company. The Governn^.ent would not dare to dismiss a worthy official, jtist for political reasons. All the official could do, would be to express his opinions. As Gov- ernment salaryed agent he could not vote. But I think it is mere waste of powder and shot, to use the ex- pression of Sir Hugh, to try and prove that the railway in the hands H-.\ W) 6 * of tbo Goverumeut would eudau^or the ri^'hts of the people half a'l much us it would be endaugcrcd by a company. Have not the disclosures of the past few weeks b«en sufficient to bhow, that a rich corporation may through theu' wealth, demoraUze voters sufficiently to secure unwise legislation, and the granting of an unwise Charter. The Western States are now oxperitucing some of the evils aris- ing, from having th^ir railroads controied by companies, instead of by the Government. It costs nearly the price of two bushels of com to send one bushel from any State west of lUiuois, to New Yorlv . liailway companies reap much of the profit of wheat, at the grower's expence. The price of wheat iu New York, is not fixed by the de- man 1 there, but by the British markets. The price of broadstuffs in Liverpool rules the prices in Now York. Inference if the railway- company should increase; or diminish their tariffs 50 cents it would neither add nor dimiuibh the price in New York. The consumers in the Eastern States may be indifferent to the railway tariffs, but not so with the western people, they are affcRted materially by a high tariff, and they cannot help it, so long as the railways are con- troled by companies. For a great majority vote would not compel any company to ro-arrange their tarfff in conformity to the peoples wishes. But let the railways be under the control of the Govern- ment, then the people can hx the passenger and freight tariff's ac- cording to the expressed wishes of the people at the polls. There are thousands of farmers in Ontario, Quebec and the mari- time Provinces, whose sons will settle in the fertile plain? of our great North-West. Do they vdsh the produce arrising from their toil, to be subject to tribute exorbitant and onerous by rapacious rail- way companies. Then let them sanction the construction of the Oanadiau Pacific Bailway by a oempany. There are hundreds of mechanics who will build shops and fac- tories along the lino of railway, is it desirable that these will pay a monopolist price for coal to a company, then sustain the pohey of constructing the railway by a company. But let the Government construct the railway, and then the people through their representa- tives, can control the freight tariff on coal satisfactory to ^e farmers, . • and mechanics who must burn it iu the west instead of wood. Th'e , manufacturer who indirectly, and directly, adds greatly to the wealth of the country, will be able to get it at a coet slightly beyond the coat of digging and freigtit, instead of at a cost 100 ppr cent greater if A company control the railway. But again there are extensive forests in British Collumbia. Ne % part of these should be given to a company to monopolize. The ' cost on the transport of the lumber eastward to the almost woodless L' prairies between Bed Biver and the Bocky Mountains, shonid be bat 4 little more than the actual expense of car and engine wear and tiie wages of employees. No twenty or thirty per cent, profit should be •;■ considered by a Government, as would be by a company. The forest too, alou}:j the liuo shoiiKl not ho mouopoli/.cd by gi-eat capitalists, , but it should bo given iu certain sized blocks to separate individuals on condition they erect mills within a specified time. These mill men would compete with each other and bring tke lumber to a reasonable profit. I have been assurred over and over again, by men who uro in the business, that lumber can bo savn as cheaply by mills that cost from three to six thousand dollars as it can bo by mills costing ten times this atnount. Very larj^o mills soon cut tlio logs adjacent to it, bnt logs brouglit ft cousiilerablo distance coRt fjood deal moro ; thonRh in somo places largo mills ui-c au advantage to the manufacture of lumber much more than to the consumer and settler. Largo mills require tlio monopoly of large tracts of timber lands to the exclusion of smaller ones. Where large tracts of land are held for many years by monopolists the settler has to go a long distauco to the great mill lor lumber, which is a gr'eat iiicon- veuieuce to him. But smaller mills would bo built right into the settlement and manufactiu'o lumber for the settlor as well as for market. Let any ono go into sections of country that havo been settled after its abandonment by tbo lumberer, settled in niany'cases by men who boucht their lands of lumbermen — who tirst fitripped tho land of tbo iiuost timber before they sold it, and alwaj's selling, remember, at prices from ono to five and Six Imndred per cent more tban it cost them — I repeat go into these settlements and ask these men if tbey believe Iai*ge milis help the settlement of a coun- tvy, lint iu places where the lumber cannot bo shipped for lack of suitable conveyance, then the streams become available for ideating logs down them to largo mills, frcm whence it can bo sent to market to the advantage of the manufacturer of lumber. But the Pacific Roilway will furnish means for conveyin? lumber all along the hue, hence there will bo no need of large raills, and there ought to be no great monopoly of these timber lands to the dotaiment of any person, wliieh would bo tho case if a company constructed the railwaj'. Many of our railways that we have helped so largely to build, will not carry cordwood to the detriment of the townspeople and farmers along the line, the companies preferring to see the farmers bura it rather than give them cars to freight it, because the companies fear it will increase tho price of coi-d wood against themselves. I for ono teel like this. Owners of railways in Canada have not given the people the best of satisfaction, but in some cases veiy poor satisfaction. I am iu favor of giving the Government a trial. Now to show that the Government can construct the railway and ran it. I have stated that tho Government ought to be able to sell 10,000,000 acres of land, at an average of $3.5U per acre, this would give a sum of #35,00,0000. Their are 50,000 yeoman in Canada who want fanns, and would go west and work on the railway to earn money to buy them. These juen would bo replaced by . aiigrants from the Old Country. The number drawn from Canada would hardly be noticed by the people, as it would take only about 250 from each county or riding. All of these men would not purchase land, . but there are thousands of farmers who would go to purchase land for themselves and sons, in the fertile prairies of our great North West. Thepohcy which I advocate is this : that the Government should con- struct tlie railway and hold these lands for sale to the actual settler, and at the following rates : — Within five miles ol Btations, at 85 per aero ; be- yond five and within ten miles, at 34 per acre ; beyond ten miles and with- in fifteen miles, at 93 pet acre ; beyond fifteen miles and within twenty ■ I • 1 , • 4;- • 1 I t lilt' t • • • I J , . • » • • miles of stutious, at ?2 per Acro. Thin woulil giva lui iwevago of 88.6i> per aero, if au equal quftutity of each, at thrse prices, wan soUl. Everyone at- - ' 4 ■•-