IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I li^lM IIIII15 •^ i^ III 2.2 II 1^ 12.0 1.25 1.4 ^ ^ 6" - ► Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WnSTIR, N.Y. MSM (716) S73-4S03 &? CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques .: Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has ar impted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographlcally unique, which may alter any of the imeges in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual met^^od of filming, are checlced below. D Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur I I Covers damaged/ D Couverture endommagte Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurie et/ou pelliculAe □ Cover title missing/ Le D D D D D titre de couverture manque I I Coloured maps/ Cartes giographiques en couleur Coloured Inic (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) [~~| Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ ReiiA avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La reliure serrAe peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge intirieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte. mais. iorsque cela Atait possible, ces pages n'ont pas At* fiim^MS. Additional comments:/ Commentaires supplAmentaires: L'Institut a microf limA le meilieur exemplaire qu'il lui a AtA possible de se procurer. Les dAtails de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mAthode normale de filmage sont indiquAs ci-dessous. I — I Coloured pages/ D n Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages andommagAes Pages restored and/oi Pages restaur Aes et/ou peiliculAes Pages discoloured, stained or foxe( Pages dAcoioi Aes, tachetAes ou piquAes Pages detached/ Pages dAtachAes Showthrough/ Transparence Quality of prir QualitA inAgale de ('impression Includes supplementary materii Comprend du matAriel supplAmentaire I — I Pages damaged/ I — I Pages restored and/or laminated/ I — I Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ r~n Pages detached/ I I Showthrough/ r~~| Quality of print varies/ r~~| Includes supplementary material/ Only edition available/ Soule Adition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been ref limed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcins par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure. etc., ont At A filmAes A nouveau de fagon A obtenir la meilleure image possible. T» to Tl P< of fil Oi b( th sii ol fil sii Ol Tl s^ Tl w M di •r b( "1 re This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmA au taux de rAduotlon indiquA ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 28X 30X / 12X 16X aox MX 28X 32X Th« copy filmsd hare has baan raproducad thanks to tha ganarosity of: Library Division Provincial Archives of British Columbia L'axamplaira film* fut raproduit grAca A la gAnArosit* da: Library Division Provincial Archives of British Columbia Tha imagas appaaring hara ara tha bast quality possibia considaring tha condition and lagibility of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha filming contract spacifications. Las imagas suivantas ont 4tA raproduitas avac la plus grand soin, compta tanu da la condition at da la nattatA da l'axamplaira film*, at an conformity avac las conditions du contrat da filmaga. Original copias in printad papar covars ara filmad baginning with tha front covar and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad impras- sion. or tha back covar whan appropriata. All othar original copias ara filmad baginning on tha first paga with a printad or illustratad impras- sion. and anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad imprassion. Las axamplairas originaux dont la couvarture an papiar ast imprimAa sont filmts an commanpant par la pramiar plat at an tarminant soit par la darniAra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'imprassion ou d'illustration. soit par la sacond plat, salon la cas. Tous las autm axamplairas originaux sont filmts en commandant par la premiAra paga qui comporta una amprainta d'imprassion ou d'illustration at an tarminant par la derniAre paga qui comporta una talla amprainta. Tha last racordad frame on each microfiche shall contain tha symbol ^^> (meaning "CON- TINUED "), or tha symbol Y (meaning "END 'I, whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la darnidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols -^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmAs A des taux da reduction diffArants. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA, il est filmA A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant la nombre d'images nAcessaire. Las diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 /^^^ Od-G,/5^,( Circular Letter TO THE \.t^ la :7 ^ People of British Columbia, >0t m ^ 1. It is proposed to orjjanix? for the purpose of promoting the construction of a railway which shall afford a direct means of communication between the coast cities of British Columbia, the agricultural districts of the Fraser River Valley and the various Kootenay mining camps, which shall be called "The Peoples' Railway." 2. The object in view is the development of the richest agricultural and mineral sections of the Province. 3. The people ot the eastern portion of the Dominion, alive to the importance of railway connection with the Kootenay country, are nsing every means to induce the Dominion Government to grant such assistance as will bring about the commencement and early completion of such a line. The proposal, however, to construct a railway entering the Province from the east «if the Rocky Mountains and extending through the Crow's Nest Pass to the Kootenays gives no hope for the development of the coast sections of our Province; on the contrary the effect will be to divert the greater portion of the trade from British Columbia altogether to the cities of other Piovinces, and unless the construction of a line to the coast is made co-incident with the con- struction of a Crow's Nest road it will be found very difficult to enlist the sympathy of the Dominion Government in the scheme in future or to recover our legitimate trade from channels into which it will have been diverted. 4. The construction of a Crow's Nest line alone and without a road to the sea- board means a loss to the coast portion of the province that can never be recovered. 5. The route of the proposed coast railway will be from a point on the Gulf of Georgia to New Westminster and from Vancouver to a junction at New Westminster and thence easterly through the fertile municipalities lying between the Fraser River and the international boundary line to a pass through the Hope Mountains, thence by way of the valleys of the Tulameen and Similkameen Rivers" (connecting with the chief mining camps en route) to a point near the Columbia River to be hereafter determined upon, connection to be made with Victoria by railway ferry and with Nanaimo by steamer from Vancouver. 6. From any point beyond sixty miles east of New Westminster to that city and to the cities of Victoria, Vancouver and Nanaimo passenger and freight rates shall be the same. 7. On account of the present high rates and great distances to be travelled it is impossible for the merchants of the coast to carry on an extensive trade with the Kootenay centres ; the time occupied in travelling from Rossland to the coast is two days and in the transfer of freight a much longer time in proportion. 8. By the proposed railway the journey from the Columbia River to the seaboard would be easily made in twelve hours without change of cars and at a greatly reduced fare. Daily freight trains would transport goods in one quarter of the time occupied to-day aud at less than half the cost. 9. It is proposed to effect a junction at Rosslaud with the Corbin system and thereby with six continental roads thus, while controlling all passenger and freight business between provincial points, the road would be a strong competitor for trans- continental business. 10. The trade of Kootenay gold and silver districts is already sufficient to justify the immediate construction of the railway. 11. The already large and increasing trade of these places is handled largely by American railways, two of which penetrate this part of the Province. An outlet through foreign channels is thus created and an immense revenue, capable of stimu- lating every local and Provincial industry is entirely lost to our country. 12. The construction of this railway would bring the rich agricultural lands of the Fraser valley within easy reach of the large mining camps of Kootenay, where the farmers would find a profitable market for every product of their farms. The large extent of what is now unproductive land would be speedily settled and tilled and thus an ever increasing trade be created for t'le railway. 13. The value of short p.ud direct communication between the mines and the sea- board can scarcely be overestimated to the former. A large number of locations upon which prospecting and development work has been performed would send ores to the smelters and, the^ cost of shipping and treatment being reduced to a minimum, properties now idle will become permanent sources of wealth. 14. It is now generally known that the riineral belt is much greater than was at first supposed and in reality begins at the west side of Hope Mountains, where valuable locations have been made. From Hope it may be said to extend eastward to the Rocky Mountains. 19. With a view to securing the construction of the above described railway and in order that no interest or locality may be overlooked, it is proposed to form a Pro- vincial committee, with representatives from each of the cities, municipalities and settlements interested, who shall organize for the purpose of securing the necessary legislation and Government assistance and for the purpose of making at once a pre- liminary examination of the route. 16. It will also b^ for the committee to consider whether or not, in the event of the construction of the Crow's Nest Pass road, the interests of the Province should be guarded by the Government maintaining the road under its own control and advise representatives accordingly. 121720 We, the undersigned, having read the foregoing, hereby signify our hearty approval of the objects aimed at therein, and beg to petition the Government to assist tl^e scheme in every way possible.