CO885-5 — Page 95

Miscellaneous, No. 49.

Confidential.

MEMORANDUM by MR. GEORGE STEPHEN, President of the Canadian Pacific Railway, explaining a SCHEME for the SETTLEMENT of IRISH FAMILIES in the CANADIAN NORTH-WEST.

For the sum of 1,000,000l. sterling, 10,000 small farmers with their families, averaging five persons to each family, say 50,000 people in all, can be comfortably brought from their homes in Ireland to the New Canadian North-West, and each family provided with 160 acres of the finest wheat growing lands, a comfortable wooden house, a cow, and the implements necessary to enable them to begin the cultivation of their land, including the cost of ploughing and seeding a few acres for their first year's crop.

of

The money required, to be provided by the Government and advanced, by way loan, to the North-West Land Company of Canada, and to such other Corporations interested in the Settlement of the Canadian North-West, as might wish to join in the enterprise, and be able to furnish the Government with such security for the repayment of the loan as might be required.

The loan to be for 10 years without interest.

In consideration of this loan the Land Company to undertake the work of transplanting and settling in the North-West, under the supervision of the Government, these 10,000 families, assuming all the risks incident to the business, and the responsibility of the repayment of the money advanced by the Government.

The Land Company would take a lien on the 160 acres of land given to each family to the amount of 100%, on which the emigrant would be charged interest at the rate of

six per cent. per annuin after the first two years of his settlement; the emigrant to have the right to pay off the principal at any time.

The chief inducement to the Land Company to undertake this work lies in the increased value that would be given to its own lands adjoining those upon which the emigrants settled.

This scheme is based on the assumption that the emigrants sent out are fit for agricultural work, and have energy and ability to take care of themselves, after getting the fair start thus provided for them.

It will thus be seen that the redundant population of Ireland may be materially reduced without any further cost to the Government than the interest of 100% for 10 years for each family-say 22. 10s. per annum or 251. for the whole 10 years.

N 6956.

75.—3/33.

G. 54.

E. & S.

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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C.O.

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