October 3, 1908.)
gather from an article translated from the Japanese newspaper "Nippon" in which it is incidentally mentioned that a peculiar phase of industrial life in Japan is that the capitalist is prepared to suffer loss in time of trade depression by retaining a number of operatives who are not absolutely neces- sary. The majority of the mill hands are female workers engaged under contract for a fixed term, and this explains how it is that in Japan operatives are not affected to the same extent as are the operatives else where by a depression in trade. The burden falls on the shoulders of the owners. Since April the number of operatives employed in the cotton mills of Japan has decreased by over 12,000, but the decrease is not due to dismissals on an extended scale. It is due simply to the fact that the vacancies which occur are not filled while business is slack. Japan will probably benefit to some extent by the stoppage of the Lancashire mills, and the British operatives may learn too late that their uncompromising attitude, if long main- tained, can only lead to permanent loss of trade and irreparable injury to the interests they profess to promote.
BRITISH COLUMBIA-II,
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OHINA
LAND TRADE REPORT.
fections that the State of Washington com- menced to take any important part in the traffic of the Pacific Slope, but of recent years, partly on account of the facilities offered to trade with the great cities of the East, and partly on account of the natural weatlh of the new State, Washington and ports on Puget Sound have commenced to take an increasing part in the commerce of the West Coast. Naturally the population has been largely recruited from the older settled state of California and Oregon, and has absorbed many of its peculiarities.
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disfavour came to be looked upon as the standard of English, and the focal news- papers soon became lowered both in tope and orthography to the level of the public they were intended to serve.
Another more subtle influence has been. at work, and that is the low position. occupied in the West by the Church. The Church is, in fact, but little in evidence in Vancouver, considering its size, but Con- venticles of all sorts abound; they are probably neither better nor worse that in other towns on the West Coast, but as the preachers are of a similar class to their congregations, and exercise no refining influence the result is distinctly lowering to the whole tone of the place. Worse than this, the preacher's wife is generally of even lower type than the majority of the congregation, so that the refiuing influence of the "Parson's Wife," which counts for so much in a country parish in England is entirely absent. Towards the same end other things-some seemingly indifferent- tend. Vancouver is the paradise of the ready-made clothes man. The heal of one of these establishments, in other respects B worthy and well-spoken tradesman, expressed his surprise that any one should go to the trouble of engaging a tailor, when he could get his clothes all ready made, and only requiring a little adjustment. The result is whimsical, and added to the monotony produced by the school system, where the only individuality apparent is that of a little more or less vulgarity, produces a strange stereotyped result. Que Vancouverite is in fact but the duplicate of another and there is no room left for emulation in education, in manners, in speech, or in any other of the thousand and one trifles that go to make a worthy man and a gentleman. All these drawbacks are common enough elsewhere in a commer- cial town where there is no constituted authority of Government, or Church, or University, to lead men to a higher idea of life than mere beer and skittles. It is the misfortune of Vancouver that her external circumstances have led in quite the contrary direction. Even the Provincial Govern- ment is said to be obnoxious to not disimilar influences, and stories of what elsewhere would be described not altogether remote from corruption are ordinarily current It is not, in fact, too much to say that British Columbia needs for a time a strong hand at the wheel 'to steer her into clearer waters.
In the early days Victoria, the capital of Vancouver Island, and now of the province of British Columbia, notwithstanding its remoteness, was mainly settled from England direct, with but a minute incre- ment from California and the other western States. Its English proclivities were the boast of its inhabitants who claimed they were more English that the Canadian cities of the East. With the opening of the Canadian Pacific Railway, little change took place, most of the new settlers being still English filtered through Ontario. On the opening of the line, after some hesitation the site of the present city of Vancouver was selected as the western terminus of the Railway; the fertile lands about the lower (Daily Press, 30th September.)
valley of the Fraser River also commenced RETURNING to the subject of the present of to be occupied, and for a considerable time Vancouver, all the attendant circumstances the new settlers were either eastern are clearly in favour of progress, not only Canadians or direct comers from the Home material but social, yet what strikes the land. The natural auvantages of the careful visitor, who is prepared to look below country at once gave an impetus to emigra- the surface, and investigate the subsoil, is tion, and by 1890 the population of that the population has in all things,-speech, Vancouver already considerably exceeded general civilisation, culture, morality, dress twenty thousand. "Have you a Webster's and manners-distinctly retrograded from Dictionary, ?" asked an English visitor at the old standard. The Pacific Slope, as its this time of one of the principal booksellers. inhabitants love to call it, has not been for- The answer was characteristic:-" No Sir, tunate in its modern peopling. The first we do not keep it." But] meanwhile the settlers from Europe were Spanish, who centres of trade had shown consequent on brought with them their Roman mission- the opening of the Northern Pacific group aries, who with the best intentiona taught of railways, a tendency to move northwards, the natives in a perfunctory manner gome of and Portland, Tacoma, and Seattle began the simple arts; the result being that a con- to grow, and the rich country adjacent to siderable population grew up of balf-caste be settled with people moving from the Indians of low social type. Churches south. The newly discovered mineral multiplied, but the culture introduced was wealth of British Columbia immediately not of a high class, and little good resulted. north of the international boundary Then came a wild rush on the first discovery commenced to attract settlers from the other of placer gold, which introduced into Cali-side, and the consequence was a huge fornia the offscourings of every country immigration across the boundary. We have in the world. Till the Union Pacific Rail-above remarked on the gederal tone of the way was completed, overland communication population of the West Coast, and the with the rest of America east of the Rocky nflux into the older settled population of, Mountains was difficult and dangerous, and the province, and more especially Vancouver only those who were content to carry their where it is most appareat, could not fail in lives in their hands dared attempt it. The having a considerable effect. But there alternatives were the sea route through the
were other causes at work. Columbia, straits of Magellan, or the transit by following the lead of Eastern Canada and of
(Daily Press, October 1st.) the rudely-constructed, and fever-stricken, the United States, has been making British Ministers during the last few Panama Railway. Few except the adven- strenuous efforts to introduce free education, months have on many occasions sought to turer who was prepared to accept the but unfortunately has had but indifferent allay the fears which find frequent expres roughest conditions availed themselves of material to draw on, and has made the sion is the newspapers and magazines that either. The only remaining method of mistake of starting with but a low standard. the naval supremacy of Great Britian is approach was from China. These were in The mere commercial use of dollars and cents seriously threatened by the German Naval the days of the old sailing schooners, when has been the ruling influence at work; and programme. Whatever amount of success inter-communication was at best slow and the highest aim of the directors has been they have achieved in that direction will uncertain, and long before the feasibility of limited to the merely utilitarian use of the probably be heavily discounted by the NOWI steam navigation in the Great Ocean had three Rs. In grauting teachers certificates telegraphed yesterday by our London entered the
no requirements have been made ag
that to correspondent
the German Navy sanguine. Still, in spite of its difficulties, the any literary knowledge of English, nor League is demanding heavy and immediate voyage from Hongkong to San Francisco any note taken of correct pronunciation; additions to the strength of the German was really in the Fifties the most convenient the mere attainment of a rudimentary Navy Well may it be asked: Wish is means of access to California, and almost | amount of reading, br commercial the meaning of it all? H. M. the Katann the only gate by which weighty materials school writing, and of the fundamental has of late been constantly insisting on the could be transported. So it happened that the real builders of San Francisco were the Hongkong Chinese, and many traces of their presence and influence were to be noted in the city before its partial ruin by the earthquake. It was not till the opening of the Northern Pacific Railway and its con-
minds even of the most
rules of business arithmetic being the highest standard required. The consequence is that the officouring of the schools came to be appointed teachers, and the cause of education, so far from being raised, came to sink to the level of the most illiterate. Webster, so far from being in
8.5
GREAT BRITAIN AND THE TWO POWER STANDARD,
pacific nature of his aims while announcing Germany's intention to maintain and develop her Navy. This Spring & Ger man Navy Act was passed laying down a ten years shipbuilding progra covering the construction of 18 bat ships 10 battleship cruiserų, 20
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