466 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [Vo.. VIII. 
The Dominion of New Zealand and some of the Australian provinces have 
for many years been in the habit of lending money to settlers, taking 
means to see that the money loaned was applied to improving and develop- 
ing the settlers’ holdings. In this way, the security held by the Govern- 
ment is increased, for the land is improved in value to the extent of the 
loan, plus the settlers’ labour. The Government borrows money and 
loans it again at one per cent. advance. This one per cent. has paid all 
the cost of administration, and made up for all the losses. Surely the 
Province of Ontario could help our new settlers (and the settlers in 
our north country are largely Ontario people) to this extent. 
It has been urged that political pull would interfere with the success- 
ful working out of such a plan, but it seems to me this could be safely 
avoided. In New Zealand every application for land is made to a Local 
Land Board as to a bank, and the applicant must establish his worthiness 
before the loan is made. On the recommendation of this Land Board 
the money is loaned by the Government officer SES ve with the funds, 
and on their recommendation only. 
If the settler could obtain a loan at reasonable interest, and the 
Government would of course hold the land as security, he would be enabled 
to proceed with the clearing and development of his farm instead of 
having to go out to work and keep his family in the nearest village, as at 
present. 
The question of roads, also, it seems to me, might be handled in a 
much more systematic way. At present the Government of the Province 
expends a large amount of money each year in building a certain extent of 
wagon roads in the way of colonization roads. In some cases these roads 
- are planned on a definite scheme laid down by the Department of Public . 
Works, and sometimes built without any particular scheme, but according 
to the amount of influence possessed by the settlers who petition for the 
road. 
In the newer districts, however, usually not more than six or eight 
miles of road are built in any one township. ‘This road is built at the ex- 
pense of the Province, and without any charge upon the settlers living 
along the road. ‘hat is to say, the settlers who are fortunate enough to 
procure land along concession three, we will say, have a road built for them 
entirely at the Government expense, while the settlers on other concessions 
‘either do without a road or build it at their own expense, say $250 per 
man, while paying as much for their land as the more fortunate settlers 
who live on concession three. 
