Some Personal Recollections of Victoria. 331 



province* is the chief cankervvorm. A look at the imports and 

 exports shows that the old saying that British Columbia does not 

 raise even the chicken feed she needs is not so grossly exaggerated. 

 Thus, in the year 1891, five years after the completion of the 

 C.P.R., the province imported and exported : 



Imported. Exported. 



Sheep and cattle 39,788 head ahead 



Bacon and hams 809,78415. none 



Flour (in aoolb. barrels) 31,692 5 



Butter 306, 297!!). 3743lb. 



Eggs 197,254 dozen 15 dozen 



A duality of Government is hardly an unmixed blessing for 

 a country three thousand miles from the central seat. All matters 

 connected with the post, customs, marine, justice, and Indian 

 affairs are exclusively Dominion matters, and are therefore managed 

 from the other side of the continent. The public accounts show 

 that British Columbia is subjected to a great drain. Its population, 

 was, in 1891, less than 100,000, including nearly 30,000 Indians 

 and Chinese. The average rate of taxation in the whole Dominion 

 from the two great sources of revenue, customs and excise, is 

 5.92 per capita, yet the public accounts show us that British 

 Columbia contributes 16.97 P er head of its population, or, 

 if one excludes the Indians, over 21 dollars per capita. This 

 shows that British Columbia pays 1 1 dollars a head more than 

 the average share. What does this Province get from the 

 Dominion Government for this million and odd dollars a year more 

 than the average share of taxation ? Not its proportionate share 

 ' of appropriations certainly. 



* The following may serve as an instance of C.P.R. charges which a Victoria 

 merchant had to pay. The goods were destined for Ashcroft, an up-country 

 settlement about 200 miles from the coast. They had been imported from 

 Glasgow by sea to New York, and from thence vid one of the American lines 

 across the continent to B.C. The freight charges from Glasgow to B.C., 

 more than 6000 miles, came to 24dols. per ton, while from the coast point 

 to Ashcroft (204 miles) they amounted to 2 idols, per ton. 



